Russia Business Visas – U.S. Citizens:
STANDARD REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL RUSSIA BUSINESS VISAS
- A) Applicant’s Passport: original, undamaged, and valid for at least another 6 months, with at least two blank visa pages.
- B) Visa Application Form: Visa application form must be completed online, print and sign Russian visa application
Fill Out Application Here
- C) Photograph: one recent, clear, front view, in color, professional 2″x2″ passport photo of the applicant.
- Plain white or off-white background.
- No facial expressions
- Shoulder must be square and face centered in photo.
- D) Itinerary: copy of your round-trip ticket, reservation, or letter from a travel agency under applicant’s name, listing flight number and arrival/departure dates and reservation code provided by the airline/cruise company.
- The itinerary may be waived if all the mandatory information for the itinerary is listed on the business letter.
- E) Invitation Letter: Original business letter of invitation approved by the Russian Federal Migration Service, a Telex number OR an electronic invitation with the name of the inviting organization issued by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Template For Invitation Letter
- F) Business Letter: A business letter from the sending company in the US. The letter should be printed on the company letterhead stationery, addressed to the Embassy of Russia, Visa Section, Houston TX, and signed by a senior manager (an equivalent to Vice-President or above). The business letter must adhere to the following guidelines:
- Original: original signature of senior manager;
- Issued by applicant’s company/employer in the United States; Must state the following information
- Nature of business of the U.S. company;
- Applicant’s title and/or functions with the U.S. company;
- Detailed information concerning nature of business and activities to be conducted in Russia;
- Responsibility of the U.S. company that applicant will not be pursuing any activities that are incompatible with a business visa (such as paid work, technical assistance, technical training) during his/her stay in Russia;
- Name(s) and address (es) of Russian company (ies) with which applicant is going to deal/negotiate with;
- Name(s) of person(s) to be contacted in Russia, phone number(s) and his/her/their functions with the Russian company (ies);
- Expected travel dates of trip to Russia;
- Responsibility of the U.S. Company for applicant’s stay in Russia and his/her return to the country of origin
NOTE: business letters MUST HAVE ALL of the above-mentioned information. Business letters missing any of the required information and/or without original signature WILL NOT be accepted and therefore visa application WILL NOT be processed.
Additional requirements for applicants born in the former USSR or Russia Additional documents for former USSR or Russian nationals In accordance with Russian law, visas cannot be issued to Russian citizens with expired passports. We remind you that in accordance to Article 12 of Russian Law “On citizenship of the Russian Federation”, children born to two parents who are Russian citizens, automatically gain Russian citizenship, regardless of the place of birth. In this case, visas are not issued, and they must apply for Russian citizenship, or have their information written into the passport of one of their parents, or obtain a Russian passport. If applying for a minor, please provide a copy of their Birth Certificate, in which it is evident that at least of the parents is not a citizen of the Russian Federation.
The embassy may request additional documents and a personal interview at their discretion.
