If you'd like to add a comment to this article and share your valuable feedback and opinions, please click here to leave your comment. This type of visa is issued for the travelers who come to Russia for tourism purposes. NB: It is now standard practice for all US citizens applying for Russian travel visas to be issued with a 3-year multi-entry visa. Of course, some of you can even drive to Canada and Mexico on a single tank of gas! There are multiple ways to apply for a Russian visa in the USA. It is a single entry/exit visa valid for the specified duration of your stay in Russia, up to 30 days. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). There are lots of options, but you’ll likely find a tourist visa the easiest to obtain unless you’d like to stay somewhere for an extended period of time. To do that you would need to submit an application via USCIS. This agency is authorized to issue business invitations by the Federal Migration Service and has offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg center. You can apply for a tourist invitation online through our website and we'll refer your request to our partner travel agency. An immigration visa is the hardest to get, and most people will be unable to obtain this type of visa during their lifetime. When Do I Need to Worry About Getting a Visa? To process a visa, the consulate will charge a certain visa processing fee depending on the type of the visa and the speed of processing. *K Visas – Listed with immigrant visas because they are for immigration related purposes. • 200 pages on Russian culture and customs. Whether you are a citizen of the U.S. or any other country, visas are universal. • Getting a Russian visa with no ties A tourist visa is the easiest and cheapest type of Russian visa to get. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Depending on your citizenship and where you are traveling, you could obtain an on-site visa or you may have to apply far ahead of time. Sorry, but it will be a real pain in the ass for your friend to make this invitation certificate for you. This is closely related to the naturalization and citizenship process, though immigration does not necessarily suggest citizenship.

It’s a shame but I wasn’t aware of all other ways to obtain an immigrant visa. Just be sure to remember your passport! If you are staying in Russian for less than 24 hours and do not leave the airport transit zone, no visa is required. Note, that you don't need to obtain an invitation or visa support to get this type of visa. Now I have new hope. Any foreign national studying in the U.S. will need a U.S. Student Visa, which will fall under the letters F and M. Also included in this category are visas for academics and education professionals going abroad for particular work studies or trips. The issue of Russian visas is discretionary and depends on examination of each individual case, including purpose of visit and intention to return. Russian consulates in some countries always require originals, for the latest info on these, see our Russian Visa Insider's page. Which type of visa do you need? The ticket needed to be presented instead of the visa at the border and allowed a 1-week visa-free stay (17 to 25 May). In the upcoming series, we will release guides to getting visas for these specific countries. Almost 1,000,000 students from abroad studied in the U.S. in the 2014-2015 school year. Travelers to the US can use the ESTA system, which allows them to obtain a 90 day US travel visa that is good for up to two years. The type of Russian Visa that you require depends on the length of your planned stay in Russia and the purpose of your visit.