How to Get a Visa?

- A single entry visa entitles a foreign citizen to cross the border of the Russian Federation once when entering the Russian Federation and once when leaving the Russian Federation.

- A double entry visa entitles a foreign citizen to enter the Russian Federation twice.

- A multiple entry visa entitles a foreign citizen to enter the Russian Federation repeatedly (more than twice).

Initially, you can only get a single entry or double entry study visa. A multiple entry study visa is issued only in Russia when the primary single entry visa is extended (learn how to extend a single entry visa on the website).

Please note that a double entry visa cannot be extended after its expiration date!

The validity period of the first entry visa does not exceed 90 days. After arrival, you can extend the validity of the visa to 1 year.

If your study period is more than 1 year, then the study visa will be extended anually. 

Please do not plan any trips out of Russia in the first 2-3 months of your stay, until you receive a multiple-entry visa!

If you need an Invitation to enter Russia for the purpose of "study", "short-term study", then you need to contact the International Office (internationalnn@hse.ru)

It is possible to start issuing an invitation 90 days before your arrival in Russia.

The invitation specifies the date of entry and the permitted period of stay in Russia (no more than 90 days), the multiplicity of the visa (single or double), the place of obtaining the visa (country, city), the purpose of the travel (study, short-term study).

The invitation can be of 3 types: an electronic invitation from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a Telex Russian invitation for scholarship students and an invitation letter from HSE (only for some countries).

• Telex Russian invitation is a message sent by a special communication channel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation to a particular Embassy or Consular office. It is basically an instruction to grant the Russian entry visa to a particular foreign national. This type of invitations is issued only to state scholarship students.
• The invitation letter is executed by the HSE for citizens of the European Union (except Ireland), Norway, Switzerland, Japan and India and allows you to get a visa:

1) single or double entry, 2) for a period of up to 90 days (visa extension is not possible),  3) for education in short-term mobility (exchange) programmes, summer school, advanced studies or professional retraining, research internship.

• In other cases, an electronic invitation from the Ministry of Internal Affairs is required. It takes about 1 month to prepare this type of invitation.

Before applying for an invitation, make sure that your passport is valid for at least 18 months from the date of your intended entry into the Russian Federation.

The passport must have at least 2 double page spreads for the visa and entry \ exit stamps. If there are not enough double page spreads in the passport, you need to obtain a new passport, and only then request an invitation.

To apply for an invitation, fill out the online form.

obtaining a visa in a country where you do not hold citizenship

If you do not reside in the country of your citizenship, you must provide the original of a notarized translation of your residency permit to the HSE Visa and Registration Centre. The period of validity of your residency permit should run for at least 18 months from the start date of your Russian visa.

The translation of your residency permit should be notarized, either in Russia or by the Embassy/Consulate of the Russian Federation in your country of residence and certified with the Embassy/Consulate’s seal.

INVITATION PROCESSING TIMES

The processing time for an invitation letter issued by the Migration Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in Moscow is up to 45 calendar days. There is no accelerated procedure for issuing invitations via the Migration Service. 

The processing time for an invitation letter issued by HSE is up to 7 working days.

The processing time for a telex invitation depends on the Ministry of Education and Science. 

HOW TO GET THE INVITATION

The electronic invitation issued by the Ministry of International Affairs is sent by email to the address you specified in the online form.

A soft copy of the invitation letter issued by the HSE is also sent by e-mail to the address you specified in the online form. If you need the original letter to apply for a visa, please contact the International Office and request a mailing of the letter.

After receiving the invitation, immediately check:

- your personal data

last name, first name, date of birth, gender – if you received the HSE invitation;

date and place of birth, gender – if you received the electronic invitation from the Ministry of Internal Affairs;

- passport data;

- date of entry and the period of stay in Russia (must correspond to the dates of your stay in Russia);

- the city and the Russian Consulate and where you will apply for a visa.

Use our guide to check invitation. If you find any mistakes in the invitation, immediately contact an employee of the International relations office. A new submission of documents will be required.

You can apply for a visa only at the Russian consulate that you specified in the online form and that is indicated in the invitation. It is not possible to apply for a visa in another city. It is not possible to make changes to invitations. In case of a change the city of obtaining a visa, the visa period, the date of entry, the repeated application will be reviewed again in the order of priority.

Do not buy tickets to Russia until you receive an Invitation!

Initial study visa is issued by the Russian Embassy / Consulate in your country of residence and is valid for 90 days. You can find the list of Russian Consulates and Embassies on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (you need to choose your country).

If you do not live in your country of citizenship, you will also need to provide a notarized translation of your residence permit. The validity period of the residence permit must be at least 18 months from the date of the beginning of the validity of the Russian visa. The translation of the residence permit must be notarized either in Russia or at the Embassy / Consulate of the Russian Federation in the host country and is notarized by the seal of the Consulate.

