Main Consular SectionVisa for travelling to Russia

Visa for travelling to Russia

On December 25, Federal Law No. 646-FZ “On Amendments to the Federal Law ” On the Suspension by the Russian Federation of Certain Provisions of International Treaties of the Russian Federation with the European Community, the Kingdom of Denmark, Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Kingdom of Norway, the Swiss Confederation on the simplification of visa issuance to citizens of the Russian Federation and the European Union, the Kingdom of Denmark entered into force, Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Kingdom of Norway, the Swiss Confederation.”

The purpose of the Federal Law that has entered into force is to synchronize the regime of collecting visa fees for processing Russian visas with the norms currently established in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Following the contractors, we are moving from using the visa fee rates specified in the above-mentioned international agreements to the tariff approved by national legislation. From now on, Europeans will be required to pay the full amount of the visa fee, taking into account surcharges, depending on the multiplicity and urgency of the visa.

According to the current Russian legislation, foreign nationals can enter the Russian Federation with a valid national passport and a valid Russian visa. Please note that you cannot use an invalid national passport with a valid Russian visa to enter the Russian Federation while holding a new valid passport without a valid visa.

In this regard and to avoid any unpleasant situations at the border foreign citizens are required to transfer their visa from an expired passport to a new one at any diplomatic or consular office of the Russian Federation well in advance of their trip to Russia. In this case the visa can be reissued in the new passport upon a written application from the foreign citizen.

Swedish citizens as well as third-country nationals and stateless persons with a residence permit in Sweden can contact the consular section of the Embassy.

Regardless of the visa category, the applicant must submit the following documents to the Russian consular office:

A valid foreign (diplomatic, service, ordinary) passport or other identity document recognized as such by the Russian Federation. The passport must not cause doubts as to its authenticity and belonging to its holder, must not contain marks, erasures and corrections not certified by the competent authorities of the respective foreign country, ripped out pages, must have at least two empty pages intended for visas, its validity must not normally expire earlier than six months from the date of expiry of the visa.
In case a foreign citizen is issued with an ordinary private for emergency medical treatment or due to a serious illness or death of a close relative, the passport must not expire before the expiry date of the visa. In case of a study or work visa, the validity of the passport must not expire earlier than one and a half years from the date of the start of validity of the visa.

2) A completed and printed visa application form. Please note that, if applying in person, the visa application form should be dated and signed by the applicant during the interview in the presence of a consular officer.

3) A single 3.5 x 4.5 cm photo (either black and white or in colour), with a clear face without tinted glasses and without headgear (except for foreign nationals who are required to wear headgear permanently as part of their national or religious identity, provided that the foreign national is wearing such headgear in the passport photo).

4) Consular fee for the issuance of a visa. Payment is currently only possible in cash in SEK.

5) Invitation for issuance of the visa depending on the category of the visa.

If a Russian citizen is present in the Russian Federation, an original application, certified by a Russian notary, will be required for a year-long multiple-entry private visa for his/her close relative. The application shall be prepared in any form and shall contain the following information: surname, name, patronymic, date of birth, passport number, registration address or address of actual place of residence of the Russian citizen, as well as surname, name, date of birth, citizenship, gender, passport number, visa multiplicity, purpose of travel, requested entry period, place of intended residence of the invited foreigner and cities of visit.

Please note that the visa application form must be signed by the applicant in the presence of a consular officer and therefore the presence of a foreign national when applying for a visa for close relatives is obligatory.

6) Health insurance policy (for the citizens of Schengen states (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland), Israel and Ireland.)

The policy must cover the whole duration of the trip and be valid for traveling to Russia. The minimum sum insured is 30,000 euros.

In the case of multiple-entry visas, the period of validity of the policy may only cover the period of the first trip.

A visa is only issued after a complete set of documents has been submitted.

The documents for a visa shall be submitted by the applicant in person or by his/her legal representative with a power of attorney. The power of attorney must be certified by a Swedish notary.

Types of visas:

Since August 1, 2023 E-Visa might be issuedfor tourist, private or business visit, as well as for participation in scientific, cultural, social and political, economic or sports events.

E-visa is a single entry visa. It is issued for 60 days from the date of registration for a period of stay of no more than 16 days from the date of entry into the country.

E-visa might be obtained by a foreign citizen's application filled in online on the specialized website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia https://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru/index_en.html or via a mobile application. The application must be submitted no later than 4 calendar days before the expected date of entry into the Russian Federation. A selfie and a scan of the passport page with the personal data should be attached as well. No other documents are required for obtaining the e-visa. An applicant should pay a fee for issuing a visa by a bank card.

E-visa can be obtained by citizens of states listed in the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation. The list includes 55 countries, Sweden as well (please check the presence of your country in the list by the following link https://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru/country_en.html). The governmental transport agencies and other involved parties would be able to check the validity of an e-visa for entry to the Russian Federation on the website evisacheck.kdmid.ru.

The list of border checkpoints for e-visa holders is approved by the Government of the Russian Federation and could be specified by the following link https://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru/checkpoint_en.html).

Ordinary tourist visa is issued for a short-term stay in the country with a touristic purpose (visiting cultural events, excursions, familiarization with the sights), based on a tourist acceptance confirmation by a Russian touristic organization. The maximum period of stay in the Russian Federation with a tourist visa is up to 6 month. A single-, double- or multiple entry tourist visa to the Russian Federation may be issued. In order to apply for a common tourist visa in addition to to the documents listed above, we ask that you provide the confirmation of the tourist acceptance issued by a Russian touristic organization.

