Russian visa for citizens of Malaysia

Russia attracts visitors from many countries including Malaysia on different purposes including tourism, business, study, work and others. If you are a citizen of Malaysia and intend to come to Russia, you might be asking yourself the question:

Do Malaysian citizens need a visa to Russia?

Yes, they do.

But how can you get a Russian visa, which visa do you need and how much and how long will it take to get one? A visa application process might seem pretty challenging, but don’t let that sway you. In this article you’ll find the answers to your questions. Follow on with our step-by-step guide to your Russian visa.

Step 1. Choose the appropriate visa type

Visa types	Period of stay	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 (a visa can be valid for 1 year)	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 Malaysian citizens

You need it if: 

• You want to visit the Russian landmarks, take tours and excursions, attend a concert, festival or exhibition etc;

• The duration of your trip will be no longer than 30 days. 

• The number of planned entries to Russia will be: single or double

• You have the visa support document: Tourist confirmation from a registered Russian tour operator. You can order this document in e-format from us here:  Get tourist confirmation Print it out and use

Russian Business or Humanitarian visa for Malaysian citizens

You need it if: 

• You are planning to take part in business meetings, conferences, seminars and other events, sign contracts and agreements, invest into business, conduct negotiations and short-time commercial activities; visit political, religious, cultural and other humanitarian events etc.

• Duration of your trip will be no longer than 90 days out of 180. Visas can be issued for 1 year and longer. 

• Number of entries will be: single, double or multiple 

• Your have the visa support document: An invitation issued by the MIA or MFA of Russia upon request of the Russian company. 

Russian Private visa for Malaysian citizens

You need it if: 

• You are going to spend some time with your Russian relatives or friends

• You will stay no longer than 90 days

• Number of entries will be: single, double

• Your Russian host can provide you with a visa support: an official invitation issued by the MIA Russia. The preparation of such invitation takes 20 working days and the host should provide his financial statements and guarantee he’ll take full responsibility for your stay in Russia. If your host can’t supply you with this, consider getting a standard tourist visa instead.

Russian Student visa for Malaysian citizens

You need it if: 

• You are going to study a course at a Russian school, college, university or institute

• Your stay can last 90 days or more. This visa is issued for 90 days with possibility to extend it while in Russia, if your course lasts longer.

• Number of entries will be: single, double, multiple

• Your school or university has provided you with the visa support – an official invitation issued by the MIA of Russia

Russian Work visa for Malaysian citizens

You need it if: 

• You are going to enter Russia on work purposes;

• You will stay 90 days and longer, depending on your labour contract conditions. A work visa can be issued for 90 days with possibility to extend it while in Russia. If the applicant is invited as a Highly Qualified Specialist he’s granted a 3 years multiple entry work visa at once, with possibility of further extension in Russia.

• Number of entries will be: single, multiple

• Your Russian employer has provided you with a visa support: an official invitation issued by the MIA of Russia in original

Russian E-Visa for Malaysian citizens

You need it if: 

• You are going on a brief tourist, business, humanitarian or private visit to one of the 3 regions of Russia: Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region, Kaliningrad and Kaliningrad Region, the Far East and Vladivostok. You are allowed to enter and leave through the same border point. You cannot leave the region of entry.

• You will stay no longer than 8 days out of 30 days period of your visa validity

• Number of entries – single

• You have filled an electronic form on the MFA website and received a visa decision in e-form. The application should be filled correctly not later than 4 days before your trip. If you want to have professional assistance in filling the form, get it here: E-Visa form filling

Traveling on e-visa is still pretty limited, if you feel you want to travel without such limitations, consider applying for a standard tourist visa instead. 

Russian Transit visa for Malaysian citizens

You need it if:

• You are going to travel through Russia on your way to another state

• You will need to stay up to 3 days for connections by air, or up to 10 days for crossing Russia by road or railway

• Number of entries will be: single

• You have the purchased tickets of entry and exit from Russia, showing your route

Important: If you make connection and stay at the airport transit zone, without passing passport and immigration control, you don’t need a visa. Otherwise, you require a transit visa.

If you travel to Kazakhstan or Belarus with connection in Russia you need a transit visa.

It is important for you to choose the right type of visa to fully enjoy your trip to Russia without any legal problems. Bear in mind that visa types are not interchangeable. If your travel purpose has changed, you need to reapply for another types of visa outside of Russia.

Step 2. Collect all required documents for the successful application

When you decide on the type of visa you need for your trip to Russia, you can start collecting necessary documents for your application. Here’s the main list:

• Your valid international passport and its copy. It must be valid at least 6 months after visa expiry date and contain minimum 2 blank visa pages
• Visa support document depending on the purpose of visa – contact your Russian host and ask to provide it to you
• Completed online visa questionnaire from the website visa.kdmid.ru. Print it, sign, date and glue your recent color photo in the designated area of the form. See requirements to the photo here: Photo for the Russian visa
• HIV/AIDS-negative test certificate for applicants for work/student long-term visas. Take the test in any local clinic not later than 3 months before your application for visa

Step 3. Apply for a Russian visa in Malaysia

Citizens of Malaysia can apply for a Russian visa at the Consular Department of the Russian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Address: No.263, Jalan Ampang

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Working hours for visa applications: Mon, Wed, Fri: 9:30- 13:00

When you apply for a visa you are required to pay the visa fees:

Processing time	Single entry visa	Double entry	Multiple entry
standart 4-20 working days	320 MYR	512 MYR	960 MYR
urgent 1-3 working days	640 MYR	1024 MYR	1920 MYR

The fees are paid in Malaysian Ringgit while submitting the documents. You’ll be given a receipt, which you should keep and display to obtain your passport with visa back.

Step 4. Get your passport with visa and check it

After the visa process is finished, you can come and get your passport back. Carefully examine the visa stamp. It bears the following data:

If you find any mistakes, you can apply for correction at the Consulate. If everything is fine, get ready to travel!

Coming to Russia – final steps to take

Finally you’ve arrived to Russia! There still two more documents you’ll need to obtain when in Russia: 

• Migration Card
• Registration

You will be handed Migration Card on board the plane by flight attendants, or at border points by the immigration officers. 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, nothing hard. Immigration officer will stamp the document and give you one part of it. Carry the migration card always with you and return at immigration control when you leave Russia.

You will require Registration if your stay in Russia will last over  7 working days. It’s normally provided by the hotel where you stay, or by the owner of the apartment. I suggest you contacting the owner and making sure he’ll be able to have you registered at the local post or police office. Airbnb owners normally charge some extras for this service. Carry your registration with you during your visit. Remember that it should be made during the first 7 business days of your stay.

Please, make sure you have all your documents in order. Failure to present registration or migration card, or overstaying your visa validity period, can result in deportation and refusal of entry to Russia for the next 5 years.

I’m glad to have helped you get your Russian visa! If you still have any questions or need my advice, feel free to write to our email.

Welcome to Russia!