The answer is almost certainly yes. There is a list of the countries here that have agreements with Russia allowing their citizens to travel without visas, but otherwise unless you hold a diplomatic passport you will need to get a visa in your country of residence before you depart.
No. You can only get a Russian visas at a Russian consular department or licensed visa center. Please note also that, depending on your nationality, you may not be able to obtain a Russian visa at all consular departments. Russian consular departments will normally only issue visas to those who can prove that they are entitled to live in the country where they are applying for at least six months. It is important to establish exactly where you will be making your application before you order visa support documents, so please check with your local Russian consular department or visa center first.
This depends on the purpose of your visit to Russia and the time you intend to spend in the country. Most travelers, a standard Russian Tourist Visa, single-entry or double-entry and valid for up to 30 days, will suffice, and this is by far the easiest type of visa to obtain as you get the necessary visa support documents simply by booking accommodation in Russia (for US citizens, this type of visa is now valid for three years and will allow you to spend up to six months in Russia). If you need a different type of visa, you can find more information here.
"Visa support documents" is the general term for the official documents you need to submit to a Russian consular department or visa center in order to obtain a Russian visa. In the case of Russian Tourist Visas, these documents take the form of a Tourist Confirmation and Tourist Voucher, issued by a licensed travel agency or accommodation provider, which show that you have booked accommodation in Russia for travel dates for which you are applying for a visa. For most other types of Russian visa, you will need an official invitation issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Absolutely. One of the main advantage of using our website is that we supply the visa support documents needed to apply for a Russian Tourist Visa free-of-charge to all clients who book accommodation directly with us or by following a link from our website to Booking.com. You can find out more about getting free visa support from us here. Please be sure to read this information carefully before you book accommodation. If you have already arranged accommodation elsewhere, we can still help. Follow this link to find trusted agencies that sell visa support for a fee.
At Moscow Hotels, we normally issue visa support documents by fax or as an email attachment. In most cases, this is all that is required by Russian consular departments or visa centers. Unfortunately, however, for the citizens of some African and Asian countries the requirements are much stricter, and you will need to submit the original stamped and signed documents along with your visa application. You will probably also have to show proof that you have paid in full for your accommodation in Russia in advance. If this applies to you, contact us here to find out how we can help.
Certainly. You can book accommodation anywhere in Russia by following a link from this website to Booking.com. As long as you book accommodation in one session without closing your browser or the relevant tab/window, we will have a record of all your accommodation bookings in Russia and will be able to issue visa support for your entire stay. Before you book, however, please be sure to read this information carefully.
If you are only booking accommodation with us for part of your stay in Russia (if, for example, you plan to stay in a hotel for a few days and then stay with friends), you should contact our visa experts for assistance BEFORE BOOKING to find out how we can help with visa support. If you have booked accommodation with different providers (for example, by booking a hotel with us in Moscow and then an apartment in another Russian city through a different agency), then we are only able to issue visa support for the dates and accommodation you have booked with us, and you should contact the other accommodation provider to obtain a second set of visa support documents covering the other part of your stay.
After you arrive in the Russian Federation, it is the obligation of the "receiving party" (the company or individual who has issued your visa support documents and/or is providing you with accommodation) to register you with the Federal Migration Service within seven working days. This allows the authorities can keep track of foreigners' movements within Russia, and by law you are obliged to register each time you change accommodation or move to another part of Russia. Registration is normally a simple and speedy process, but if you fail to register both you and the "receiving party" (Moscow Hotels if you book accommodation via this website) will be liable for considerable fines, so please read this information about registration carefully before you depart.
We strongly recommend that you make copies of all your documents (passport, visa, migration card and registration) to carry with you and, whenever possible, that you leave your passport in a secure place. If you do lose your visa and/or passport during your stay in Russia, however, don't panic. Provided you follow the correct procedures, getting an exit visa and leaving the country does not have to be too difficult or traumatic. You will need to contact the police to file an official report of the theft/loss, your consulate or embassy to obtain a new passport or emergency travel document and, depending on your nationality, the person or organization who has issued your visa support documents. If you have received visa support documents from Moscow Hotels, please contact us immediately to report a lost or stolen passport.