Ordinary business visa is issued for entering the Russian Federation for business purposes (seminars, conferences, meetings with business partners, negotiations). It is issued based on an invitation issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or based on a direct written invitation from an organization.

It can be single- or double-entry valid for up to 90 days, or multiple-entry valid for up to 1 year. Please note, that the period of stay in the Russian Federation with an ordinary multiple-entry business visa may not exceed 90 days for each 180 days period.

Humanitarian visa is issued for entering the Russian Federation with a purpose of establishing, renewing and strengthening scientific, cultural, social and political relations, for sporting activities, religious and charity work as well as humanitarian aid delivery. It is issued based on an invitation issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or based on a direct written invitation from an organization.

Ordinary private visa is issued for an entry to the Russian Federation for guest visit based on:

Invitation issued by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, based on an invitation from a citizen of the Russian Federation, a foreign citizen with the Russian federation residence permit or a legal entity;
A written request from a Russian citizen to issue a visa for his family members who are foreign citizens;
A notarized written request of a citizen of the European Union who is legally residing in the Russian Federation and is inviting his/her close relatives.

Ordinary private visa may also be issued if there is a necessity to enter the Russian Federation for urgent treatment or due to a serious illness or death of a close relative if the applicant can present the documents confirming the necessity of urgent treatment, serious illness or death of a close relative.

Private visa is issued for a period up to 90 days and may be single- or double-entry. A visa for close relatives of Russian citizens is multiple-entry and is issued for a period of one year.

Persons visiting military or civilian burial sites should submit the following documents (*according to the Agreement between the Russian Federation and the European Community on facilitation of the issuance of visas to the citizens of the Russian Federation and EU):

Original or a stamped and signed copy of a document confirming the existence of the burial site. The document must be issued by a Russian government agency;
Original or a copy of the document confirming kinship (lineal consanguinity*) of an applicant and the buried. *Relatives with lineal consanguinity are parents, children, grandchildren, spouses, grandparents, siblings;
For persons visiting military and civilian burial sites usually short-term private visas are issued valid for up to 14 days.

An ordinary private visa may be issued to a foreign citizen if it is necessary to travel to the Russian Federation for urgent treatment, due to a serious illness or death of a close relative, based on a decision of the Ambassador of the Russian Federation or Consul-General of the Russian Federation based on a written request of a foreign citizen.

The following documents are to be added to the request:

a written confirmation from a Russian medical institution issued on an official letterhead (stamped) indicating the necessity of emergency medical care, urgent hospitalization, examination or a serious illness of the person who is being visited and who requires constant care;
or a death certificate of the applicant’s close relative (spouses, children, parents, including parents-in-law, if a spouse is an accompanying person, siblings);
or an international telegraph message indicating death of a citizen certified by an official from an institution of communication;
a document confirming immediate relationship of the applicant and the person to be visited or immediate relationship of an applicant and the deceased.

Ordinary work visa is issued for an entry into the Russian Federation for work purposes based on an invitation issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation with a possibility of a further prolongation by the Russian MIA Department on the territory of the Russian Federation.

The basis for a prolongation may be an employment agreement or a civil contract, either work or service, concluded according to the Russian Federation legislation.

Work visa may only be single-entry for a period up to 90 days (except the visas for highly qualified specialists).

Ordinary student visa is issued for an entry into the Russian Federation with a purpose of studying in an educational institution based on an invitation issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (Russian MIA), or based on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation decision.

Student visa can be single- or double-entry, valid for up to 90 days.

The subsequent visa prolongation is carried out by the MIA of the Russian Federation according to a place of stay and migration registration by the issuance of a multiple-entry visa for an enrolment contract validity period settled according to the Russian Federation educational legislation but no more than for a year for each subsequent visa.

An ordinary student visa with a purpose of short-term studies, courses, internship may be issued based on a Russian educational institution request.

Ordinary single-entry transit visa is issued to the citizens of Sweden, citizens of other countries and persons without citizenship for an entry to the Russian Federation with a purpose of travelling in transit through the Russian Federation territory for a period up to 10 days (by road or railway) or for period up to 3 days (by air) based on tickets valid for exit from the Russian Federation, a visa allowing an entry to a neighboring country according to the itinerary, a visa of a destination country or a passport of this country.

A transit visa is issued to a foreign citizen travelling thorough the territory of the Russian Federation by a private vehicle or by a truck for a period necessary for a travel by a shortest route (but for no more than 10 days). The visa duration is calculated in this case based on an average supposed daily mileage, which is 500 km.

Double-entry transit visa duration may not exceed one month. In case when a foreign citizen needs to travel through the Russian Federation to a third country and then return by the same way through the Russian Federation in a period exceeding one month, it is necessary to obtain a single-entry transit visa. The second transit visa must be obtained in a Russian Consulate of a destination country.

A transit visa is not needed:

in case of a non-stop air transport flight over the Russian Federation territory;
in case of a change of planes in an airport of the Russian Federation with a transit area, providing a subsequent flight to a destination country within 24 hours from the arrival date to the Russian Federation is executed.

IMPORTANT! If you are planning to leave the transit area, a transit visa must be obtained!

Please note! 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 the 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.