Required Documents
Please click on the following requirements for further information:
Passport
U.S. Passport, which must be valid and signed, and have to be valid at least 6 months beyond intended stay and must have at least one blank visa page.
World Visa Travel can also assist you in requesting for Additional Visa Pages and applying for U.S. Passport Renewal.
Photo
One recent professional passport-type photograph. Do NOT glue or staple the photo to the application.
Quality Requirements for Passport Book & Passport Card Photographs
Letter of Invitation
OPTION #1:
The letter of invitation have to be written in Russian, NOT English.
An Official Letter of Invitation, issued by the Federal Migration Service of the Russian Federation
Your relatives or friends (Russian citizens) should provide you with an official letter of invitation bearing your personal data and registered with a local office of the Russian Interior Ministry (OVIR office). Your host must obtain this certificate for you and send the original invitation to you.
If you wish to visit your friends or relatives (foreign citizens) currently working or studying in Russia, they should obtain an official letter of invitation from the Russian hosting organization (see Business Visa instructions).
Your host will need to know all of the following:
- Your Full Name
- Address
- Nationality
- Passport Number and Date of Birth
- Your Date of Arrival/Departure in Russia
Allow 4-6 weeks for OVIR’s approval.
OPTION #2:
The letter of invitation have to be written in Russian, NOT English.
For this OPTION, only Regular processing (10-14 Business Days) will be available and only for 3 Year Multiple Entry Visa.
For a 3-year visa, a notarized written statement on a notary blank from the hosting individual residing in Russia.
A written invitation from your host can be made in Russia on a notary blank, or a notarized written invitation from a Russian citizen located in the USA by providing copies of their valid Internal Russian Passport with registration, valid Russian foreign passport, and their status in the USA such as a US Passport or Green Card.
A NOTARIZED Letter of Invitation from the host individuals in Russia which should indicate the following information:
- Full name of the host organization
- Official address and contact information of the host organization
- Surname, first name, patronymic, and position of the person who signed the statement
- Individuals taxpayers number
Basic information about the visa applicant is also required in the letter, information included should be:
- Surname, first name and any other given names
- Date of birth
- Citizenship
- Gender
- Passport number, date of issue, date of expiration and place of issue
- Letter must state applicant wishes to apply for a 3 year Multiple Entry Visa and the period of stay from dd/mm/yyyy to dd/mm/yyyy (e.g. 16 August 2015 to 15 August 2018)
- Purpose of travel
- Location of the intended residence of the Visa applicant
- Cities to be visited
Minors
Any minor traveling to Russia must have a letter of consent signed by both of the child’s parents or legal guardians. If the minor is traveling with a parent or guardian who is not applying for a visa at the same time a copy of the parent or guardian’s Russian visa or certificate of Russian citizenship must be submitted along with the minor’s application.
Former Russian Nationals
When applying for a visa it is necessary to provide documentation that you no longer possess Russian Citizenship, such as:
- Copy of USSR passport with a stamp stating you left for permanent residence abroad
- Copy of a Visa to Israel issued
- Copy of a Certificate of Naturalization
- Document confirming the renunciation of your Russian citizenship
- Copy of the main pages of a passport of a former USSR state
- Written statement of explanation in the case that you have no documentation
In accordance with Russian Law, Visas can not be issued to Russian citizens with expired passports. We remind you that in accordance to Article 12 of Russian Law ,”On citizenship of the Russian Federation”, children born to two parents who are Russian citizens automatically gain Russian citizenship regardless of the place of birth. In this case visas are not issued and they must apply for Russian citizenship or have their information written into the passport of one of their parents or obtain a Russian Passport.
Former Soviet and Ukrainian Nationals
A copy of your Soviet or Ukrainian Passport.
A letter stating when you immigrated to the United States.
Additional Documents
The Russian Embassy has the right to request, if needed, additional documents/evidence which shows the purpose and length of the applicant’s planned trip, the applicant’s financial means sufficient for a stay in Russia and the applicant’s intent to depart the Russian Federation after the trip, documents/evidence may include:
- A Bank Statement from the applicant
- A statement from the employer regarding the applicant’s wages for the preceding year, half year or month
- Medical insurance valid in the country to be visited and fully covering the period of the first trip
- Documents regarding the applicant’s ownership of property in the country of his/her citizenship
- A certificate on the makeup of the applicant’s family
The Russian Embassy also have the right to request additional information and/or documents and may request a personal interview from applicants as may be needed in particular cases.
Proof of Departure
A copy of your round trip airline tickets, or itinerary, or letter of confirmation from a travel agent.
Application Form
The Russia Visa Online Application is known to be a long and tedious process.
Almost all of our customers requested our White Glove Service to process Russia Visa Application.
WVT can help you complete the Russia Visa Online Application through our White Glove Service (ONLY $55.00).
Please call for further assistance.
One completed Visa application, MUST be printed and signed.
Note: The application has to be printed in separate papers, not back-to-back.
If you are filling out the application by yourself, please remember to take down the Application ID and Password, and include them when you mail the documents to us.
At the end of the application, you will be asked for the Visa Issuing Office location. Please select “Visa Application Center ILS (Washington)”.
Additional Information
- We recommend that you carry copies of your Visa Support with you to Russia
- You MUST register your Visa at local OVIR or Police Station within 72 hours of arrival in Russia
WVT Work Order
You must fill in the WVT Work Order Form. Download here
The order form gives WVT your name, address, shipping information and payment method. Multiple applicants can be entered using one work order form. You only need to complete one WVT work order form per request. Please print two copies of the confirmation page. Include one copy with the documents you ship to WVT and keep one copy for your records.
You may pay our fees with a credit card or enclose a company/cashier check or money order.
Mail Your Documents
Please mail the completed requirements to:
World Visa Travel, Inc.
1413 K Street, N.W.
9th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
Telephone: (202) 289-6251
Urgent applications should be shipped to WVT using only the FedEx Company.
Please use FedEx Priority Overnight. If you are going to use FedEx First Overnight, please let us know. Otherwise, this delivery method will delay the process.
Russia Tourist Visa Support Fees
These are the fees charged by the Russian Host for issuing a Russia Tourist Invitation/Voucher. Fees are per person per Visa Support.
Entry | Price | Validity | Processing Time |
Single/Double | $50.00 | 1 Month | 24 Hours |
Consular Fees
Type | Entry | Price | Processing Time | Maximum Stay | Valid |
Regular | Single/ Double/ Multiple |
$203.00/ $203.00/ $203.00 |
7-9 Business Days | Up to 30 days | 3 Months/ 3 Months/ 1-3 Years |
Rush | Single/ Double/ Multiple |
$233.00/ $233.00 $233.00 |
3-5 Business Days | Up to 30 days | 3 Months/ 3 Months/ 1 Year |
Emergency | Single/ Double/ Multiple |
$263.00/ $263.00/ $263.00 |
1-2 Business Days | Up to 30 days | 3 Months/ 3 Months/ 1 Year |
The fees above include a $5.00 check writing fee.
The Processing Time are estimates and may be prolonged during busy periods.
Consular fees are subject to change without notice.
If there is any uncertainty, please give us a call to verify.
Maximum Stay and Validity of Visa is dependent on the Embassy’s discretion.
World Visa Travel Service Fees
Type | Price | Processing Time |
Regular | $85.00 | 7-9 Business Days |
Rush | $160.00 | 3-5 Business Days |
Emergency | $200.00 | 1-2 Business Days |
Return Shipping Fees
FedEx Overnight | Price |
Less than 3 passports | $36.00 |
4 or more passports | $39.00 | Saturday Delivery | $41.00 |