Transit visa

Standard transit visa is issued for the purposes of passing through the territory of the Russian Federation.

A Transit Visa is not required if you remain in the transit zone of the airport in order to catch an onward or connecting flight within 24 hours of arrival. Transit visas are normally valid for maximum of 3 days if travelling by air and 10 if travelling by train.

Transit visa can be issued for single or double entry. Single-entry transit visa may be valid for a period of up to 10 days (by road or rail), or for a period of up to 3 days (by air), on the basis of valid tickets for departure from the Russian Federation and possession of a valid visa for entry into the next state en route, or a visa for the final port of call, or passport for that country.

Foreign citizens passing through the Russian Federation to the country of their destination in a motor car or heavy goods vehicle, are issued with a transit visa for the period of time required in order to complete the journey by the shortest routes (but in no case for a period longer than 10 days). The period of validity of the visa in such cases shall be calculated based on a theoretical average daily distance being equal to 500 km.

The period of validity of double-entry transit visas must not exceed one month. In cases when foreign nationals need to pass through Russian in transit on their way to a third country, then come back through Russia more than a month later, they must apply for a single-entry transit visa and obtain a second transit visa at the Russian Embassy/Consulate in the country which was the foreign national’s initial destination.

Important notice! After the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty came into force, all trips between the member-countries are considered to be domestic. Therefore, one must go through the border and passport control only in one of these countries. Due to this reason the passengers heading to the member countries with a transfer in Russia must obtain a transit visa. Passengers travelling to and from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Republic of Armenia, the Kyrgyz Republic via Russian Federation need to obtain the transit Russian visa irrespectively of their length of stay in the airport, unless they are citizens of countries eligible for visa-free travel to Russia in accordance with bilateral agreements.

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. A covering letter explaining the purpose as well as the routes of journey, dates of travel, as well as the photocopy of your confirmed ticket to and from Russia in case you are travelling by air/train/coach.
  5. When travelling by car a covering letter explaining the purpose as well as the routes of journey together with the photocopy of the car registration certificate, stating the details of the owner and the vehicle in case you are travelling by car. Transit visa would be issued based on the fastest journey to the destination. The average daily distance to be covered by car should not be less than 500 km.
  6. A valid visa (if required by that country) to the country you want to enter after leaving Russia. If visa is not required, any other official document confirming this fact.
  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, Georgia, 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.

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.

  • Transit visa processing time is 5 working days. 
  • 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.

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): 

PROCESSING TIME

VISA FEE, EUR

Transit visa

1-entry/2-entry visa

4-20 days

35

For US citizens *

PROCESSING TIME

VISA FEE, EUR

1-entry visa

15 calendar days

185

2-entry visa

15 calendar days

185

 

For Japan citizens

PROCESSING TIME

VISA FEE, EUR

1-entry visa

>10 working days

0

4-5 working days

31

2-entry visa

>10 working days

0

4-5 working days

31

 

* The processing time for tourist and transit visas could be from 6 to 10 working days.

For citizens of People’s Republic of China *

 

PROCESSING TIME

VISA FEE, EUR

1-entry visa

4-20 working days

50

2-entry visa

4-20 working days

100

For citizens of Angola and Vietnam

PROCESSING TIME

VISA FEE, EUR

1-entry visa

4-20 working days

30

2-entry visa

4-20 working days

48

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

PROCESSING TIME

VISA FEE, EUR

1-entry visa

4-20 working days

80

2-entry visa

4-20 working days

128

Visa fees and processing time for citizens of other countries and stateless persons are calculated according to the ”Tariff for consular fees, charged by Consular institutions of the Russian Federation”.Note – If you are a stateless person or not a citizen of Finland, please find out about your visa fees by contacting our call centre operators at the Russian Visa Application Centre.

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