Russia - Obtain a Business Visa

ProcedureEdit

The Russian visa form must be now completed online using the facility provided by the Consular Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Please note the visa application form is hosted on the Russian consulate web servers.

Each applicant has to fill out visa application form online, print it on your printer at home or in your office and submit to the Visa Center (ILS) along with other documents required.
No blank spaces must be left. If a question does not apply, please type "N/A". If the answer is none, write "None". Kindly ensure that the dates of your entry and exit, as entered in the application form, match with the period specified in your invitation. The form should bear the original signature of applicant and must be well readable. Please note that all dates in your application form must be written in European style (date, month, year). Please state clearly your contact telephone number (office, home). Incomplete forms, forms with no signature, forms with corrections, forms filled out illegibly or NOT FROM THIS Special OFFICIAL WEB SITE will be returned to the applicants unprocessed.

Required DocumentsEdit

Letter of Invitation:

Official invitation (sample)issued by the Russian Federal Migration Service, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) or its regional offices. Or six digit reference number of your visa support information (MFA telex #) sent directly to the Consulate. This type of invitation or reference number can be obtained by you from your Russian business partner

Passport (original).

Passport must contain at least two blank pages marked "visas", otherwise the passport and documents will not be accepted and will be returned. Passport must be valid no less than six months after visa expiration date.

Copy of the passport's vital pages (with personal data and photo).
Standard Visa Application form with one passport-size b\w or color photo glued or stapled at the place for photo on the application form.
For multiple entry visa please attach two original Standard Application forms + 2 photos.

The Consular Division of the Embassy also has the right to call the applicants for an interview and request, if needed:

a bank statement from the applicant;
a statement from the employer regarding the applicant's wages for the preceding year/ half year, or month;
medical insurance valid in the country to be visited and fully covering the period of the first trip;
documents regarding the applicant's ownership of property in the country of his citizenship;
a certificate on the makeup of the applicant's family.

Office Locations & ContactsEdit

Embassy of the Russian Federation to the United States of America
Consular Section:
2641 Tunlaw Rd., NW
Washington, DC 20007
Phone: (202) 939-8907

Local Visa Agencies

List of diplomatic missions of Russia

Federal Migration Service of the Russian Government
FMS of Russia
Address: 109240, Moscow, ul.
Upper Radishevskaya 4, building 1, office 107
Phone: Reception: (495) 698-00-78
E-mail: [email protected]

EligibilityEdit

Officially business visas are intended for foreign citizens who travel to Russia to meet their business partners, take part in negotiations, sign a contract, visit an exhibition, etc. You do not need to prepare hotel reservation or an itinerary to get a business visa.

These visas do not imply official employment in Russia (for this purpose a work visa should be obtained).

FeesEdit

Terms and price for issuing the actual visa will depend on the Consulate, and sometimes on the applicants citizenship. Usually the amount is higher for quicker processing and for longer visas.

ValidityEdit

Single-entry and double-entry business visas can be valid for the period of no longer than 90 days.

Multiple Entry Business visa can be valid for 1 year or 3 years depending on the invitation submitted.

Documents to UseEdit

Application Form

Sample DocumentsEdit

Sample Business Invitation

Sample Invitation letter for the Russian business visa

Processing TimeEdit

Processing times (business days only) are 4 business days and10 business days

InstructionsEdit

In order to get a business visa you first need to get an official invitation from a Russian firm. Business visas allow stay in Russia up to 12 months and can be single-, double- or multiple-entry. Since November 1, 2002, business invitations are issued by the Passport and Visa Department (PVU) at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. To apply for an invitation, your inviting company should be officially registered with the PVU. In some cases the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can send a special telex instead of the paper invitation letter to the Russian Consulate chosen by you.
Copy of invitation for multiple business visas are not accepted - please submit original only.
The official invitation must contain: official seal and legal address of the agency, document registration number, date of registration, signature and name of an authorized official, travel itinerary, dates of stay, names of persons invited. We reserve the right to request originals of any invitation).
Applicant's passport will be in the Consulate's possession within the whole period of visa processing.

Required InformationEdit

Written statement from the host organization, which should give: the full name of the host organization, its official address and contact information, the surname, first name, patronymic, and position of the person who signed the statement (if the host organization is a legal entity or enterprise, an institution, or their affiliate established in the territory of the Russian Federation - the individual taxpayer number), and basic information regarding the visa applicant: the surname, first name, other names, date of birth, citizenship, sex, passport number, multiplicity of the visa, purpose of travel, requested period of entry, location of intended residence of the visa applicant, and the cities to be visited.

Need for the DocumentEdit

Russian Business Visa is the most popular visa among business people. It can be obtained for a longer term than tourist visa and the Consulate processing period is usually shorter.

Information which might helpEdit

A business invitation to Russia may be issued by:

the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) or its regional representatives;
the Russian Federal Migration Service (FMS)or its local offices;
an authorized Russian company (this type of invitation can only be used by EU and US passport holders)

If you stay in Russia more than seven business days upon arrival you have to register as a foreigner. This registration is mandatory and required by the Russian Law that regulates entry/exit and stay of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation. Registration process is varied from registering in a hotel to registering at the Passport and Visa Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia or Russian Federal Immigration Service depending on which type of visas you have in your passport. It is important for you to apply for the right type of visa, the one that corresponds to the purpose of your trip, in order to enjoy your visit to Russia without legal problems, should it be a tourist journey, a home stay with a relative or friend, a business trip, or a transit.

External LinksEdit

http://www.visitrussia.org.uk/visaform/russian-business-visa/

http://www.visatorussia.com/russianvisa.nsf/business_visa_support.html

http://www.russianvisa.org/businessvisa.html

http://www.russianembassy.org/page/business-visa

http://www.consulrussia.org/eng/visatype.html

http://www.mid.ru/bdomp/brp_4.nsf/main_eng

http://www.fms.gov.ru

http://russia.travisa.com/

https://russianlawyers.eu/

https://russianlawyers.eu/articles/business-visa-russia/

https://valen-legal.com/services/work-permits-in-russia/

OthersEdit