For more information about the set of documents required for the visa application, please contact the Russian Embassy / Consulate.

The passport must be valid for at least 18 months from the date of visa opening. The passport must have at least 2 double page spreads for the visa and entry \ exit stamps.

Carefully check all the details of the study visa. Use our guide to check your visa. If you find any typos or mistakes, please contact the Embassy / Consulate immediately to correct your visa. 

You should check the following on receipt of your visa:

- your personal data (first name, last name, date of birth, gender);

- passport data (passport number);

- the multiplicity of the visa (single or double entry) and the purpose of entry (study, short-term study);

- date of entry and validity of the visa (must correspond to the dates of stay in Russia).

Please note that you can’t enter Russia before the date of entry specified in your visa.

If there is an error in your visa, it may cause a refusal to enter Russia.

Please send a scan / photo of your visa to the International Office (internationalnn@hse.ru) immediately after receiving the visa.

- A single entry visa entitles a foreign citizen to cross the border of the Russian Federation once when entering the Russian Federation and once when leaving the Russian Federation.

- A double entry visa entitles a foreign citizen to enter the Russian Federation twice.

- A multiple entry visa entitles a foreign citizen to enter the Russian Federation repeatedly (more than twice).

Initially, you can only get a single entry or double entry humanitarian visa for up to 90 days.

In some cases, at the request of the receiving party, an invitation can be issued for a multiple entry annual visa with a stay of up to 90 days (out of 180 days) (citizens of the United States, Japan, and the EU, except for Ireland, who previously had Russian visas, but not with purpose "Tourism").

It is not possible to extend an ordinary humanitarian visa.

It is possible to start issuing an invitation 90 days before your arrival in Russia.

The invitation specifies the date of entry and the permitted period of stay in Russia (usually no more than 90 days), the multiplicity of the visa (single, double or multiple), the place of obtaining the visa (country, city), the purpose of the travel (science and technology).

The invitation can be of 2 types: an invitation letter from the HSE or an electronic invitation from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The invitation letter is executed by the HSE for citizens of the USA, European Union (except Ireland), Norway, Switzerland, Japan and India and allows you to get a single or a double entry humanitarian visa, as well as a multiple-entry visa, if during the previous year you received a Russian visa and used it (available only for some countries).

In other cases, an electronic invitation from the Ministry of Internal Affairs is required.

Before applying for an invitation, make sure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months from the date of your intended entry into the Russian Federation.

The passport must have at least 2 double page spreads for the visa and entry \ exit stamps. If there are not enough double page spreads in the passport, you need to obtain a new passport, and only then request an invitation.

To apply for an invitation, fill out the online form.

obtaining a visa in a country where you do not hold citizenship

If you do not reside in the country of your citizenship, you must provide the original of a notarized translation of your residency permit to the HSE Visa and Registration Centre. The period of validity of your residency permit should run for at least 18 months from the start date of your Russian visa.

The translation of your residency permit should be notarized, either in Russia or by the Embassy/Consulate of the Russian Federation in your country of residence and certified with the Embassy/Consulate’s seal.

INVITATION PROCESSING TIMES

The processing time for an invitation letter issued by the Migration Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in Moscow is up to 45 calendar days. There is no accelerated procedure for issuing invitations via the Migration Service. 

The processing time for an invitation letter issued by HSE is up to 7 working days.

HOW TO GET THE INVITATION

The electronic invitation issued by the Ministry of International Affairs is sent by email to the address you specified in the online form.

A soft copy of the invitation letter issued by the HSE is also sent by e-mail to the address you specified in the online form. If you need the original letter to apply for a visa, please contact the International Office and request a mailing of the letter.

After receiving the invitation, immediately check:

- your personal data

last name, first name, date of birth, gender – if you received the HSE invitation;

date and place of birth, gender – if you received the electronic invitation from the Ministry of Internal Affairs;

- passport data;

- date of entry and the period of stay in Russia (must correspond to the dates of your stay in Russia);

If you find any mistakes in the invitation, immediately contact an employee of the International relations office. A new submission of documents will be required.

You can apply for a visa only at the Russian consulate that you specified in the online form and that is indicated in the invitation.

Do not buy tickets to Russia until you receive an Invitation!

Initial study visa is issued by the Russian Embassy / Consulate in your country of residence. You can find the list of Russian Consulates and Embassies on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (you need to choose your country).

If you do not live in your country of citizenship, you will also need to provide a notarized translation of your residence permit. The validity period of the residence permit must be at least 18 months from the date of the beginning of the validity of the Russian visa. The translation of the residence permit must be notarized either in Russia or at the Embassy / Consulate of the Russian Federation in the host country and is notarized by the seal of the Consulate. 

For more information about the set of documents required for the visa application, please contact the Russian Embassy / Consulate.

The passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of visa opening. The passport must have at least 2 double page spreads for the visa and entry \ exit stamps.

