INVITATION

1. Introduction.

In order to enter Russia most foreign nationals or stateless persons need a Russian visa and an official invitation for visa application. It takes some time for us to issue an official visa invitation as well as for your visa application itself, so it is important to begin the application process as early as possible.

Normally, one should start caring about the Russian visa not earlier than 3 Months, but ultimately not later than 40 days prior the expected date of visit, depending on the type of visa invitation you’ll require.

Please mind the following:

·        Not all foreign nationals are required to have a visa to enter Russia; the list of countries for which there is no visa requirement can be found on the ‘Study in Russia’ website.

·        At the same time, some international visitors can enter Russia for a limited period of time without a visa for tourist purpose but will be required to have a visa for if coming to Russia for other purpose like conference, academic cooperation, study or work. Please always check with your local Russian Consulate or visa center whether you need a visa for your purpose of visit! 

2. Documents required for invitation application.

To apply for an invitation, you would normally need a basic set of documents:

1)    Copy of Valid travel ID document (first page), accepted as such by the Russian Federation. For a Student passport should be valid for at least 18 Months from the starting date of the visa you intend to obtain.

2)    Completed Invitation Application Form. It is normally available for free downloading at the website of MSMU.

Gap: country and city of your birth, full name and full postal address of the institution or company you work for, dates of your planned visit, country and city where you plan to apply for Russian visa – must be filled!

3)    Copy of your previous Russian visas (if any) if you want to apply for multi-entry visa. 

3. F. A. Q.

There is one type of invitations currently used for application for a Russian visa as below:

Regular Electronic Invitation Issued by: Ministry of Interior upon Host University’s application

Issued as: electronic .pdf or .jpeg file with a reference number and a bar code

Processing time: min. 40 days from the day of application of Host University to the Ministry;

Required for: Extendable Student visa: full-time students;

How to use: write down the reference number or print out a copy and attach to visa application.

The period of validity: an invitation for a regular student visa may be issued for a period of a valid visa from 15 to 90 calendar days .

NB! Important Remarks

·        Please note that a visa invitation is NOT a visa – do not try to enter Russia having just an invitation in your hand! A visa invitation shall be used for visa application to your local Russian Embassy/Consulate/Visa Center. 

4. Registration with the Russian Federal Immigration Service upon arrival to Russia.

Upon arrival to Russia all international visitors must perform registration with the Federal Immigration Service, if the duration of stay in Russia exceeds 7 calendar days.

Should you stay in a hotel/hostel/ apartment in Russia, your hotel or landlord must perform your registration and give you an original stamped registration slip at check in. If your hotel or landlord refuses to do so, please report to your MSMU host party immediately!

Please note that Russian law stipulates a 5,000 - ruble fine for violations of registration laws. Furthermore, foreign nationals can also be deported from Russia based on a court decision.