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Visa Information

 

Everything You Need to Know About Visas

Some of our tours require visas. As such there exist specific requirements for USA and Canada citizens when traveling to Russia or China. We are not a Consulate nor a visa agency, yet all of our packages include full visa processing and comprehensive visa assistance for our clients.

 

Russian visa instructions

Applying for a visa to Russia can be tricky as the procedure is rather complicating. First, you need to get an official Russian visa invitation, then fill out an official application form, and etc. But the good news is that all of our package tours already include full visa processing or comprehensive visa assistance.

 
Russia visa requirements: What to know

 

  • An official Russian visa invitation (sometimes also called visa voucher)

  • A filled out and printed Russian visa application form (the form must be filled out on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: https://visa.kdmid.ru/PetitionChoice.aspx)

  • Original passport, which must be valid 6 months after arrival from Russia and must have at least 2 consecutive empty pages for the visa stamp

  • 2 passport-size photos (photo size: 2 x 2 inches for US or 3.5 x 4.5 cm for Canada; photos must be recent and taken against a white background)

  • Usually it takes up to 3 weeks for the Consulate to process your documents and issue your visa. If you need it urgently the procedure can be expedited for extra charge.

  • The Consulate may request you to provide additional documents and information such as travel insurance, hotel reservation confirmation, round-trip tickets to Russia, a contract for provision of tourist services, a detailed itinerary in Russia.

  • If you plan to enter the country more than once during your trip, you are required to have a double-entry or multi-entry visa.

  • The ideal time to start your visa procedure is 2-3 months prior to departure. Please note that we recommend not to make any non-refundable bookings for your trip until you receive your passport with the visa stamp back from the Consulate.

Arranging your visas with us? Log in to fill out your visa applications

Need help with your visas? Use our visa services

 

 

Visas to other countries

If your travel itinerary includes more than one country, for instance, if you are planning a Trans-Siberian journey, you will cross the borders of Russia, Mongolia and China, and will therefore need visas not only to Russia but to China as well. If you wish to skip the unpleasant procedure of obtaining multiple visas, you can take advantage of our paid visa services or read the detailed visa instructions on the official Consulate website of the country you are traveling to.

 
General list of documents for a tourist visa

 

  • Filled out visa application forms

  • Original, signed passport with at least six months of remaining validity and 2 blank visa pages

  • Travel Insurance (use our trusted insurance provider)

  • 2 passport-size photos

  • Proof of legal stay (applicable to those who apply at the country of non-residence) and other documents upon request of the Consulate (hotel reservation, roundtrip tickets, etc.)

 

 

Quick facts about our visa services