ANNOUNCEMENT!
Update from July 8th, 2022
Citizens of ALL countries can enter Russia via plane. Only those with Russian citizenship, residency in Russia or Russian family members can enter Russia via land-border crossings. ALL people can exit Russia via air or land-border crossings, however, as long as you have a passport from a visa-free country or a valid Russian visa. Contact us at LetsRussia.com/contact if you’re in need of a visa.
STARTING JULY 15th, 2022 – Restrictions on land-border crossings are being lifted. ALL people can enter Russia via land or air. Anyone with a valid Russian visa (or visa-free if applicable to you) can take a car, bus or walk over the border by land such as Finland – Russia, Latvia – Russia, etc.
The below are already outdated restrictions
Russia has officially announced its borders will stay closed until September 30, 2021 or until further notice with the exception of the these countries and these categories of visas. The official document can be found HERE.
Any foreigners in Russia with visas or other immigration documents that expire(d) after March 15, 2020 can STAY in Russia until September 30, 2021 OR up to 90 days AFTER Russia has officially opened to the foreigner’s home country.
If you have an immediate family member who is a Russian citizen and your visa has expired, you can get a new private visa and re-enter Russia. Start the private visa invitation process here.
Note: Having chartered flights between Russia and your country does not necessarily mean borders were officially opened.
Need to ugently get to Russia but your country is not on the list of approved nationalities to travel to Russia??
Get residency in Turkey within 2-4 weeks and be allowed to enter Russia as a Turkish resident. If you don’t yet have a valid Russian visa, we can apply for one within 1-2 weeks on your behalf as long as you have Turkish residency. Email us at [email protected] and ask us for details.
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Temporary Restrictions on Travel
to Russia for Foreigners
Who CAN enter Russia during COVID-19?
EXCEPTIONS: Citizens and residents of the following countries are allowed to travel to Russia. Official source HERE. If this applies to you, get a a visa invitation below.
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As of December 12, 2020 the Russian Government has established direct flights with:
United Kingdom
Tanzania
Turkey
Switzerland
Egypt
Maldives
United Arab Emirates
Republic of South Ossetia
Belarus
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Republic of Korea
Abkhazia
Cuba
Serbia
Japan
Seychelles
Ethiopia.
As of January 27, 2021 the Russian Government has established direct flights with:
Vietnam
Finland
India
Katar
As of February 8, 2021 the Russian Government has established direct flights with:
Singapore
Greece
Azerbaijan
Armenia
As of April 1, 2021 the Russian Government has established direct flights with:
Venezuela
Uzbekistan
Tajikistan
Sri Lanka
Germany
Syria
As of May 24, 2021 the Russian Government has established direct flights with:
Iceland
Malta
Mexico
Portugal
Saudi Arabia
As of June 10, 2021 the Russian Government has established direct flights with:
Hungary
Austria
Lebanon
Luxembourg
Mauritius
Morocco
Croatia
Albania
As of June 28, 2021 the Russian Government has established direct flights with:
USA
Italy
Belgium
Bulgaria
Jordan
Ireland
Cypress
Northern Macedonia
As of July 28, 2021 the Russian Government has established direct flights with:
France
Czech Republic
Albania
As of August 9, 2021 the Russian Government has established direct flights with:
Bahrain
Dominican Republic
Moldova
As of September 29, 2021 the Russian Government has established direct flights with:
Iraq
Kenya
Spain
Slovakia
As of October 10, 2021 the Russian Government has established direct flights with:
Andorra
Denmark
Djibouti
Colombia
Kuwait
New Zealand
Peru
South Africa
As of October 26, 2021 the Russian Government has established direct flights with:
The Bahamas
Iran
The Netherlands
Norway
Oman
Slovenia
Thailand
Tunisia
Sweden
For citizens (or residents) of all other countries, travel to Russia is allowed only for the following (visas can be issued):
-
Members of official delegations, employees of foreign embassies and consulates, representations of international organization in Russia and their family members;
-
Family members (spouses, parents, legal guardians, children) of Russian citizens, or of an ailing or recently deceased person in Russia regardless of citizenship, provided they carry documents confirming both condition and relation;
-
International truck drivers, crew members of train, sea, river and air crafts;
-
Permanent residents of the Russian Federation;
-
Persons taking part in equipment maintenance in Russia, provided their names are on the border service lists;
-
Highly qualified employees or other work visas, provided their names are on the border service lists;
-
Persons seeking medical treatment, provided they have an invitation from a medical organization or the Ministry of Health.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THOSE ENTERING RUSSIA:
Take the following nuances into account when traveling to Russia:
1) After getting a Russian visa, the applicant, when boarding an aircraft traveling to Russia, including for the purpose of transit, must have a medical document (in Russian or English) confirming a negative Covid-19 test result issued no later than 72 hours before crossing the border. It is also allowed to provide such a document in another language, but in this case it must be translated into Russian, and the translation must be certified by a notary at the Embassy or the Consulate General of the Russian Federation. In order to save time and money, it’s recommended that applicants take the test where they provide certificates in English.
2) Before arriving in the Russian Federation, a foreigner must fill out a questionnaire. Find the template on the official website of www.Rospotrebnadzor.ru/region/korono_virus/naselenie.phd?sphrase_ID=2645145).
3) If the visa was issued on the basis of invitations issued by the migration department of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (GUVM) on paper or in electronic form (the so-called FMS invitation), or on the basis of invitations of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Telex) sent to the diplomatic or consular office, then the passage of a foreigner through the state border of the Russian Federation is carried out by the border service according to lists (indicating the checkpoint and date of entry) sent by the inviting organization to the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Federal Air Transport Agency in advance, before the trip of the invited foreigner. If, at the time of entry of a foreigner into the Russian Federation, his data will be absent in the specified lists, then even if he has a valid Russian visa issued in accordance with all the rules, he will most likely be denied entry. In this regard, when applying for visas on the basis of invitations from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recommend that applicants in advance check with the inviting organization about the fact of being included in such lists.
Note: This procedure does not apply to private visas issued on the basis of applications from a spouse on joint travel to the Russian Federation, as well as to private visas on special occasions (funeral, visiting a seriously ill patient). In the case of a private visa issued by relatives in the Russian Federation directly to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the data on the invitee from the police are automatically transferred to the border service;
4) After applying for a visa, it’s recommended that applicants choose the shortest routes to the Russian Federation from your home/resident country. IT’S NOT RECOMMENDED to choose a trip through countries Russia has not opened due to the numerous refusals of the authorities of this country to carry out further transportation to the Russian Federation, even with a valid Russian visa. In any case, it’s recommended that applicants call the airline before buying a ticket and check the real possibility of their transportation to the Russian Federation. The trip of foreigners by car to the Kaliningrad region, as well as entry into the Russian Federation from the Baltic States and Belarus, is carried out as usual in compliance with the above rules (negative test for Covid-19, registration with Rospotrebnadzor and lists).
No Entry until September 30, 2021 or Further Notice
If you have plans to travel to Russia, you will, unfortunately, need to change your plans, unless you have a passport or residency in the above mentioned countries OR an emergency in Russia OR meet the requirements above for exceptions. Any valid visa that you have been issued continues to be valid for the dates stated on the visa itself. For our US customers, that means your visa is still valid up to 3 years.
We’ll try our best to keep this updated with the most relevant information as it becomes available.
Best,
the Let’s Russia team