Private visa
REQUIREMENTS TO OBTAIN A RUSSIAN PRIVATE VISA
(to visiting your relatives or friends – Russian citizens)
1. These requirements apply to Canadian citizens only.
2. Please make sure that there is a 5 business days period between the date of application for a tourist visa and the supposed date of entry to Russia.
3. In accordance with Russian laws citizens of the Russian Federation regardless of any other citizenship they must travel to Russia on valid Russian documents only.
To obtain a visa you have to submit:
1. The original completed visa application form (for citizens of Australia, Canada, Georgia, the UK and USA, the original completed visa application form should be printed on the front and back sides of a single sheet of paper) submitted with a photo (one per applicant) glued in the area designated for it.
Your photo must meet following requirements: the frame size must be 35mm X 45 mm (1 3/8’’ X 1 3/4’’); the photos must be clear, well defined and taken against a plain white or light-coloured background;
!ATTENTION!
Use option "Embassy of the Russian Federation in Canada" in the Appointment Details section, if you are applying for a visa at the Consular Division of the Embassy of the Russian Federation.
2. Passport or other travel document in original.
At least two pages of the passport should be free of any notes, stamps and visas.
3. One photocopy of information pages of the passport.
4. A letter from yourself explaining who is travelling, where, when and for what purpose.
5. Invitation that is to be arranged by your hosts through the local office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Russia and to be submitted in original.
The allowed period of stay is shown on the document and can not exceed 90 days.
6. In a case of an emergency (unexpected illness, death, etc. of close relatives) a private visa can be obtained within several hours upon the submission of a certified document from a Russian hospital or a copy of a death certificate.
Documents confirming relationship are required.
Payment - by Money Order made out to the "Embassy of Russia". Visa processing fees.
On private visas for close relatives.
The rule for issuing private visas for close relatives was amended from September 1, 2021.
A simplified procedure for issuing private visas for the close relatives of the Russian citizens is currently in place. As before, a private visa is issued on the decision of the head of a diplomatic mission or a consular office of the Russian Federation, upon a written application from a Russian citizen. The term “close relatives” has been significantly expanded. Now it includes spouse, parents (adoptive parents), children (adopted), spouses of children, full and step-brothers and sisters, grandparents, grandchildren. The application must include the complete data of the applicant and the invited person, as well as the intended route of travel and residence in Russia.
At the same time, such an application can now be certified in the Russian Federation by a notary and then sent to a foreign relative for submission in original. It is also necessary to present all documents confirming the relationship (taking into account a possible change in surname). These documents must be submitted in its original form or their copies should be certified by a Russian notary.
Private multiple visa for close relative can be issued for up to one year.
