Russian visa for Swiss citizens
Visitors of Russia are rewarded with amazing historical architecture of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, vast landscapes of the Far East, exhilarating mountain air of Sochi, and many other colorful and memorable travel experiences in the biggest country of the world. However, there’s one catch, which can make someone change his mind about visiting Russia:
Do Swiss citizens need an entry visa to Russia? you may ask.
– Yes, they do.
But instead of advising you to go someplace else, I intend to help you get your Russian visa in a simple and efficient way, and make your planned trip happen. In this article you will learn how to obtain a Russian visa in five simple steps, without paying any agencies to do it for you
Step 1. Choose ideal travel dates and adequate visa type
To know the type of visa you should apply for, you need to think about several related moments: duration of your trip, number of entries to Russia you’ll need to make, purpose of journey, and which document will serve as your basis for visa application. Read below about the main Russian visa types and choose the one most adequate for your trip.
| 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 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 Swiss citizens
Duration of visit: max 30 days.
Number of entries: single, double
Purpose of traveling:
- Seeing the sights
- Going to cultural events, festivals, concerts, exhibitions etc.
- Going on tours and excursions
- Driving/cycling/hiking independently through the country
- Coming for short medical examinations, consultations (Aim tourism)
- Attending brief business events (Aim tourism)
- Traveling to Russian ports on cruise liners (if you go as part of organized group, you can stay up to 72 hours visa-free)
Basis for visa: Tourist confirmation, supplied by a registered Russian travel agency.
Russian Private Visa for Swiss citizens
Duration of visit: up to 90 days
Number of entries: single, double
Purpose of traveling:
- Short guest visits to your Russian relatives and friends
Basis for visa – invitation provided by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs following a request of the Russian host
Russian Business and Humanitarian visa for Swiss citizens
Duration of stay: no longer than 90 days out of 180. A visa can be issued from 1 month to 5 years
Number of entries: single, double, multiple
Purpose of traveling:
- Carrying out negotiations with Russian partners
- Attending business meetings, fairs, exhibitions and other events
- Signing contracts, agreements, purchasing goods and services for business, investing
- Providing maintenance support work (Technical Maintenance sub-purpose)
- Carrying out short-term commercial activities (Commercial sub-purpose)
- Establishing or renewing cultural, sports, socio-political, religious, charity ties (Humanitarian type)
Basis for visa: Either of these
- Written statement provided by the inviting Russian organization
- Official invitation supplied by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russian following a request from the Russian host company
- Telex directive supplied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia following a request from the Russian host company
Russian Student Visa for Swiss citizens
Duration of visit:
90 days and beyond, depending on the duration of study course. Initially, a visa is issued for 90 days, and can be prolonged by the educational establishment on the territory of Russia.
Number of entries: single, multiple
Purpose of traveling:
- Studying at a Russian academic institution
Basis for visa: Official invitation supplied by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russian upon petition of a Russian educational institution.
Russian Work visa for Swiss citizens
Duration of visit:
90 days and beyond under your civil labour contract. A visa can be issued for 90 days or for 3 years for Highly Qualified Experts. Both can be extended on the territory of Russia.
Number of entries: single, multiple
Purpose of traveling:
- Paid work for a Russian employer
Basis for visa: original invitation supplied by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (MVD) upon request of the Russian employing company.
Russian Transit Visa for Swiss citizens
Duration of stay: if you cross Russia by air you can stay up to 3 days, if by road or railroad – up to 10 days
Number of entries: single
Reasons for traveling:
- Traveling through Russia en route to another country of destination
Basis for visa: Tickets for entry and departure from Russia
Important: Those who make flight connections without the need to leave transit zone, do not need visas. Please check with your airlines whether you require transit visa to make your connection.
Important: Passengers following to Belarus or Kazakhstan with connection in Russia require transit visa
Russian E-Visa for Swiss citizens
Duration of visit: 8 days out of 30 days
Number of entries: Single
Purpose of traveling:
- Brief tourist or business or humanitarian visit to one of three regions: Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region, or The Far East and Vladivostok, or Kaliningrad and Kaliningrad Region. Traveling to other regions isn’t allowed on E-visa. You can enter and leave only through the same border point.
Basis for visa: Application filled online not later than 4 days before your trip. It’s printed out and shown at the border.
Step 2. Prepare the documents for application
Now, that you have established your visa type and travel dates, you can gather the necessary visa documents. Application can be started as early as 3 months before your planned trip to Russia. The list of documents includes
- National original passport with minimum 2 blank visa pages, and validity of at least 6 months beyond the exit date from Russia. Please, also make a copy of the bio page of your passport
- Invitation from Russia. Read on the inviting authorities in Step 2. Request the Russian party to provide you with the required invitation.
