Russia

• Indian ordinary passport holders are eligible for Russia’s unified eVisa.

• India is specifically listed in the official Russian MFA eVisa eligibility list.

• The eVisa can be used for tourism.

It can also be used for certain other permitted short-stay purposes including:

Private visits

Business visits

Scientific events

Cultural events

Sporting events

Economic events

Other approved contacts and activities.

• If the traveller’s purpose is not covered by the unified eVisa system, a regular Russian visa must be obtained instead.

• No invitation letter is required.

• No tourist voucher is required for the unified eVisa.

• No hotel-booking confirmation is required to be uploaded.

• Russia explicitly states that eVisa applicants are not required to submit an invitation, hotel confirmation or other document confirming the purpose of travel.

Passport Requirements:

• Passport must be machine-readable.

• Passport must be issued by the applicant’s country of nationality.

• Passport must remain valid for at least 6 months from the date the eVisa application is submitted.

• Passport must have sufficient space for Russian border entry/exit stamps.

Important: 

Tripex should calculate the 6-month validity from the application date, not merely from the travel date.

Passport Scan:

• A digital JPEG image of the passport bio-data page is required.

Photograph:

• A digital photograph of the applicant is mandatory.

• Photo must have been taken within the previous 6 months.

• Applicant must face the camera directly.

• Neutral expression.

• Eyes clearly visible.

• Plain light-coloured background.

• No shadows.

• Face must occupy approximately 70–80% of the image.

• Image proportions should correspond to approximately 35 × 45 mm.

Hotel Details:

Although a confirmed hotel booking does not need to be uploaded, the application asks for information about the intended place of accommodation.

The applicant should provide:

Hotel / accommodation name

Address

Telephone number.

Russia’s official eVisa FAQ specifically states that no hotel-booking confirmation is required, but the intended accommodation details should be entered in the form.

Travel Medical Insurance:

Mandatory.

Foreign visitors travelling on the unified eVisa must carry medical insurance valid in the Russian Federation for the entire duration of their stay, unless covered by a specific reciprocal exemption.

For an Indian tourist, Tripex should collect Russian-valid travel medical insurance for the complete trip.

The policy should ideally cover:

Emergency medical treatment

Hospitalisation

Accident

Medical evacuation

Repatriation.

Russia does not state a universal minimum EUR/USD insurance amount on the unified eVisa application page.

Tripex should therefore not invent a specific minimum insurance amount.

Return Ticket:

A return ticket is not listed as a mandatory eVisa upload.

However, travellers should carry confirmed return/onward travel arrangements for airline and border purposes.

Bank Statement:

Not required for the unified eVisa application.

Russia’s official eVisa documentation does not list a bank statement as a standard upload.

Employment Letter:

Not required.

Salary Slips:

Not required.

Income Tax Returns:

Not required.

Form 16:

Not required.

Aadhaar Card:

Not required.

PAN Card:

Not required.

Invitation Letter:

Not required for the unified eVisa.

Tourist Voucher:

Not required for the unified eVisa.

This is an important difference between the modern unified eVisa and some traditional Russian sticker-visa procedures.

Biometrics:

No Embassy/VFS fingerprint appointment is required for the unified eVisa application.

Minor Children:

• Every child must have a separate eVisa.

• A child cannot simply travel under a parent’s eVisa.

• Children below 6 are exempt from the consular fee.

IMPORTANT – AUTHORISED BORDER CHECKPOINTS:

The Russian eVisa cannot be used at every Russian border crossing.

Travellers must enter AND exit Russia through an officially authorised unified eVisa checkpoint.

Major authorised international airports currently include:

Moscow Sheremetyevo

Moscow Domodedovo

Moscow Vnukovo

Moscow Zhukovsky

Saint Petersburg Pulkovo

Kazan

Sochi

Yekaterinburg

Novosibirsk

Vladivostok

Irkutsk

Ufa

Murmansk

Kaliningrad

and various other officially listed airports and land/sea checkpoints.

Important:

If the traveller enters Russia through an authorised checkpoint, they must also leave through an authorised eVisa checkpoint.

They cannot leave Russia through a border point that is not included in the official eVisa checkpoint list.

Migration Registration After Arrival:

Migration registration is mandatory for foreign visitors.

Generally, the notification of arrival must be completed within:

7 working days.

If the traveller stays in a hotel:

The hotel normally completes the migration registration automatically.

If staying in private accommodation:

The host / responsible party must ensure registration is completed according to Russian migration rules.

Application Timing:

An application can be submitted:

Earliest: 

86 days before expected entry

Latest: 

4 days before expected entry.

Tripex Recommendation: 

Do not wait until the final 4-day deadline.

Apply at least 7–14 days before travel to allow time for corrections.

Application Corrections:

If the Russian authorities identify incorrect information, the application can be returned for correction.

The applicant generally has 10 days to make the necessary corrections.

No additional government payment is required for correcting and resubmitting the same application within the permitted correction period.

Once corrected, the processing period begins again.

Incorrect Issued eVisa:

If an approved eVisa itself contains incorrect personal information, it cannot simply be edited.

The applicant may need to submit a new application.

Tripex should therefore carefully verify:

Passport number

Full name

Date of birth

Nationality

Gender

Passport expiry

before submission.

Extension:

The unified eVisa cannot normally be extended for tourism.

Extension is permitted only in exceptional situations where departure is impossible because of circumstances such as:

Emergency medical treatment

Force majeure

Natural disaster.

An ordinary tourist cannot extend the eVisa simply to continue the holiday.