The following documents should be submitted in order to obtain a visa:
1. Passport in original (valid at least 6 months prior to the expiry date of the visa which is going to be processed in most cases/ 18 months in case of work or study visa).
If any of the pages within the applicant’s passport, including the page with the photograph, is damaged or broken your visa application will be declined.
2. Filled in, signed and dated visa application form-
Only electronic application forms are processed. In order to fill in the form please visit the web-site of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. While applying for a visa, an applicant should submit an electronic application form printed out from the site. All other application forms are not accepted.
An application form should be signed and dated by the applicant personally. Please note that you have to carefully answer all questions of the visa application form in block letters either in Swedish, English or Russian. Incomplete application forms will not be processed. Any corrections made in the application forms are not permitted. Also be prepared to submit necessary documents to support information which you mention in the application form.
3. One recently taken color passport-size picture (35 x 45mm) of an applicant glued to the lower left corner of the application form. The picture should be:
- of true likeness and taken not earlier than 6 months ago, showing face in full;
- taken without a headgear, head covering or hat;
- taken on a clear, evenly lightened background.
4. Invitation from a host in Russia duly arranged in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation:
For tourist visa – a confirmation letter issued by an authorized hosting Russian travel agency which is registered with the MFA of Russia and has a corresponding reference number. It should contain personal data of the applicant such as full name, date of birth, passport number, dates of entry and departure to/from Russia, itinerary of the trip, reference and registration number of the Russian hosting agency, its official seal and signature of an authorized person. Fax copies of the documents could be accepted as an exception only. A consular officer has the right to ask you to provide additional documents to support your visa application such as plane/railway tickets to all points of your destination, receipts from your hosting tourist agency confirming payment for the trip and accommodation.
ATTENTION Hotel reservation itself is not enough to obtain a Russian tourist visa. However, hotel should be fully prepaid for the entire period of stay in Russia before you apply for a visa. Tourist visa could be processed within minimum 5 working days and cannot be issued for a period longer than 30 days. While entering Russia with a tourist visa, please be prepared to provide a confirmation letter as well as return ticket with the exact date of departure from Russia at the border control point. You also may be asked to prove that you have sufficient funds for your travel.(an invitation from the Federal Migration Service or Ministry of Foreign Affairs/ tourist document ( confirmation letter issued by an authorized Russian travel agency) or a letter of invitation from a Russian hosting company or organization (for EU citizens)).
For private visa – an official invitation (originals only are accepted) issued by the Federal Migration Board of the Russian Federation. The original of the invitation should be sent to the applicant directly.
A citizen of the EU member state who legally resides, works or studies on the territory of the Russian Federation can invite his close relatives – spouse, children (including adopted ones), parents (including guardians), grandparents and grandchildren – by taking advantage of a simplified procedure. An invitation (originals only are accepted) written by the hosting person which should be certified by a Russian notarius publicus. The invitation should be standard and contain the following information:
- for the hosting person – first and family name, residence address in the Russian Federation;
- for the visiting person – first and family name, date of birth, sex, current citizenship(s), passport number, purpose and period of visit, number of entries requested.
Copy of a document confirming that the hosting person legally resides in Russia: permanent or temporary residence permit, work or study visa valid for a period of stay exceeding 90 days.
Document which certifies relationship between the hosting and visiting persons. Those could be, in particular, certificates of birth, marriage, or name change. For the Swedish citizens it could be a Personbevis containing all necessary information. The above-mentioned documents are accepted in Russian, English or Swedish.
5. Confirmation of medical insurance valid for travel to Russia containing the following information: name of the traveler, period of travel and validity.
The validity period should cover the entire proposed trip to Russia. For multiple re-entry visas the validity period of the insurance should cover not less than 90 days of staying in Russia during the period of each 180 days of the visa validity.
6. Consular fee and visa processing fee (the latter when applying for a Russian visa through the Russian Visa Center).
Payment for processing of visa should be made on the day of submitting your application, making it in advance is not welcome. Fees should be paid in Swedish crowns by debit card.
Additional information
- Visa processing time starts only when a full set of appropriate documents has been submitted to the Consular Section of the Embassy. Russian Visa Center normally delivers documents to the Consular Section of the Embassy on the day they are handled in by the applicant or the next business day. Sending any additional documents to the Consular Section by fax or in the mail later is not permitted.
- The Consular Section of the Embassy reserves the right to invite applicants for an interview and ask specific questions about private, financial, business or corporate-related details associated with their trip as well as about their Russian counterparts, partners and relatives.
- A consular officer could specify a longer period of processing your visa application. The period of processing could in several cases be prolonged up to 30 calendar days due to certain reasons.
- As a general rule, any visa application could be submitted not earlier than 3 months before your travel date.
- Applicants who used to be citizens of the Russian Federation and/or emigrated from Russia after February 6, 1992, should submit along with their application a document confirming that they are no longer Russian citizens, e.g. an official certificate issued by the Consular Section that they had abandoned Russian citizenship. Otherwise the applications could not be processed. According to the Russian legislation, a citizen of the Russian Federation has to enter or exit Russia with valid Russian documents only.
- If you have replaced your passport with a new one and it does not contain a valid Russian visa, you should obtain a new one into the new passport. In order to do so you could apply to a Consular Section where you have received the previous visa and transfer it into the new passport.
- If you travel from Belarus to Russia or to other neighbor countries through the territory of Russia, you still need to obtain a Russian visa.
- Please be advised that you are not allowed to have two valid Russian visas simultaneously. If you are intending to apply for a new visa before the previous one has expired, the latter one would be cancelled.
- Once the visa is processed, its type, dates of entry/exit as well as issuance date cannot be changed. After the visa is obtained by the applicant, please make sure that all data is correct (passport number, date of birth, period of validity) and, if necessary, return it to the Consular Section for making adjustments. The Consular Section assumes no responsibility for any discrepancies in visas which have not been brought to our attention prior to your departure from Sweden.
- Providing false or misleading information or failing to provide relevant information in your application form or to a consular officer during an interview could be a reason to decline your application.
- There are several internet web-sites which offer to purchase «invitations» to enter the Russian Federation, both for tourism and business. Please be informed that according to the Russian legislation selling or purchasing of those documents via Internet is illegal, «invitations» obtained via Internet cannot serve as reason to obtain a Russian visa and will not be accepted. Please read carefully the information below and follow easy instructions to process your Russian visa without any excessive problems.
- In order to apply for a russian visa citizens of the following countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Chad, China, DPRK, Ethiopia, Georgia, Iraq, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Vietnam must have Permanent Resident Card (Permanent Uppehållstillstånd) in Sweden.
- In accordance with the Russian legislation, foreign citizens enter the Russian Federation on valid national passport with a valid russian visa. Please note that canceled national passport with a valid russian visa can not be used to enter the Russian Federation even if you have new valid passport without a valid russian visa.
Info Source: RUSSIAN EMBASSY IN SWEDEN
