Before going to Russia, it is necessary for all visitors (with the exception of citizens of certain ex-Soviet countries) to obtain a visa from the consular section of a Russian embassy.
A Russian visa is a document that is placed into your passport, allowing you to enter and stay in Russia for a specific period of time and for a specific purpose such as tourism or business.
The visa also lists the number of times you may enter and leave Russia, your passport details and some information about the organisation that invited you to Russia.
With your visa application to the Russian embassy you will need to provide a visa support document (also known as a letter of invitation) from an officially licensed organisation in Russia.
East West Link is officially accredited by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recognised by the Russian Ministry of Tourism as a fully bonded in-bound tour operator and is licensed to provide visa support documents via a simple, fast and secure online process.
Your visa support will be delivered by email in minutes and is recognised by Russian Consulates worldwide allowing you to apply for your Russian visa with the Consulate of your choice.
Russian tourist visas are generally used by people who travel to Russia for tourism, leisure or short business trips allowing for either a single or double visit and may be valid for a maximum period of 30 days.
If you intend to visit Russia twice in a period of more than 30 days, or multiple times over a 6 or 12 month period then you may want to consider a Business Visa instead.
Most foreign nationals, including those from Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are required to obtain a visa before they travel to Russia. Citizens of former CIS Republics, except Georgia and Turkmenistan, may enter Russia with their national passports.
Do not try to enter Russia just using Visa Support Documents, you will be deported immediately at your own cost!
Once you have the visa support documents you must apply to a Russian embassy for the visa. Only when you have received this may you travel to Russia.
A Russian tourist visa is issued for the exact dates you request and as shown on the invitation up to a maximum of 30 days, inclusive of day of entry and exit.
Please note you may not enter Russia before the visa starts and you must leave Russia before the visa expires and as such we would suggest that you add a few days before and after your expected dates of travel to allow for changes in your plans and you can then enter and leave Russia within that period.
If you know in advance which cities you will visit, you should choose them on our online order form. You can choose up to 6 cities for the invitation, but you are free to visit whichever cities you like once you have your visa.
No. You can book them after you get the visa.
Yes. The dates you specify is simply the time span during which you have to enter and leave Russia. You don't have to travel on these dates.
You can get tourist visa support at any time, however we do not recommend applying for one more than six months in advance as some consulates may cause issues with “old” visa support documents.
You can apply for a tourist visa at a Russian consulate not earlier than 90 days before your requested visa start date.
If your child has a separate passport, you will need to get a separate visa for them. If your child is included in your passport please contact us about including your child on your visa support.
No: a copy sent by e-mail is enough in the majority of cases including UK, EU, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand as well as most Asian countries such as China or Thailand.
Most consulates in Africa as well as those in Turkey, India and a few select others may request the original in which case we can send this to you by DHL at extra cost.
All foreign citizens arriving in the Russian Federation must register their visas within three working days of their arrival (excluding weekends and official public holidays). An unregistered visa can cause problems and delays with even the most common tasks that require a passport as identification and even cause you to be denied exit from Russia.
If you are staying in a hotel then they will register the visa for you, if you are staying in Moscow then we can register your visa for a fee at our office, if you are not staying in a hotel or outside of Moscow you will need to ask the people you are staying with to help.
Generally the Russian visas can not be extended except in cases such as:
In all the cases mentioned above our Moscow office can extend your visa for up to 2 weeks and you will need to provide the appropriate documents to prove your case. The cost of the exit visa varies according to circumstances to between $100 to $500
In that unfortunate case, you need a new exit visa, this is where you are glad you are dealing with us directly and not some third party organisation!
First of all, you must contact a local police precinct and make a request for an official document confirming that your visa was lost. To make the processing easier we recommend you to state that your documents were lost, not stolen.
Then, you need to get a new passport from your Embassy in Moscow.
With the documents mentioned above, one matt finished photo and your return ticket (with the fixed returned date) you should visit our Moscow office. We will process a new exit visa for you. Please note that the processing takes no less than 5 business days.
Yes, 100%.
Tens of thousands of travellers get their visa support through East West Link every year, we are listed in the top 100 in-bound Russian tour agencies, are recommended by Lonely Planet, BBC, Rough Guides and many other publications.
This is no accident!