Get your Russia electronic visa online

The Russian e-Visa is open to nationals of 64 countries worldwide. Before starting any application, check that your passport is among the eligible nationalities. If your country is not on the list, you must go through the Russian embassy or consulate in your country of residence to obtain a conventional visa.

Eligible European nationalities for the e-Visa

Nationals of the following countries may apply for the e-Visa, among others: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Vatican.

Other eligible nationalities

The following are also eligible: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Barbados, Bhutan, Cambodia, China (including Taiwan), North Korea, Eswatini, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Singapore, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Vietnam, Zimbabwe.

Four of these nationalities no longer need any visa at all

Being on the e-Visa list does not mean needing a visa. Four eligible nationalities are now fully exempt: Chinese nationals have entered visa-free since 1 December 2025 for 30 days — a regime extended to 31 December 2027 by a decree of 20 July 2026 —, Jordanians since 13 December 2025 and Myanmar nationals since 27 January 2026, also for 30 days, and Saudi nationals since 11 May 2026, for 90 days. With one of those passports, filing an e-Visa application means paying consular fees for nothing.

Explicitly NON-eligible nationalities

Nationals of the following countries cannot apply for the Russian e-Visa and must contact the Russian embassy for a conventional visa: United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom.

Conventional visa: when to use it?

If you are not covered by the e-Visa or if your stay requires a visa type other than tourist, business, private or humanitarian (for example a work visa), contact the Russian embassy or consulate within the 3 months preceding your departure. A conventional visa cannot be combined with an e-Visa to extend the length of stay.

If you lose the printed copy of your e-Visa before the start of the trip, a free replacement copy can be resent. For stays with a private individual (family, friends), provide the full name of your host in the online application — no official hotel voucher or invitation letter is required for the e-Visa, unlike for the conventional visa.

The Russian e-Visa is not extendable. If you need to stay more than 30 days, you will have to leave the territory and submit a new application from abroad. Any overstay exposes the traveller to criminal proceedings and a 5-year ban on entering Russia.

The consular fees for the Russian e-Visa are set by the Russian authorities and apply to each traveller. Children under 6 accompanied by a parent are exempt from consular fees, but an individual application remains mandatory for each of them. Service fees may be added depending on the channel used to submit the application.

The application falls within a strict regulatory window: it is admissible at the earliest 86 days and at the latest 4 days before the planned entry date. Applying earlier is impossible, applying later means missing the departure. In practice, aim to file 10 days before arrival: that margin absorbs a possible request for correction, for which the authorities allow 10 days before closing the file.

Once issued, the e-Visa is valid for 120 days from its date of issue: you therefore have a considerable window to choose your entry date. However, once you have entered Russian territory, the permitted length of stay is a maximum of 30 days — and cannot be extended under any circumstances. The expiry date shown on the e-Visa is definitive.

The consular fee is non-refundable whatever the outcome of the application: a refusal by the Russian authorities gives no right to a refund. If your file contains an error it may, however, be returned to you for correction — you then have 10 days to put it right without paying again. The e-Visa, once obtained, does not automatically guarantee entry into the territory: the immigration officer at the border remains the sole decision-maker at the time of arrival.

The Russian e-Visa is recognised at a very large number of entry points spread across the entire territory. Since 1 January 2021 — the date the unified visa was introduced — the entire Russian territory is accessible to e-Visa holders, with no geographical restriction on cities or regions to visit. This was a major limitation of the old regional electronic visa system, now abolished.

On arrival in Russia, you must present simultaneously your e-Visa printed in colour, your passport (the one used to apply for the e-Visa) and the original of your travel insurance certificate. These three documents are inseparable: the absence of any one of them may result in refusal of entry at the border.

If you wish to verify that your e-Visa is valid before travelling, check the authorisation dates shown on the PDF document received by email. These dates specify the permitted entry window and the maximum length of stay.

Russia is considered a complex destination in terms of entry formalities: long form, strict documentary requirements, and a particular geopolitical context. Here are the key points to check before departure, based on official entry conditions and information available from institutional sources.