Private visa

Please note, that starting from January 27, 2021 all non-Finish citizens residing in Finland need to provide a confirmation for continuous stay to apply for a visa to Russia in Finland (residence permit, notice from an employer or an educational institution, or an extract from The Finnish Population Information System). For EU citizens a copy of an extract from the The Finnish Population Information System is required. 

1. Original passport, which must contain at least 2 blank visa pages, and which must be valid for a period of 6 months after the visa expires.
2. Online application form completed on the website https://visa.kdmid.ru, printed and signed in person by the applicant. Please choose a visa application centre you are going to submit your application to. Your electronic application form will be directed to the intended visa centre. Visa centre provides additional service to fill in the application on your behalf.
3. One recent photograph as per photo specifications. Please note, that at the visa application centre in Helsinki you can opt for a photo service.
4. An invitation issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry or its regional representatives or by a General Administration for Migration Issues of the Ministry of Internal affairs of the Russian Federation (MVD of Russia).
5. For family members of a foreign national who has obtained residency in the Russian Federation — a written notarised application from a citizen of the European Union who lives legally in the Russian Federation and invites their next of kin. In that case a proof of kinship and a proof of legal stay in Russia (residence permit, work or study visa) is required.
6. For family members of Russian citizens please check here in English or in Russian.
7. Insurance policy for the whole period of the stay in Russia. The policy document should show the name of the policy holder, validity for the duration of the journey as well as indicate the geographical area coverage as worldwide/including Russia, and cover medical expenses and repatriation. The insurance policy should contain a logo and a stamp of the insurance company along with a position and a signature of the insurer. If the policy document does not contain any logo, stamp or signature, the insurance should show the name and the contact details of the insurer. The insurance coverage amount must not be less than 30.000 Euros. The insurance needs to be presented only by the citizens of the Schengen states, Iran, Israel and Ireland on the basis of reciprocity.
8. a. Confirmation for continuous stay in Finland (permanent residence permit, pysyvä oleskelulupa) is required from the nationals of the following countries only: Algeria, Angola, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Iraq, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Syria, Somalia, Chad, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Egypt, Yemen, Lebanon, Libya. b. Confirmation of stay in Finland for more than 90 days from the following nationals (residence permit, notice from an employer or an educational institution, or an extract from The Finnish Population Information System):all countries (including  Denmark, UK and Northern Ireland, Ireland) except for citizens of EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, India, Iran, South Korea and USA.
9. For Minors:

Children under 14 travelling alone or whose visa applications are unaccompanied with their parents’ are required to submit following additional documents:

• • Signed and dated permission letter  (letter of consent) from one of the parents giving permission to the child to apply for a visa or explaining that the parent would be travelling with the child
  • A copy parents’ passports (bio page).
  • If the child’s and parent’s surnames do not match, we would also require a copy of the birth certificate or an extract from the population register to confirm that the permission letter has been provided by the biological parent/guardian.

For Special Cases: 

– For urgent treatment, or following the serious illness or death of a close relative, due to the need to enter the Russian Federation, additional documents must be attached to the application:

• a written confirmation from the Russian medical institution, on the institution’s official headed paper (stamped with its seal) of the need to provide urgent medical assistance, emergency hospital treatment or an emergency examination, or of the serious illness of the individual they are visiting, requiring constant care or;
• the death certificate of the person to whom the applicant is next-of-kin.

In that case a visa is issued on urgent basis without any visa fees charged.  

– For visiting military and civil burial grounds to justify the purpose of the visit an official document confirming the existence and preservation of the grave as well as family or other relationship between the applicant and the buried are required for submission of an application. (In accordance with the Agreement between the Russian Federation and the European Union on simplifying the process of issuing visas to citizens of the Russian Federation and the EU).

Please note, you can opt for a Post delivery service to get your passport back after the processing.

Please provide one recent photograph (not more than 6 months old) of yourself. The photographs should be:

• 3,5 x 4,5 cm taken against a light background (white or off-white) so that features are distinguishable and contrast against the background.
• Clear share quality and with the face in focus.
• Printed on normal photographic paper (camera print).
• Full face, non-smiling (without sunglasses, a hat/cap or other head covering, unless the applicant wears such items because of their religious belief or ethnic background).
• Please stick the Photograph on the visa application form.

Note: Please follow these instructions carefully. If photographs presented do not meet these requirements your application will be considered incomplete.

Please note, that at the Russia visa application centre in Helsinki you can opt for a photo service.

Please note that while applying for a Russian visa you will be requested to leave your passport at the Consulate for the whole period of the application process.

Please note, you can opt for a Post delivery service to get your passport back after the processing.

Processing times may vary from application to application and are at the sole discretion of the Russian Consulate.

• Normal applications submitted in Helsinki, Turku and Lappeenranta will take minimum 5 working days to get processed.
• Single or Double Tourist visas for citizens of EU – 4 working days.
• For EU citizens applying for single or double entry visa with invitation letter containing Individual Tax Number (ИНН) visa processing time is minimum of 5 working days.
• For EU citizens applying for multiple entries business or humanitarian visa with invitation letter containing Individual Tax Number (ИНН) visa processing time is minimum of 10 calendar days. Applicants should also have a single or double Russian visa in the last 1 year, without which they cannot apply for multiple entries.
• For citizens of USA visa processing time will take 15 calendar days not depending on the visa category and visa duration. Please note that citizens of USA can apply for urgent processing of visa application only at rare or emergency cases.
• For citizens of UK processing time will take not less than 10 working days.
• For the citizens of Australia, Turkmenistan and Israel the visa processing time will take 10 to 15 calendar days (under normal circumstances) unless they have residence permit or long term work/student visa for the Finland for a term exceeding 90 days.
• Expedite processing (minimum 3 working days): depending on the nature of urgency only for certain purposes of travel for one- or double-entry visas. Please clarify on urgent processing at the time of submission.
• For family members and close relatives of Russian citizens (based on the written request of the Russian citizen): for one or double-entry visas – the processing time is 5 working days; for multiple- entry visas – the processing time is 10 working days. This visa type could not be processed urgently.

Please note that visa fees may vary depending on the nationality, visa duration and processing time. Please contact Visa Application Centre for more information before applying for your visa.

Along with the visa fees, there is a service charge of 35 Euro (inclusive of VAT 24%) applicable per visa application. Visa and service fees can be paid by credit / debit card and cash. Please note that the processing of your application will start when the respective visa and service fees have been paid.

For citizens of Finland and EU according to the Russia-EU visa facilitation agreement and bilateral agreements between Russia and Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland  (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Denmark, Spain, Iceland, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Germany, Finland, France, Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Estonia): 

For US citizens *

* One-entry visas with the processing time up to 3 days could be issued only in case of emergency. In rare exceptional cases with special directions from Consular department the processing time for multiple entry visas could be shortened up to 3 days. 

For Japan citizens

For citizens of People’s Republic of China *

* Please note that applications for urgent processing for 1 working day could be submitted only to the Consulate.

For citizens of Angola and Vietnam

For citizens of other countries (including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Syria, Turkey)  and Stateless persons