We can provide you with:
An official tourist confirmation: Get tourist invitation letter
An official business invitation made in 1 to 20 working days: Get business invitation letter
- Filled online application form.
For regular visas complete the form at visa.kdmid.ru, complete it, print it on both sides, sign, and date.
For E-visa, request professional help with filling the form here: http://visando.com/apply-evisa
E-visa applications must be filled not later than 4 days before your trip
- Personal color photo 3.5 x 4.5 of true likeness, made not earlier than 6 months ago, on white background, without shades, head gear or coverings. Read more on visa photo specifications here: Visa photo specifications. Glue your photo into the marked field in the visa form, don’t use stampler or adhesive tape.
- Medical insurance policy for travelers to Russia, for the whole period of your stay. The policy can be in English or Russian, and contain details of the insured person and insuring organization, as well as its individual number. The amount of coverage should be no less than 30.000 euro. Policies are accepted both in originals and copies.
- For Work and Student visa, with stay in Russia beyond 90 days, you’ll also need an HIV-negative medical certificate, issued not earlier than 3 months before application. The document should be submitted in original.
Step 3. Apply for your visa at the local Russian organs and pay the fees
Swiss citizens can apply for a Russian visa at the following organs:
- Russian Consulate Department in Bern or Geneve in person upon prior appointment. Book it here: http://bern.kdmid.ru/fr.aspx or here http://test.kdmid.ru/geneva
- Russian Visa Center Artionis in Geneve or Bern by post or in person
If you decide to apply in person, prepare all documents, book your appointment and arrive 10 min earlier before your time. Be ready to pay the visa fees by credit card. See the tariffs below.
If you choose to apply by post through the visa center:
- prepare your documents
- download the checklist from visa center site and include each item, as well as the printed checklist itself
- pay the fees (see tariffs below) via e-banking or bank transfer in favour of Russia Visa Center; Bank – Post Finance; IBAN: CH66 0900 0000 1535 5286 8; BIC: POFICHBEXXX
- include the receipt
- pack everything into an envelope, and address to:
Russia Visa Center
Bolligenstrasse 54
3006 Bern
Switzerland
You can find the addresses of consulates and visa centers here: Russian Consulates and Embassies
Visa fees
For applicants applying at the consulate it’s necessary to pay the consular fee, which amounts to:
| Visa type | Standard processing (4-20 working days) | Expedited processing (1-3 working days) |
| Single entry | 80 CHF | 160 CHF |
| Double entry | 127 CHF | 254 CHF |
| Multiple entry | 238 CHF | 477 CHF |
For applicants, who apply at the visa center it’s required to pay consular fees (the amount varies depending on the visa type and can be found on the website of the visa center), as well as extra service fee of 28 CHF. Payments are made at the visa center in cash or by major credit cards.
For applicants sending documents by post, it’s required to pay the above mentioned fees, as well as mandatory: express courier charge 75 CHF, postal fee 15 CHF, SMS fee 2 CHF for each individual application.
Bear in mind, that regardless of the result of your application, all visa fees you pay are non-refundable.
Step 4. Pick up your passport and examine your visa.
After you have collected your passport with visa either in person or received it by post (if you applied by post at the visa center), it’s recommended that you carefully check all the details, especially validity of visa and number of entries. See a sample of Russian visa with details to check below:
If everything is correct, you can start packing your luggage. Don’t forget to take your passport, insurance policy, hotel bookings and invitation with you.
Step 5. Get registered in Russia
After you arrive to Russia, remember to collect two more required documents:
- Migration card
- Registration
A migration card is supplied by flight attendants on the plane, or can be collected at the immigration control point. You are supposed to fill it in English or Russian with passport details and information on your trip in block letters. The documents has two parts with identical fields, one will be stamped and given back to you by the immigration officer, another he’ll keep for the record. Don’t lose the slip, and carry it along in your passport during your stay in Russia. You’ll need to return it when leaving the country.
Registration is required if you plan to stay over 7 working days in Russia. Normally, hotel management provides it.
If you are staying with your friends or relatives, or book an apartment via airbnb, you’ll need to contact the owner of the apartament to make sure, he’ll provide you with registration. It’s made at the local post or police office.
I hope, that you have found the article useful, and it helped you get your Russian visa without any problems.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us by email for your free consultation.
Have a wonderful journey to Russia!
