Russian visa for citizens of Iceland

Russia and Iceland have always had warm friendly relationships. Citizens of Iceland travel to Russia quite frequently on business, tourist and other purposes. There exists a visa regime between our countries.

Do citizens of Iceland need a visa to enter Russia?

Yes, they do.

Although a visa application process may seem a complicated and time-consuming matter, you can use our simple step-by-step guide given below to obtain your Russian visa in a fast and economical way. Read and see which Russian visa types exist, how and where to apply for your visa and how much it’ll cost you.

Let’s crack on with the first step!

Step 1. Choose the visa type suitable for your trip

Russian visas can be divided into several types according to your travel purpose, duration of your trip, number of entries, and visa support documents your Russian host can provide you with. See the visa types overview and details below.

Visa types	Validity period	Travel purpose
Tourist visa	30 days	tourism and leisure
Private visa	90 days	private guest visits. Not recommendable: see why here
Business visa	30 -90 days (up to 5 years)	conducting business in Russia, looking for partners, negotiating, investing etc.
Transit visa	3 -10 days	crossing Russian territory on your way to another country
Student visa	90 days and above	studying a course in a Russian school or university
Work visa	90 days and above	working under contract for a Russian employer
Electronic visa	8 days	short tourist, business or humanitarian visits

Russian Tourist visa for citizens of Iceland

Stay in Russia for: maximum 30 days

Number of entries: single, double

Travel purpose:

• sightseeing, excursions and tours
• attending concerts, festivals, fairs and exhibitions
• brief business visits or medical consultations (Aim Tourism)
• driving through Russia by cars, motorbikes, bikes (Auto-tourism)
• going on trans-siberian railway tour etc.

You should be invited by: a Russian registered tour operator, providing you with the necessary confirmation of the acceptance of foreign tourist in Russia. Order the required tourist confirmation from us here: Get Tourist Confirmation

Russian Private visa for citizens of Iceland

Stay in Russia for: maximum 90 days

Number of entries: single, double

Travel purpose: visiting family or friends in Russia

You should be invited by: a Russian citizen or a legal resident, who solicits an invitation at the MIA of Russia.

In case of joint entry with your close relative in Russia, your Russian relative can make an application directly to the Consul of Russia asking to grant you a visa. You’ll need to provide a document proving your family ties with apostille + their copies.

Russian Business visa for citizens of Iceland

Stay in Russia for: maximum 90 days out of each 180. A visa can be valid for up to 5 years. For multiple entries visa you should have previous visas issued in the last year.

Number of entries: single, double, multiple

Travel purpose:

– looking for new business contacts

– attending various meetings, conferences, negotiations

– investing into Russian business

– purchasing goods and services, researching the market

– conducting trainings, maintenance work (sub-purpose Technical Maintenance)

– commercial activity (sub-purpose Commercial)

– driving cargo or passenger vehicle throughout Russia (sub-purpose Driver)

– taking part in events related to sports, culture, politics, religion, charity, volunteer programs, or supplying humanitarian aid (Humanitarian type)

You should be invited by: A Russian organization, or MIA of Russia upon request of the host Russian company, or a Russian MFA following a request of the host company.

Order your business support from us here: Get Business invitation

Russian Transit visa for citizens of Iceland

Stay in Russia for: maximum 3 days if you make flight connection, or 10 days for road trips.

Number of entries: single

Travel purpose: crossing Russia following to another country of destination.

You should have purchased tickets showing entry/exit from Russia

Russian Student visa for citizens of Iceland

Stay in Russia for: 90 days and longer. A student visa is issued for 90 days, but can be extended on the territory of Russia.

Number of entries: single, double, multiple

Travel purpose: studying at a Russian university, attending short-term courses, conducting research in Russia

You should be invited by: A Russian School or University via the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia or Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (in the form of telex)

Russian Work visa for citizens of Iceland

Stay in Russia for: 90 days and longer. A work visa can be extended in Russia. A visa for a Highly Qualified Specialists is issued for 3 years at once.

