Electronic visa

Starting from 1 August 2023 nationals of the following countries  can apply for unified electronic visas to enter the Russian Federation. Please note that Australia is not included in the list yet.

The application for an e-visa can be submitted at https://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru or via the mobile app available on this website no later than 4 days before the expected date of entry into Russia.

A single-entry e-visa is valid for 60 days from the moment of issuance. However, the authorized period of stay in Russia is no more than 16 days from the date of entry. This visa entitles a foreign national to travel to Russia for a guest, business or tourist visit, to participate in scientific, cultural, social and political, economic, sporting events, and accordingly to carry out the necessary contacts.  

The payment is made with bank cards at https://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru and will approximately amount to $52 USD. The payment includes the consular fee, bank commission, transaction costs of the payment system, as well as the fee for preliminary document verification. The payment for the children under 6 years old includes only the transaction costs of the payment system (about $2 USD).

E-visa can be used to enter Russia by air, road, rail or water transport through the Russian Federation border crossing points (list is available at https://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru).

Carrier companies can check the status of a foreign national’s unified electronic visa at https://evisacheck.kdmid.ru.

On July 23, 2025, Federal Law No. 257-FZ "On Amendments to Articles 9 and 30 of the Law of the Russian Federation "On the State Border of the Russian Federation" and the Federal Law "On the Procedure for Leaving the Russian Federation and Entering the Russian Federation" (hereinafter referred to as the Law) were adopted. 

In accordance with paragraph 5 of Article 2 of the Law, the validity period of the unified electronic visa (hereinafter referred to as the UEV) increases from 60 to 120 days, and the permitted period of stay of a foreign citizen in the Russian Federation on it - from 16 to 30 days.

UEVs with the above-mentioned terms will be issued based on applications submitted by foreign citizens in electronic form on the specialized website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (http://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru) or through a mobile application posted for download on the specified website, after 00:00 (Moscow time) on August 23, 2025 (the date of entry into force of the relevant provision). UEVs issued based on applications submitted by foreign citizens before the above-mentioned date will be issued for the previous terms (up to 60 days with the permitted period of stay in the Russian Federation - 16 days).

Please note that the procedure for issuing the UEV, its multiplicity, the list of foreign states whose citizens are issued the UEV, as well as the list of checkpoints across the state border of the Russian Federation through which foreign citizens enter the Russian Federation and leave the Russian Federation on the basis of the UEV, remain the same.

Please note that the validity period of the UEV issued based on applications submitted before 00:00 on August 23, 2025, and the permitted period of stay under them will be the same, regardless of the date of receipt of the UEV or the date of entry of a foreigner into Russia (in countries included in the list of foreign states whose citizens are issued the UEV).

Rules of entry for citizens of visa free countries

Starting on June 30, foreign citizens travelling to Russia without a visa must submit an electronic pre-arrival application to receive a QR code granting them entry into the country. 

The pre-arrival application requires a photo, passport data, and information about the purpose and duration of the trip to Russia and must be submitted no later than 72 hours before arrival via the ruID mobile app. If approved, the app will generate a QR code that the visitor must present when crossing the Russian border, where they will also be required to submit their biometric data. The new requirement does not apply to travelers entering Russia on a visa, e-visa, with a temporary residence permit, or holding permanent residency.   

In accordance with subparagraph "b" of paragraph 1 of the Government of the Russian Federation’s Decree No. 1510 dated November 7, 2024, "On conducting an experiment to test the rules and conditions for the entry into and exit from the Russian Federation for foreign citizens and stateless persons" an experiment will be conducted at all checkpoints across the state border of the Russian Federation from June 30, 2025, to June 30, 2026.

In particular, foreign citizens planning to enter the Russian Federation under visa-free regime must complete the registration procedure in the Unified Authentication System before entering. They must also submit a request for entry into the Russian Federation electronically via the mobile application "ruID" no later than 72 hours before the planned entry (in emergency cases, no later than 4 hours).

This procedure is mandatory for foreign citizens crossing the state border of the Russian Federation in a visa-free regime (including Qatar nationals), with the exception of the following categories of foreign citizens:

a) a citizen of the Republic of Belarus;

b) heads and employees of representative offices, heads and employees of consular offices of foreign states in the Russian Federation, as well as their family members;

c) officials of international organizations (representative offices of international organizations) that have concluded agreements with the Government of the Russian Federation on the conditions of stay on the territory of the Russian Federation, and their family members, as well as officials of international organizations traveling to the Russian Federation in connection with the performance of official duties;

d) foreign citizens entering on the basis of a diplomatic or service visa;

e) foreign citizens and stateless persons under 6 years of age.

📱 We recommend watching the following videos:

📺 YouTube: https://youtu.be/eNCLxlFKyhM 

⏺️RuTube: https://rutube.ru/video/ff74901679606fc7ccf856e54b5f1479

🔵We also suggest that you check the information about the introduction of new rules on the State Services portal: https://www.gosuslugi.ru/landing/new_entry_rules 

📲The ruID mobile application is available in:

AppStore: https://apps.apple.com/ru/app/ruid/id6745255593

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.gosuslugi.migrant&pli=1 

❗️Procedures for obtaining Russian visas, including a single-entry electronic visa, remain the same.

The digital profile of a foreign citizen and a stateless person will be created: 

by authorized federal bodies of executive power of the Russian Federation – only in regard of persons, entering the Russian Federation on the basis of visa; 

or 

by a foreign citizen, planning to enter the Russian Federation, themselves with the help of a special mobile application (for those who enter the Russian Federation on the basis of visa the procedure is voluntary, for foreign citizens, entering the Russian Federation from June 30, 2025 without a visa it is compulsory). 

Among other things the creation of a digital profile aims at significantly simplifying the solution of a whole range of matters for foreign citizens, requiring the application to Russian state, municipal and other bodies, namely: 

 notifying on their visit to Russia; 

gaining information on the procedure of receiving services on the territory of the Russian Federation and/or applying in the digital form for services and facilities (for example, applying for a certificate of voluntary medical insurance, signing a contract with a Russian telecom operator and getting a SIM card, making an appointment at the bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia);

providing documents from the digital profile in form of a QR-code along with a passport or any other identity document. 

Visa-free regime countries:

Abkhazia

Andorra

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Belarus (no need to complete the registration procedure in the Unified Authentication System before entering)

Belize

Bolivia

Brazil

Brunei Darussalam

Chile

Colombia

Commonwealth of Dominica

Costa Rica

Cuba

Ecuador

El Salvador

Fiji

Georgia

Grenada

Guatemala

Guyana

Honduras

Israel

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Laos

Mauritius

Moldova

Mongolia

Namibia

Nauru

Nicaragua

Panama

Paraguay

Qatar

Republic of Maldives

Republic of Palau

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

Seychelles

South Africa

South Ossetia

Suriname

Tajikistan

UAE

Ukraine (entry to Russia only through Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow)

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

Vanuatu

Venezuela