One Entry
Two Entries
Multiple Entries
INCLUDE ALL ITEMS BELOW FOR YOUR Russia VISA
RUSSIAN PRIVATE/HOME STAY VISA REQUIREMENT
Applicants must submit an original visa support letter, a
Priglashenie, issued by a Local Visa Office of the Russian Ministry of Internal
Affairs. Applicants’ relatives or friends can obtain such invitations. We are
unable to assist with obtaining this support letter for private/Russian. No copies
will be accepted. The original support letter is required.
Passport
You must provide your actual signed passport, including
one copy of the personal information page of your passport. Your
passport must:
Have at least two consecutive blank visa pages
Be valid for six months beyond the validity of your requested visa
Photos
You must provide two colors, passport-type photographs, be taken
within the last three months against an all-white background and printed on
high-quality photo paper; be identical; be two inches by two inches; provide
the full frontal view of your head with your
Face centered in the middle and displaying a neutral
(non-smiling) expression. You may not wear eyeglasses or headwear except for
religious purposes
Invitation Letter
You must provide an original
copy of the official letter of invitation. The letter must:
Be obtain in Russia by relatives or friends who are Russian
citizens
Include your personal data
Include the dates and length of your stay
Include the full local address of the relatives or friends you
will be visiting
Specify the number of entries and duration of validity that you
are requesting in your visa application
Be registered with the Russian Interior Ministry
NOTE: If you wish to visit non-Russian citizen relatives or friends
currently working or studying in Russia you must submit an official letter of
invitation obtained from a Russian hosting organization by the inviting
relatives or friends in Russia.
Visa Application Form
The Russian Consulate
requires a visa application be completed online by all travelers, and can be
found at https://visa.kdmid.ru/PetitionChoice.aspx. This application,
hosted by the Russian government, may take up to an hour to complete and
requires very detailed information. For Houston visa issuing office,
select “Visa Application Center ILS (Houston)” in the
drop down box. Your visa request cannot be processed if you do not complete the
application form online. Your completed application must:
Provide answers for all fields (handwritten changes are not
accepted)
Include your name as it appears in your passport
Include the institution or organization in Russia to be visited
Ensure that you have answered Section 27 (Previous Work
Experience) or provide a letter explaining why the field is left blank
Be signed inside the box found directly below the section where
we will attach your photograph. Your signature must match the signature in your
Signed passport
Be accompanied by a copy of your Application ID and password
Be printed double-sided
A correctly printed application must be printed so that the
distance between the borders and the edge of the paper should be no larger than
7mm. The border of the application must also go all the way around the paper.
To ensure that the form is printed as above, please make sure your printer
settings are set as follows:
Page Scaling should be set to: None
Auto-Rotate and Center box: Not checked
(left blank)
Please see guide provided to
assist you in completing the application.
FORMER RUSSIAN NATIONALS ONLY
You must provide a cover letter stating the date that you
renounced your Russian citizenship. The consulate will not issue a visa to
former Russian
Nationals who do not supply this cover letter.
MINORS TRAVELING TO RUSSIA
All minors must submit a copy of his or her birth certificate.
Other conditions may apply:
If the minor is traveling to Russia with only one parent or
without both parents he or she must submit a notarized original letter of
consent
Providing permission from the non-accompanying parent or legal
guardian to travel to Russia on the specified dates of the trip. Those signing
This letter must provide copies of his or her driver’s license
and passport information page
If the minor is adopted then you must submit a copy of the
adoption papers in addition to a copy of the birth certificate
If the parents already hold a Russian visa then they must
provide a copy of the Russian visa showing validity that covers the minor’s
travel dates
If the parents are Russian citizens they must provide certification
of Russian citizenship
The letter of consent must be notarized
ACTIVITIES IN RUSSIA
If you will not be staying in a hotel, or are engaging in
activities other than business, additional documentation will be required.
FORMER SOVIET AND UKRAINIAN CITIZENS
If you were born in a state of the former Soviet Republic or
Ukraine, you must supply a copy of your Soviet or Ukrainian passport along with
a letter
Stating when you immigrated to the US.
FORMER & DUAL RUSSIAN CITIZENS
If you were born and left Russia before 1991 you must submit the
proof that you have left before 1991 by providing your former USSR passport
with exit visas and your US Naturalization Certificate. If you left Russia
after 1991, you are still considered a Russian citizen hence, you must travel
with both your US and Russian passports. If you prefer to renounce your Russian
citizenship you must appear at the Consulate in person.
PERSONS MARRIED TO A RUSSIAN NATIONAL
If your spouse is Russian, then you are not required to obtain
an official invitation letter. However, you must provide the following:
A copy of your spouse’s Russian passport or travel document
An original marriage certificate. The names must be the same as
they appear on your passport
A completed Russian Spouse Visa Request Form signed by the
Russian spouse
PAPER INVITATION FOR TRAVELERS AGE 65 AND OLDER
Travelers age 65 and older are not permitted to secure a Russian
Business Invitation Telex. You need to secure a Russian Business Invitation
printed on paper or a Tourist invitation.
