Russian visa for Indians

How to get a Russian visa from India – Russian visa for Indians

In this article I will tell you how to get Russian visa for Indian citizens. I have a lot of friends in India and I have been to India 4 times myself. It happens that my friends often ask me how to get a visa to Russia if they want to visit me here. And I was getting soooo many questions how to get a Russian visa for Indians that I made a decision to write about it on my blog.

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Do you need a visa to visit Russia?

Yes, in order to visit Russia, Indian people must obtain a visa. You can apply for a visa in India through an embassy or a consulate of the Russian Federation, which are located in India. In the end of this page i am going to provide you all the addresses. Please read carefully.

How to get a visa to Russia from India?

To get a Russian visa Indians must receive an invitation from Russia. The invitation depends on a type of the visa that you are planning to get. And the type of the visa depends on the purpose of your visit. So first of all decide how long you want to stay in Russia and what you will do here.
How to get a Russian visa invitation for Indian citizens read below. I will suggest a company that made invitations for all my friends and to whom I can trust.

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There are 4  main types of Russia visa for Indians:

• Tourist visa (1-30 days): perfect for a short trip, tourism, sightseeing, visiting friends or family

• Business visa (30-90 days up to 5 years): normally used for different conferences, business meetings, and expos but also many Indians obtain this visa for long-term tourism, long-term visits to relatives in Russia or for multiple entry traveling

• Work visa (1-3 years): suitable for work in a Russian company or permanent residence

• Private visa (30-90 days): official visit to friends living in Russia who personally sent you an invitation Not recommended! (It is much more practical and cheaper to use a tourist visa)

Russian visa fees for Indians

Cost of Russian visa for Indian citizens will vary depending on the type of your visa, duration and how many times you are going to enter the country. I will write the Russian visa fees for each type of the visa so just keep reading.

How to get a Russian tourist visa from India?

Russia tourist visa for Indians can be obtained at the consulates of Russia in India in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai. A list of the consulates of India I will add in the end of the page.

What you should know about Russian tourist visa for Indian citizens

You must get a tourist visa if you are planning to visit Russia for recreation and sightseeing. Russian consulate usually gives Indians a tourist visa for the whole period of stay but not more. You will have to provide a tourist invitation.

The maximum validity of a tourist visa for Indian citizens is 30 days.

Russian tourist visa requirements for Indian citizens:

1. A valid passport. Please check that your passport will be valid for the next 6 months after your anticipated trip to Russia. Also be sure to have at least 2 blank pages in your passport.
2. A copy of your passport. Make printed copies of all the pages with biometric data.
3. An official tourist invitation letter (tourist voucher). This is a very important document. I will tell you how to get it. A printout of the invitation is enough, you don’t need the original letter. Get your invitation from here.
4. A photo. 3.5cm to 4.5cm with a white background.
5. A printout of your Russian visa application form. An application form you can submit here. Do it prior your appointment. The list of the visa application centers and consulates see in the end of the page.
6. A printout of your flights. To prove your dates of stay. This is not required but they might ask for it, I went to the Russian visa application center in Mumbai with my friend and they asked for the flight ticket so just take a printout for any case. You can book a flight here.
7. Pay the visa fee. According to VFS global the Consular fee is 2130 INR and Service charges are 1500 INR.

What is a tourist invitation letter (travel voucher) and why you must get it.

Tourist invitation – it is a contract between an Indian person and a Russian travel company. Only a specific list of travel agencies (to be precise the companies from Unified Register of Tour Operators) have a right to make such invitations. Each tourist invitation has an individual number. The tourist invitation consists of a tourist voucher and confirmation of tourist reception.

Usually when you apply for a Russian visa in India it is enough to submit a copy of the tourist invitation. I have never met any cases when a consulate requested to provide the original invitation letter.

How to check the invitation:

I wanted to show you a picture how a tourist invitation to Russia for Indians looks like but the appearance of such invitations can vary depending on the issuing travel agency.

