Russian visa for citizens of Luxembourg

Have you set your mind on traveling to Russia? The biggest country of the world has a lot to offer for different kinds of travelers. Whether you are going on a leisure vacation to see the sights, or to visit your Russian family or friends, or on an important business visit, the first question you should have is:

Do Luxembourgish citizens need a visa to Russia?

• Yes, they do.

For those who have no notion of visa procedures, it may seem quite complicated and even make them change their travel plans. But I’ll describe the whole process for you in 5 simple steps, so you could successfully get your Russian visa without the need to pay some agent to do it for you. Follow my step-to-step guide below and pursue your travel plans.

Step 1. Select your travel dates and corresponding visa type

To identify the visa type for which you need to apply, select travel dates, think about the number of entries to Russia you’ll need to make, and about the purpose of your trip. Below you’ll find a list of visa types with descriptions, to help you make your choice.

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 max)	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 Luxembourgish citizens

Duration of stay in Russia: not exceeding 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)
• trans-siberian or trans-mongolian railway tours
• tours on cruise ships with entrance to Russian ports (Note: tourists traveling as part of organized groups, staying on board the ship, or entering ports in a group under pre-arranged tours, can stay up to 72 hours visa free)

Inviting company: approved Russian travel agency

Russian Private visa for Luxembourgish citizens

Duration of stay in Russia – not exceeding 90 days

Number of entries – single or double

Purpose of trip – visiting family or friends residing in Russia

Inviting organization – Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia following a request of the host Russian citizen, or permanent resident of Russia

Russian Business visa for Luxembourgish citizens

Duration of stay in Russia – not exceeding 90 days out of each 180. A visa can be granted for up to 5 years.

Number of entries – single, double or multiple

Purpose of trip:

– looking for business partners

– attending various meetings, conferences, negotiations

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

– carrying out paid short-term commercial activities (sub-purpose Commercial)

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

– flying aircraft (sub-purpose Crew Member)

– a child accompanying parents in a business trip (sub-purpose Family Member)

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

Inviting organization – A Russian organization itself, or Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia upon request of the host Russian company (MVD), or a Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs following a request of the host company

Russian Transit visa for Luxembourgish citizens

Duration of stay in Russia – for air connections not exceeding 3 days, for travelers crossing Russia by road/ railroad transport – not exceeding 10 day

Number of entries – single, double (for double entry transit visa validity won’t be longer than 1 month

Purpose of trip – crossing Russia following to another state of destination.

Inviting organization – no invitation required. You should have the tickets showing entry/exit from Russia

Russian Student visa for Luxembourgish citizens

Duration of stay in Russia – 90 days and over. A visa is issued for 90 days, but can be extended in Russia depending on the duration of contract of studies.

Number of entries – single, double or multiple

Purpose of trip – studying at a Russian university or attending short-term courses

Inviting organization – Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (MVD) upon request of the Russian School or University

Russian Work visa for Luxembourgish citizens

Duration of stay in Russia – 90 days and up, a visa can be extended in Russia^, depending on the labour contract terms. For Highly Qualified Experts a visa is issued for 3 years at once, and can also be extended in Russia.

Number of entries – single, double or multiple

Purpose of trip – professional employment in Russia

Inviting organization – Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia upon request of the Russian Employing company

Russian Electronic visa for Luxembourgish citizens

Duration of stay in Russia – not exceeding 8 days. Visa validity starts from the issuance date and lasts for 30 days. 

Number of entries – single 

Purpose of trip – tourism and leisure activities, or brief business or humanitarian visits to Russia

Inviting organization – no invitation required. 

Step 2. Collect a package of documents required for visa

To apply for a visa you’ll need to submit a package of documents. See the list below and start preparing them.

