Getting A Visa To Russia

It is a essential to obtain a visa to Russia. Rules and regulations for tourist visas can vary from country to country - although the same principles apply in each case.

Russia requires tourist visas from American travelers just like the US requires Russians to have American visas. So how do you get a Russian visa? Get your visa application package assembled. It should include: your passport, one passport size photo, visa invitation, and visa application. It is very rare that Americans are denied Russian tourist visas, especially if you are going to Russia for the first time. It is much more difficult for Russian to get tourist visas to America.

If you're novice in Russian travel or it is your 10th something trip to Russia, I believe that our new Russian Visa Demystified corner will teach you the process of getting Russian visa from start to finish.

Each visa type corresponds to the stated purpose of your visit. During my professional experience I've noticed that around 90% of all issued Russian visas fall under TWO major visa categories:

Tourist Visa:
Unfortunately, you will need a Business Visa, if you intend to stay beyond 30 days.

Business Visa:
Business visa is ideal for frequent business persons or those, who are staying in Russia for prolonged time. Officially, business visas are intended for business travelers, who travel to conduct business transactions (e.g. negotiations, contracts, exhibitions, etc.).

As you see, it is possible to arrange your own visa for Russia. Russian visa processing times and fees vary from country to country. As a result, Russia government imposes the same fees for U.S. citizens applying for Russian visas. Russian government mandates all of its consulates and embassies to issue Russian visas in no more than 20 business days.