Visa information
General requirements and recommendations

Here you can find information that will be useful for obtaining a visa to enter and stay in the Russian Federation.

Take note! Up-to-date information on the procedure for obtaining visas and the tariffs of consular fees charged for registration can be found at the relevant Russian consular office.

Citizens of which countries can enter the territory of the Russian Federation without visas?

As of April 2023, citizens of the following countries can enter the territory of the Russian Federation without visas:
Abkhazia, Azerbaijan, Argentina, Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Venezuela, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Colombia, Cuba, Laos, Moldova, Mongolia, Namibia, UAE, Paraguay, Peru, El Salvador, Seychelles, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador, South Africa, South Ossetia.
For entry, a valid foreign passport and a health insurance policy valid on the territory of the Russian Federation are required.
Citizens of other countries must obtain a visa to enter the territory of the Russian Federation.

Humanitarian visa

To participate in the OWAO, the most suitable visa is a humanitarian one. This visa is usually issued within 20 working days from the date of application. The date of application is the day of submission of all the properly executed documents.
To obtain a humanitarian visa, you need to collect the necessary package of documents, pay a fee and contact the consular office of the Russian Federation and obtain its approval.

Documents for obtaining a visa:

1. The basis for entry is an invitation from the Organizing Committee. Information for the invitation is taken from the registration form for the Olympiad.

2. Valid foreign passport
The passport must have at least 2 blank pages intended for visas. The passport must not expire earlier than 6 months from the visa expiration date.

3. Completed and printed visa application form
The visa application form is filled out on the website of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (visa.kdmid.ru) in Russian or in English and addressed to the visa center/consulate. All fields on the visa application form must be completed. A printed copy of the completed visa application form is signed by the applicant personally; the signature should not go beyond the field of the application form provided for it.

4. Color photograph
Size: 3.5×4.5 cm (centimeters). The full-face photo must be clearly depicted, against a light background, without glasses with tinted lenses and without a headdress (except citizens who, due to their nationality or religious affiliation, are depicted wearing a headdress in the passport photo).

5. Health insurance policy
The policy must be valid on the territory of Russia and cover the entire period of the stay of the foreign citizen. In the case of a multiple-entry visa, the policy must cover the period of the foreign citizen’s first stay in Russia. For all subsequent trips to Russia, a foreign citizen must have a valid health insurance policy.

The consulate may also ask for additional documents guaranteeing return to the country of permanent residence.
Also, citizens of a number of countries can apply for an electronic visa in a simplified manner.

Electronic visa

Citizens of Bulgaria, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, China, Malaysia, Mexico, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Turkey, and the Philippines are eligible for a single electronic visa.
To obtain a single electronic visa, no invitations, hotel reservation confirmations or other documents confirming the purpose of the trip are required.

Entry into the Russian Federation (exit from the Russian Federation) of foreign citizens with an electronic visa is carried out only through checkpoints across the state border of the Russian Federation determined by the Government of the Russian Federation.

Procedure for obtaining an electronic visa and what you need to pay attention to:
To obtain a single electronic visa, you must submit an application from your personal account on the specialized website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation or in a mobile app (available for download on the same website: electronic-visa.kdmid.ru). You can submit your application no earlier than 40 days and no later than 4 days before the expected date of entry into Russia.
The cost of registration is 40 USD. Payment is made on the specialized website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation or in the mobile app of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Children under the age of 6 obtain a single electronic visa free of charge. Processing time is up to 4 calendar days.

If you are traveling with minor children, each child must obtain a separate electronic visa.
In case of positive decision on issuing a unified electronic visa, be sure to print out the notification of its issuance or save it in your mobile device.
The unified electronic visa is single-entry. Its duration is 60 days from the date of registration with a permitted period of the stay of no more than 16 days from the date of entry into the territory of the Russian Federation.
Foreign citizens staying in Russia on a single electronic visa are required to have a valid foreign passport and a health insurance policy valid on the territory of the Russian Federation for the entire period of stay.

What documents are required to apply for an electronic visa?

1. Valid foreign passport;
The passport must not expire earlier than 6 month from the visa expiration date.
2. Photo of the data page of your passport in JPEG format;
3. Biometric photo of your face in JPEG format;
Size: 3.5×4.5 cm (centimeters). The full-face photo must be clearly depicted, against a light background, without glasses with tinted lenses and without a headdress (except citizens who, due to their nationality or religious affiliation, are depicted wearing a headdress in the passport photo).
The notification of the issuance of an electronic visa to a foreign citizen must be printed and presented to passenger transport operators and Russian border service officials when passing through passport control.

Entry requirements for minor citizens of foreign countries

As a general rule, visa processing occurs as a matter of course. Also, for independent entry into and exit from the Russian Federation, minor citizens of foreign countries do not need to obtain the consent of their legal representatives to present at border control.