Tourist visa

Please note, that starting from January 27, 2021 all non-Finish citizens residing in Finland need to provide a confirmation for continuous stay to apply for a visa to Russia in Finland (residence permit, notice from an employer or an educational institution, or an extract from The Finnish Population Information System). 

1. Original passport, which must contain at least 2 blank pages visa pages, and which must be valid for a period of 6 months after the visa expires. The passport will remain at the Consulate for the whole period of the application process.
2. Online application form completed on the website https://visa.kdmid.ru, printed and signed in person by the applicant. Any other or hand-written forms will not be accepted. Please choose a visa application centre you are going to submit your application to. Your electronic application form will be directed to the intended visa centre. Russia visa centre provides additional service to fill in the application on your behalf.
3. One recent photograph as per photo specifications. Please note, that at the Russia visa application centre in Helsinki you can opt for a photo service.
4. A ‘Tourist confirmation’ document stamped and signed by authorized person (travel agency or hotel) in Russia. They can be obtained through your hotel or an approved travel agent who deals with trips to Russia, and should be valid for the entire duration of your trip. Please note, that any booking confirmation is not enough to apply for a tourist visa.
5. Insurance policy for the whole period of the stay in Russia. The policy document should show the name of the policy holder, validity for the duration of the journey as well as indicate the geographical area coverage as worldwide/including Russia, and cover medical expenses and repatriation. The insurance policy should contain a logo and a stamp of the insurance company along with a position and a signature of the insurer. If the policy document does not contain any logo, stamp or signature, the insurance should show the name and the contact details of the insurer. The insurance needs to be presented only by the citizens of the Schengen states, China, Iran, Israel and Ireland on the basis of reciprocity.
6. a. Confirmation for continuous stay in Finland (permanent residence permit, pysyvä oleskelulupa) is required from the nationals of the following countries only: Algeria, Angola, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Iraq, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Libya, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Syria, Somalia, Chad, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia.
7. b. Confirmation of stay in Finland for more than 90 days from the following nationals (residence permit, notice from an employer or an educational institution, or an extract from The Finnish Population Information System): all countries  (including  Denmark, UK and Northern Ireland, Ireland)  except for citizens of EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, India, Iran, South Korea and USA.
8. To the attention of the citizens of Albania, Bahrain, Venezuela, South Africa, Lesotho, Mali, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Egypt, Libya: please kindly contact Visa Application centre prior of document submitting.
9. For Minors:

Children under 14 travelling alone or whose visa applications are unaccompanied with their parents’ are required to submit following additional documents:

• • Signed and dated permission letter  (letter of consent) from one of the parents giving permission to the child to apply for a visa or explaining that the parent would be travelling with the child
  • A copy parents’ passports (bio page and a page with the Russian visa).
  • If the child’s and parent’s surnames do not match, we would also require a copy of the birth certificate or an extract from the population register to confirm that the permission letter has been provided by the biological parent/guardian.

Please note, you can opt for a Post delivery service to get your passport back after the processing.

Please provide one recent photograph (not more than 6 months old) of yourself. The photographs should be:

• 3,5 x 4,5 cm taken against a light background (white or off-white) so that features are distinguishable and contrast against the background.
• Clear share quality and with the face in focus.
• Printed on normal photographic paper (camera print).
• Full face, non-smiling (without sunglasses, a hat/cap or other head covering, unless the applicant wears such items because of their religious belief or ethnic background).
• Please stick the Photograph on the visa application form.

Note: Please follow these instructions carefully. If photographs presented do not meet these requirements your application will be considered incomplete.

Please note, that at the Russia visa application centre in Helsinki you can opt for a photo service.

Please note that while applying for a Russian visa you will be requested to leave your passport at the Consulate for the whole period of the application process.

Please note, you can opt for a Post delivery service to get your passport back after the processing.

Processing times may vary from application to application and are at the sole discretion of the Russian Consulate.

1. • Normal applications submitted in Helsinki, Turku and Lappeenranta will take minimum 5 working days to get processed.
   • Single or Double Tourist visas for citizens of EU – 4 working days.
   • For EU citizens applying for single or double entry visa with invitation letter containing Individual Tax Number (ИНН) visa processing time is minimum of 5 working days.
   • For EU citizens applying for multiple entries business or humanitarian visa with invitation letter containing Individual Tax Number (ИНН) visa processing time is minimum of 10 working days. Applicants should also have a single or double Russian visa in the last 1 year, without which they cannot apply for multiple entries.
   • For citizens of USA visa processing time will take 15 calendar days not depending on the visa category and visa duration. Please note that citizens of USA can apply for urgent processing of visa application only at rare or emergency cases.
   • For citizens of UK processing time will take not less than 10 working days.
   • For the citizens of Australia, Turkmenistan and Israel the visa processing time will take 10 to 15 calendar days (under normal circumstances) unless they have residence permit or long term work/student visa for the Finland for a term exceeding 90 days.
   • Expedite processing (minimum 3 working days): only in case of aim-tourism purpose of travel or depending on the nature of urgency. Please clarify on urgent processing at the time of submission.

Please, note that processing time for citizens of Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya, Egypt, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Lebanon is 20 working days with the obligatory interview at the Consular Section.

Please note that visa fees may vary depending on the nationality, visa duration and processing time. Please contact Russia Visa Application Centre for more information before applying for your visa.

Along with the visa fees, there is a service charge of 28 Euro (inclusive of VAT 24%) applicable per visa application. Visa and service fees can be paid by credit / debit card and cash. Please note that the processing of your application will start when the respective visa and service fees have been paid.

For citizens of Finland and EU according to the Russia-EU visa facilitation agreement and bilateral agreements between Russia and Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland  (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Denmark, Spain, Iceland, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Germany, Finland, France, Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Estonia): 

For US citizens *

* One-entry visas with the processing time up to 3 days could be issued only in case of emergency. In rare exceptional cases with special directions from Consular department the processing time for multiple entry visas could be shortened up to 3 days. 

For Japan citizens*

*for the citizens of Japan the visa fee is calculated as per the currency exchange rate on the date of submission of the application. The processing time for tourist and transit visas could be from 6 to 10 working days.

For citizens of People’s Republic of China *

* Please note that applications for urgent processing for 1 working day could be submitted only to the Consulate.

For citizens of Angola and Vietnam

For citizens of other countries (including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Syria, Turkey)  and Stateless persons