Russian Visa information
Please be advised
The Consulate General of the Russian Federation will be open only from 9 am to 11.30 am on April 10 for technical reasons.
Due to the public holidays the Consulate General will be closed on May 1-2 and May 9, 2008. Visa section will be open on May 1, 2008.
From February 15, 2008 Visa section will be operating 4 days a week from Monday to Thursday (9 am to 12.30 pm).
From May 1, 2008 you may collect your visas only from 9 am to 11.00 am (Monday to Friday).
To
withhold from contacting the staff of the Consulate General regarding
the status of your visa application during the standard processing
period.
Such inquiries distract the Consular officers from their work
and may lead to delays in processing of visa applications, including
the one submitted by yourself.
In accordance with
Russian laws, citizens of the Russian Federation regardless of
any other citizenship they have, must travel to Russia on valid
Russian documents only. If you are a citizen of Russia and receive
other country's citizenship, it does not mean that you automatically
lose your Russian citizenship, because, according to the Law,
no person can be deprived of his/her citizenship, but on his/her
stated (i.e. put officially in order) will.
To enter the Russian Federation, FOREIGNERS MUST HAVE VALID
VISAS. Each type of Russian visas - Tourist, Business,
Guest, Student or Transit - requires specific visa support
and a completed application
form. (Note: In order to view the application form,
a special software called "Adobe Acrobat Reader" need to be installed
on your computer. You can download it for free from
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html).
Some non-Australian applicants may be required to produce an Austrailan residence/work permit with minimum validity of 91 days.
Please, carefully fill in the visa information in the application
form and follow all other requirements when submitting your papers.
When applying, please, be advised that the permission to enter
the Russian Federation is a courtesy of the State.
Consular officer reserves the right to invite the applicant to
be interviewed in person.
Visa can be denied if the Consulate has serious reasons to believe
that the applicant's visit to the Russian Federation is not desirable,
and the disclosure of the reason for the denial can be withheld.
Every holder of a valid National Passport abiding by the International
and Russian laws, can enter Russia after obtaining a visa.
Single-entry visa is valid for one visit to Russia with
the specified dates of arrival and departure.
Double-entry visa is issued for two entries (all arrival
and departure dates must be indicated).
Multiple entry visa is issued only upon authorization
by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The validity period
shown in a visa indicates the length of time the foreigners may
spend in Russia. An original of the invitation is required.
Transit visa permits to travel through the Russian territory
without stay.
Various types of visas depend on the purpose of travel. Before
applying for a visa, you have to decide which type of visa you
need and act accordingly.
Tourist visa is issued only for tourist purposes and on the basis
of documents provided by authorised Russian tourist companies.
Business visa is issued for foreigners who wish to enter Russia
temporarily for business purposes, as representatives of foreign
governments, members of official delegations, temporary workers,
cultural or sports exchange visitors, religious workers. Guest
visa is required for visitors invited by relatives or friends.
Student visa is issued to students in academic or language programs.
Children apply for separate visas if they travel on their
own passports. Non-traveling parents must confirm in an affidavit
their consent for their children's travel.
The validity and type of visa should be strictly adhered to. When
in Russia, you cannot change your visa status (i.e. from tourist
to business or from business to educational and vice versa). To
do that, you have to leave the country and re-apply for a different
visa.
You can apply for visa personally or by post. When mailing your
application along with all required documents, a self-addressed
pre-paid envelope should be enclosed. Otherwise, your visa will
not be processed. To avoid your correspondence being lost in mail,
we recommend using Registered Post or Express Post, or other similar
commercial postal services. The Consulate will not be responsible
for any loss or mishandling of the mail by the Postal Service
or any other delivery agent.
No medical insurance is mandatory for the Australian citizens,
unless they stay in Russia for 6 months or more. However, we share
the view that travel and health insurance should be recommended
for all overseas travel. Travelers planning to stay in Russia
for a period of more than 90 days must attach a copy of an HIV
test certificate to their application papers.
Basic visa fee is $85 for a tourist visa (twelve business
days processing), and for guest visa or single-entry business
visa (fifteen business days processing). In all cases the fee
depends on the processing period. Processing times, requirements
and fees are subject to change without notice.
Visa processing fees received from the applicant are not subject
for reimbursement in case of subsequent refusal.
A visa does not guarantee entry into the Russian Federation. As
in other countries, the decision to allow entry is taken by the
immigration officials. Therefore, the visa holder should carry
with him/her, for possible presentation, the same evidence that
was submitted to the consular officer in support of the visa.
In case of queries you are welcome to call the Consulate
or get a special appointment with a consular officer.
Our main task is to process the visa applications. We are not
always able to answer your individual requests by phone. Therefore,
you are kindly advised to send your enquires to the Consulate
by e-mail or fax.
Frequently asked questions
TYPES OF VISAS
BUSINESS VISA
WORKING VISA
GUEST VISA
STUDENT VISA
TOURIST
VISA
TRANSIT VISA
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