Each invitation should contain the following data:
• reference number and name of the travel company issuing the invitation
• your name and passport details
• the purpose of the trip (tourism in our case)
• travel dates (do check it!)
• the multiplicity of the visa (for Indians it can be only single entry)
• cities that the tourist plans to visit (this field doesn’t have to match your real plan)
• it must be signed by the head of the inviting travel company

Get a tourist invitation to Russia for citizens of India

I highly recommend you this company whose widget I attach below. They made tourist invitations for all my Indian friends and they are really trustable.

How much a tourist visa will cost you?

The cost of the tourist invitation for Indians is 49 USD. Russian tourist visa fees for Indian citizens in the consulate will be 2130 INR for the consulate fee and 1500 INR the service charges. Plus the cost of all the required printout and photos.

The total cost of Russian visa for Indians traveling as tourists will be around 7500 INR.

Also you will have to book flights to Russia. Check your flights here. And you will have to book a hotel. I suggest you to find something on booking.com or hotelscombined.com

How to get a business visa for Russia from India?

Russian business visa for Indians can be obtained at the consulates of Russia in India in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai. A list of the consulates of India I will add in the end of the page.

Russian business visa for Indian citizens

For those of you who want to enter Russia for a business purpose or you need to spend in Russia more than 30 days please apply for a business visa. If you are coming for a short business trip consider obtaining a tourist visa, it is cheaper and faster. To get a Russian business visa you must have a business invitation.

Russia business visa requirements for Indian citizens:

1. A valid passport. Please check that your passport will be valid for the next 6 months after your anticipated trip to Russia. Also be sure to have at least 2 blank pages in your passport.
2. A copy of your passport. Make printed copies of all the pages with biometric data.
3. An official business invitation letter. Without this letter you can’t get the visa. Read below how to obtain such invitation. I suggest you to get a eFMS type of invitation – it is electronic and a simple printout will be enough.
4. A photo. 3.5cm to 4.5cm with a white background.
5. A printout of your Russian visa application form. An application form you can submit here. Do it prior your appointment. The list of the visa application centers and consulates see in the end of the page.
6. Pay the visa fee. Please contact the local visa center officers to know the required fee.

What is a business invitation letter to Russia and why you must get it.

Such an invitation is issued by Russian migration office (FMS ). Once a legal Russian company applied for an invitation for you in Russia, the migration officers will check if you have done any violations during your previous visits to Russia (if you ever visited before). If everything alright they will issue an invitation for you and the inviting company can send it to you by email.

You can ask the inviting company to make such an invitation for you or you can buy it online through a Russian company that makes business invitations for Indian citizens.
I suggest you to buy because it is fast and doesn’t put any stress on your partners (trust me, migration offices are always stressful here).

If you don’t have any business partners in Russia and you want to stay in Russia more than 30 days then you have to buy the invitation online.

Get a business invitation to Russia for citizens of India

Apply for a Russian Business invitation through the company who makes all the invitations for all of my friends: here

The eFMS business invitations is an electronic form of Russia business visa invitations issued by FMS. One copy of it you will get by email, the other copy will be sent directly to the appropriate consulate in India where you plan to receive your business visa.

Russian work visa for Indian citizens

You must get a work permit visa to Russia if you plan to work in Russia with an official employment contract. Before issuing a work visa, the company-employer must issue a work permit or other document, according to which you will have the right to work in Russia. Initially, a work visa is issued for a period of 90 days. After the arrival the company-employer has to go a FMS office and extend the visa duration.

Russian work visa requirements for Indians:

1. A valid passport. Please check that your passport will be valid for the next 6 months after your anticipated trip to Russia. Also be sure to have at least 2 blank pages in your passport.
2. A copy of your passport. Make printed copies of all the pages with biometric data.
3. An official work invitation letter. Without this letter you can’t get the visa.
4. Visa directive from the Ministry of Foreign affairs of Russia.
5. HIV test. You must get it done before applying for the visa but not earlier than 3 month. The results must include your passport details.
6. A photo. 3.5cm to 4.5cm with a white background.
7. A printout of your Russian visa application form. An application form you can submit here. Do it prior your appointment. The list of the visa application centers and consulates see in the end of the page.
8. Pay the visa fee.