Number of entries: single, multiple

Travel purpose: paid employment

You should be invited by: your Russian employer via the MIA of Russia. Invitation must be presented in paper original

Russian Electronic visa for citizens of Iceland

Stay in Russia for: max 8 days out of 30

Number of entries: single

Travel purpose: tourism and leisure activities, or brief business or humanitarian visits to Russia

You should fill the application for e-visa on kdmid website 4 days before your entry and receive the approval. When on the border, display the printed e-visa and enter one of the three regions: 

• Saint Petersburg and Leningrad region
• Kaliningrad and Kaliningrad region
• Vladivostok and the Far East

On an E-visa a traveler can enter and leave only through the same border point. Unfortunately, you cannot visit any other regions of Russia on an e-visa yet. If you want to travel more freely get yourself a regular tourist visa instead. 

To order professional help with filling the E-visa form, contact us here: Contact Visando

Step 2. Collect documents for your visa

After you have figured out which visa type you need, you can start preparing the required documents for your application. These include:

• International passport in original.The passport should be valid for 6 months beyond your expected Russian visa expiry date, and have minimum two blank pages for a visa stamp
• Visa support document/ invitation from Russia. Refer to the visa types description below and check who can supply you with the requested document.

• Filled online visa application form. Go to visa.kdmid.ru, fill in the form, print out on both sides of the paper, sign, date, glue your color photo in the marked field. See photo specifications here: Russian visa photo specifications
• For E-visa applicants it’s very important to complete the form without any mistakes, seek our professional assistance here: Contact Visando
• Medical insurance policy, which should be valid on the territory of Russia for the whole period of your trip and have coverage of no less than 30000 euro.
• If you want to study or work in Russia staying longer than 90 days, you’ll need to take a blood test for HIV, get the certificate stating you are negative and include it in your list of documents. It’s valid for 90 days from the issuance.
• If you are applying for transit visa – instead of the invitation, submit your purchased tickets to and from Russia, as well as the valid visa to the country of your final destination if you need a visa to enter it

Step 3. Apply for a visa in Iceland

Once you have collected all the necessary documents, you can apply for your visa at the Consulate Department of the Russian Embassy in Reykjavík. 

The Consulate accepts applications on weekdays from 9:00 until 11:30

Address: Tungata 24, 101 Reykjavik

Phone: + 354 561 08 51

When you submit your documents you should also pay the Consulate visa fee, which amount to:

Visa type	Standard processing 10 working days	Urgent processing in 3 working days
Work visa single entry	11600 ISK	23200 ISK
Work visa double entry	18560 ISK	37120 ISK
Work visa multiple entry	34800 ISK	69600 ISK

After you submit the documents and pay the fees you’ll be given a receipt and informed on the date of completion of the visa process when you’ll be able to come and collect your passport.

Step 4. Collect your passport and check your visa for mistakes

After the process of your application has finished, you can collect your passport back. Carefully check the visa stamp. If has the following data on it:

Should you notice any mistakes, apply for correction before your trip. If everything is fine, prepare your luggage and start planning your trip and your travel routes. Remember to take with you:

• passport with visa
• invitation from Russia
• travel insurance policy
• hotel and other bookings

Step 5. Documents to take when in Russia

When you arrive to Russia, don’t forget that you’ll need two more documents during your trip:

• Migration card
• Registration

Migration cards are given out for free at the airports or border points. Save this document after having it stamped and carry along in your passport throughout the trip. You’ll need to return it back at the immigration control when leaving the country. It looks like this:

If you intend to stay in Russia over 7 working days you’ll also need to get yourself a Registration. Hotels will provide it for you. If you lodge at a private accommodation, agree with the owner that he’ll make it at the local post/police office department within the 7 days after your arrival. Carry it with you during your stay. It looks like this:

I’m sure that now you have a clearer understanding of the visa application process, and will be able to obtain your Russian visa without any problems. if you need our help or more advice, feel free to write to our email.

Travel more and discover Russia!