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