electronic visa to Russia
The citizens of 53 countries will be able to visit St. Petersburg and its neighboring Leningrad region with a free electronic visa from October 1. On September 27 Russian government passed a law on the issue. This is how it works in a nutshell.
Who can apply for Russian electronic visa?
E-visa can be obtained by the citizens of 53 countries, including
Austria, Andorra, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Vatican, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Denmark, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Qatar, Cyprus, China, North Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Northern Macedonia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Philippines, Finland, France, Croatia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, Estonia and Japan.
How does it work?
You can apply online for a single-entry visa on the website of the Russian ministry for foreign affairs. It can be used for business, tourism or humanitarian (sports, cultural, scientific and technological ties) purposes. Your visa is valid within 30 days after an approval online. It lets a foreigner stay in Russia up to 8 days starting from the date of entry. The length of the permitted stay cannot be extended. It’s required to have a printed visa approval and a medical insurance valid in Russia for the entire period of your stay to show at the border checkpoints.
How to apply?
An applicant should fill in the application form on the website https://evisa.kdmid.ru not earlier than 20 days and no later than 4 days before the intended date of entry. The online form requires an applicant's passport, personal information and a recent digital photo. A passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of applying an e-visa. Invitations, hotel booking confirmations or any other documents to confirm the purpose of a trip to Russia are not required. It is not necessary to submit specific travel dates or vehicle information neither. Applicants receive a confirmation email within four days.
Why an application can be rejected?
Any incorrect information, including passport data and photo, wrong letters (for instance the diacritical signs are not accepted) could cause a visa rejection or a revocation of an issued visa at the Russian border. Read the information carefully before filling in an e-visa application form.
What means of transport can I use entering St. Petersburg / Leningrad region with e-visa?
A foreigner can entry St. Petersburg or Leningrad region by e-visa through Pulkovo airport, the checkpoints on the Russian-Finnish border Torfyanovka, Svetogorsk, Brusnichnoe for cars, buses and bikes, as well as trough Ivangorod on the Russian-Estonian border, which is also possible to use for pedestrians. The list of maritime border checkpoints for e-visa holders includes a port of St. Petersburg and a port of Vysotsk.
It’s not possible to use the train Allegro (Helsinki – St. Petersburg) to travel to Russia with an e-visa. According to the preliminary information, e-visa will be accepted in Allegro not earlier than in 2020. A railway border checkpoint can be included to the list later.
Foreign citizens should leave the territory of the Russian Federation only through the checkpoints which they used for entry. To put it bluntly, if you come to St. Petersburg by plane you are not allowed to leave by bus.
What if I stay more than 8 days or go to Moscow?
In case of the violation of the regime of stay a foreign citizen will be fined and deported out of the country. The amount of administrative fine is 2000 – 5000 rubles. It is also can be a reason of rejecting the visa application in future. If you want to stay in St. Petersburg longer than for 8 days or travel around the country you need to apply for an ordinary visa.
When can I go to Moscow and other regions with an e-visa?
It is assumed that the e-visa will be imposed throughout Russia from 2021.