Work invitation to Russia for citizens of India

Unfortunately, I don’t know any company where you can buy a work invitation. Because such invitations must be issued directly by an company that invites you to work. And these invitations are normally not for sale.

If you want to look for an employer in Russia I recommend you to come to Russia with a tourist visa until you find a job.

You can look for a job in Russia here. The tourist invitation you can get here.

Private (guest) visa to Russia for citizens of India

A private visa (guest visa) to Russia is issued if you want to visit relatives or friends who live in Russia. For a private visit you will need to have a private visa invitation. Your friends or family members must go to the Main Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and file documents to be able to send you the invitation.

Attention! I do not recommend using a private visa! We did it for my sister-in-law’s parents (they are from Bulgaria) and it takes too much time, documents and energy. I suggest you to get a tourist visa it is faster and muuuch easier.

Russian private visa requirements for Indians:

1. A valid passport. Please check that your passport will be valid for the next 6 months after your anticipated trip to Russia. Also be sure to have at least 2 blank pages in your passport.
2. A copy of your passport. Make printed copies of all the pages with biometric data.
3. An official invitation letter from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. A printed copy must be enough.
4. A request letter from a Russian citizen. Addressed to the Russian consulate in India requesting a joint entry.
5. A photo. 3.5cm to 4.5cm with a white background.
6. A printout of your Russian visa application form. An application form you can submit here. Do it prior your appointment. The list of the visa application centers and consulates see in the end of the page.
7. Pay the visa fee.

Private invitation to Russia for citizens of India

If you have friends or family in Russia you can ask them to make an invitation for you. it is not possible to buy such invitation online (and why to buy it if there is an official tourist invitation).

These private invitations are a big pain in the ass. (Sorry for being slangy). It can take more than a month to prepare all the documents and issue the private invitation. DO NOT put your friends and family under such stress please. Just go here and get an official tourist invitation by email. (Within 24 hours!)

Consulates of Russia in India

A Russian visa for Indian citizens is issued at the following consular offices:

Current addresses of Russian embassies in India I took from this site.

• Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of India in New Delhi, Consular Section of the Embassy

Address: 110021, New Delhi, Chanakya Puri, st. Shanti Pathh (Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Deli, 110021 India)
Phone: +9111 2611-05-60, 2467-85-64
E-mail: indconru@del2.vsnl.net.in, indconru@gmail.com, emb@rusembassy.in
rusembassy.in
Reception hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday – from 09.00 to 14.00

• Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Mumbai
Address: 400036, Mumbai, Jagmohandas Marg, Palm Beach, 42 (42, Jagmohandas Marg (Nepean Sea Rd), Mumbai, 400036 India)
Phone: +9122 2363-36-27, 2363-36-28
E-mail: consul@mtnl.net.in
www.russiaconsulmumbai.mid.ru
Reception hours: Consular issues: daily from 8.00 to 13.00; visa section: monday, wednesday, friday – from 09.00 to 13.00

• Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Calcutta
Address: 700027, Calcutta, Alipur district, Raja Santosh Road, 22 A (22A, Raja Santosh Road, Alipore, Calcutta, 700027 India)
Phone: +9133 2479-70-06
E-mail: rus.consul.kolkata@gmail.com
www.kolkata.mid.ru
Reception hours: From Monday to Friday – from 10.00 to 13.00

• Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Chennai
Address: 600004, Chennai, Santo High Road, 33 (No 33 (old 14), Santhome High Road, Chennai, 600004 India)
Phone: +9144 2498-23-20, 2498-23-30
E-mail: madrasrus@vsnl.net
www.chennai.mid.ru
Reception hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday – from 09.30 to 12.30

I wish you a lot of luck with the Russian visa!
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!

For those who are still planning the visit check my article about the best time to visit Russia.