Carefully check all the details of the study visa. If you find any typos or mistakes, please contact the Embassy / Consulate immediately to correct your visa. 

You should check the following on receipt of your visa:

- your personal data (first name, last name, date of birth, gender);

- passport data (passport number);

- the multiplicity of the visa (single, double, multiple entry) and the purpose of entry (scientific and technical relations);

- date of entry and validity of the visa (must correspond to the dates of stay in Russia).

Please note that you can’t enter Russia before the date of entry specified in your visa.

If there is an error in your visa, it may cause a refusal to enter Russia.

Please send a scan / photo of your visa to the International Office (internationalnn@hse.ru) immediately after receiving the visa.

- A single entry visa entitles a foreign citizen to cross the border of the Russian Federation once when entering the Russian Federation and once when leaving the Russian Federation.

- A double entry visa entitles a foreign citizen to enter the Russian Federation twice.

- A multiple entry visa entitles a foreign citizen to enter the Russian Federation repeatedly (more than twice).

Initially, you can only get a single or double entry work visa for up to 90 days. A multiple entry working visa is issued only in Russia when the initial single entry visa is extended (learn how to extend a single entry visa on the website).

Please note that a double-entry visa cannot be extended after its expiration!

The validity period of the primary visa does not exceed 90 days. After arrival, you can extend the validity of the visa up to 1 year.

If your teaching period is more than 1 year, the work visa will be extended annually.

Please do not plan any trips out of Russia in the first 2-3 months of your stay, until you receive a multiple-entry visa!

It is possible to start issuing an invitation 90 days before your arrival in Russia.

The invitation specifies the date of entry and the permitted period of stay in Russia (usually no more than 90 days), the multiplicity of the visa (single or double), the place of obtaining the visa (country, city), the purpose of the travel (work). 

Before applying for an invitation, make sure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months from the date of your intended entry into the Russian Federation.

The passport must have at least 2 double page spreads for the visa and entry \ exit stamps. If there are not enough double page spreads in the passport, you need to obtain a new passport, and only then request an invitation.

To apply for an invitation, fill out the online form.

obtaining a visa in a country where you do not hold citizenship

If you do not reside in the country of your citizenship, you must provide the original of a notarized translation of your residency permit to the HSE Visa and Registration Centre. The period of validity of your residency permit should run for at least 18 months from the start date of your Russian visa.

The translation of your residency permit should be notarized, either in Russia or by the Embassy/Consulate of the Russian Federation in your country of residence and certified with the Embassy/Consulate’s seal.

INVITATION PROCESSING TIMES

The processing time for an invitation letter issued by the Migration Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in Moscow is up to 45 calendar days. There is no accelerated procedure for issuing invitations via the Migration Service.

HOW TO GET THE INVITATION

The invitation is sent by email to the address you specified in the online form.

After receiving the invitation, immediately check:

- your personal data (date and place of birth, gender, citizenship);

- passport data;

- date of entry and the period of stay in Russia (must correspond to the dates of your stay in Russia);

Use our guide to check invitation. If you find any mistakes in the invitation, immediately contact an employee of the International relations office. A new submission of documents will be required.

You can apply for a visa only at the Russian consulate that you specified in the online form and that is indicated in the invitation. It is not possible to make changes to invitations. In case of a change the city of obtaining a visa, the visa period, the date of entry, the repeated application will be reviewed again in the order of priority.

Do not buy tickets to Russia until you receive an Invitation!

Initial visa is issued by the Russian Embassy / Consulate in your country of residence and is valid for 90 days. You can find the list of Russian Consulates and Embassies on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (you need to choose your country).

If you do not live in your country of citizenship, you will also need to provide a notarized translation of your residence permit. The validity period of the residence permit must be at least 18 months from the date of the beginning of the validity of the Russian visa. The translation of the residence permit must be notarized either in Russia or at the Embassy / Consulate of the Russian Federation in the host country and is notarized by the seal of the Consulate.

For more information about the set of documents required for the visa application, please contact the Russian Embassy / Consulate.

The passport must be valid for at least 18 months from the date of visa opening. The passport must have at least 2 double page spreads for the visa and entry \ exit stamps.

Carefully check all the details of the work visa. If you find any typos or mistakes, please contact the Embassy / Consulate immediately to correct your visa. 

You should check the following on receipt of your visa:

- your personal data (first name, last name, date of birth, gender);

- passport data (passport number);

- the multiplicity of the visa (single or double entry) and the purpose of entry (labour activity);

- date of entry and validity of the visa (must correspond to the dates of stay in Russia).

Please note that you can’t enter Russia before the date of entry specified in your visa.

If there is an error in your visa, it may cause a refusal to enter Russia.

Please send a scan / photo of your visa to the International Office (internationalnn@hse.ru) immediately after receiving the visa.