• National passport valid minimum 6 months beyond the visa expiry date, with 2 blank visa designated pages in it. A copy of bio page of passport is also required

• Duly completed online visa form from the website visa.kdmid.ru, printed on both sides, signed and dated. In the indicated space of the form you should glue your recent color photo 3.5×4.5. Read more on photo specifications here: https://visando.com/russian-visa-photo-specifications/ Ensure that the travel dates indicated in the form are within the dates of your invitation

• If you apply for an E-visa it’s important to fill the form without any mistakes not later than 4 days before the trip. To make sure you fill it correctly, order our professional assistance here: Contact Visando

• Travel support/ Invitation

– For tourist visa you’ll need a confirmation of acceptance of tourist by a registered Russian travel agency. Get it here in 10 min: Get Tourist Confirmation. Print and use

For Autotourism be ready to submit a copy of the registration certificate of your vehicle.

– For private visa your Russian host should solicit an official invitation at the local Ministry of Internal Affairs migration department and send it to you. It’s made in 20 working days and sent in e-format. If you don’t have time to wait, consider coming on a tourist visa. 

For travelers planning to enter Russia accompanied by their close relatives – Russian citizens, it suffices to present a petition addressed to the Russian Ambassador in Luxembourg from your Russian relative, and attach a copy of his residence permit in Luxembourg, a copy of his Russian passport, and a copy of the document proving your family ties.

– For Business visa your Russian partner must provide you either with a written statement of invitation signed and sealed in original, or solicit an invitation at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (takes 20 working days, accepted in both paper and electronic format), or Ministry of Foreign Affairs  of Russia (invitation type – electronic Telex, takes around 12 working days). If your host company can’t provide this, order your Business invitation here: Get Business invitation

– For Student visa your Russian school or university should solicit official invitation from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (takes 1- 1.5 months)

– For Work visa your Russian employer should solicit official invitation from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (takes 1- 2 months)

• Medical insurance policy valid on the territory of Russia during the entire period of your journey, with the amount of coverage not less than 30.000 euro. 

• When applying for Work and Student visas you should include an HIV-certificate, proving you are HIV-negative. Take it at any local clinic. The results of the test are valid for 3 months after it’s taken.

Step 3. Apply for your visa at the local Russian Consulate

Once you have all documents ready, you can book an appointment at the Russian Consulate Section in Luxembourg. The appointment is obligatory and is done electronically here: http://luxembourg.kdmid.ru/queue-fr/

Remember, you can apply for your visa not earlier than 3 months before the planned trip to Russia.

When you submit your documents at the Consulate department, you are supposed to pay the non-refundable visa fee, for the processing of your documents. See the fees amount in the table below

Vysa type	Standard processing fee (4-10 business days)	Urgent processing fee (1-3 business days)
All visa types, except student and work visa	35 €	70 €

The consular fees are paid by any major credit card at the Consulate when submitting the documents.

Find the address and contacts of the Russian embassy and consulate here: Russian Consulates and Embassies

Step 4. Obtain your visa and check it

When you submit your documents you are given a receipt. Keep it, and when the time of your visa processing finishes, you should bring it with you to the Consulate to receive your passport with visa back.

Attentively examine your visa. All details should be correct and true. See a sample of the Russian visa stamp below.

If you spot any mistakes, you should contact the consulate and ask to apply the necessary change. If everything is all right, you can start packing your luggage.

Step 5. Pass immigration procedures in Russia

Before you leave I’d like to add, that you are required to get two more documents when you arrive to Russia. Nothing too hard, but you should know about it. 

• Migration Card
• Registration

You will be given Migration Card on board the plane by flight attendants, or at border points by the immigration officer. You’ll be requested to fill both parts of this document with identical information in block letters in pen, in Russian or English. Give your passport details, dates of trip and inviting company. Immigration officer will stamp the document and give you one part of it. Carry the migration card always with you and return when you leave Russia.

Registration is necessary if your stay in Russia exceeds 7 working days. It’s provided by the hotel where you stay, or by the owner of the apartment. Please, contact the owner and make sure he’ll be able to obtain this document for you at the local post or police office. Airbnb owners normally charge you extras for this document. Carry your registration along during your visit. Remember that it should be done during the first 7 business days of your stay.

That’s all the information I wanted to share with you, and I hope my guide will help you get your Russian visa. If you still have any questions, feel free to contact me by email.

Enjoy your journey to Russia!