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 open borders to (if you do not have residency in the corresponding country) 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).