Russian Tourist Visa - How to Complete the Visa Form

These guidance notes have been compiled based on our and our customers’ experience when completing the Russian visa application forms. We are sorry if some guidance may seem obvious or strange but please do believe us we still receive many incorrect application forms, and that is the reason why we have explained every step in detail. Please follow these notes as this is for your own benefit and to avoid any unnecessary delays with your visa processing.

STEP 1. PREPARE BASIC DOCUMENTS
  1. Check your passport. All passports must have at least two blank pages for the Russian visa to be inserted and be valid for at least six months after the date of your return. If you do not already hold a passport or need to renew an existing one, you must allow at least six weeks to obtain one - at busy periods it can take longer than this, so please contact your local passport office for more information.
  2. Collect information. The visa form and all the questions have been developed by the Russian authorities and Go Russia does not have any influence in this matter. Although we appreciate your comments and welcome feedback, we cannot change anything in the visa application process. The visa form asks various personal questions some of which relate to your past, please make sure you have these details:
    • trips abroad, you will need to specify all countries you have visited in the last 10 years, please enter in the form at least those for which you have stamps in your passport;
    • old passports, if you had other passports (expired, lost, etc.) you will need to enter your previous passport details in the form;
    • other passports, if you have more than one nationality you will need to enter passport details for all nationalities you might have.
STEP 2. START THE ONLINE VISA APPLICATION 
  1. Open the form. Please go to visa.kdmid.ru
  2. Select the country where you will be applying for your visa. Very important, DO NOT enter Russia, but the country where you are resident!
  3. Read the introductory visa information of the Russian Consulate and tick the box at the bottom of the page to confirm you have read these details
  4. Start your new application by clicking "Complete new application form" at the bottom of the page, left-hand side.
  5. Enter password.
    Enter Gorussia1 as your password. We ask all our customers to enter “Gorussia1” as this will enable our visa team to access and check your visa application before submitting the printed documents to the Russian Consulate. We ask you to enter “Gorussia1” for simplicity reasons. Enter the security code from the picture and press "Submit"
  6. Write down your application ID. PLEASE REMEMBER OR PRINT YOUR APPLICATION ID AS THIS CANNOT BE CHANGED OR RETRIEVED FROM THE SYSTEM. Once you have completed the form, please email us your electronic visa application details to check its contents:
    • YOUR APPLICATION ID
    • YOUR SURNAME
    • YEAR OF BIRTH
STEP 3. COMPLETE THE ONLINE VISA APPLICATION FORM
  1. Answer all visa questions. Please provide full details as required by the form and complete the form with the utmost care. The questions detailed below must be answered exactly as stated in the guidance notes.
    QUESTION ANSWER
     Your Visa Details
    Purpose of visit (section) TOURISM
    Purpose of visit TOURISM (DO NOT ENTER "TOURIST GROUP")
    Visa category COMMON TOURIST
    Number of entries Confirm number of entries in Russia during visa validity period: single (one entry), double (two entries) or multi (multiple entries)
    Date of entry into Russia Enter the date of entry in Russia (your tour start date)
    Date of exit from Russia Enter the date of departure from Russia
     Personal details
    Although we appreciate that some answers may sound very obvious to you, we still advise you check your passport and enter your details exactly as they appear in your document.
     Passport details
    Type of passport Choose “ORDINARY” (diplomatic and official passports should be submitted in person at the Embassy)
    Passport issued by Enter the authority which issued the passport (according to No 8 in your passport e.g. IPS, UKPA). Please do not guess and check your passport as this is the most common error in the form 
     Visit details
    In this section you need to enter information from your visa support document (tourist voucher and confirmation). If you have ordered your visa support through us, enter the information as detailed below. Otherwise you will need to copy details contained in your own visa support document.
    Which institution you are going to visit? Select "Travel Company"
    Name of organization OOO PETERSBURG VOYAGE LTD
    Address KRASNOPUTILOVSKAYA STREET 52-10, ST.PETERSBURG
    Reference number 011483
    Confirmation number Enter visa support document number, appears on the top of the document.
     Where do you plan to stay (only UK, USA, Australia nationals)
    UK, USA, Australia nationals will be asked to enter accommodation details in the visa form. Other nationalities will not be prompted to do so.

    Hotel details are specified in your visa support document and you must enter the details EXACTLY as specified in your visa support document. If you have ordered your visa support through us, there will be an additional page detailing what information to enter in this section. Otherwise you will need to copy details contained in your own visa support document.
     Last visit details
    List all countries you have visited in the last ten years and indicate the date of visit Quite often it is not possible to recall all trips abroad, especially within the EU. Please try and remember at least the longest trips abroad and enter in the form at least those for which you have stamps or visas in your passport.

    Please enter the day, month and the year of your visit. Again, please check the stamps in your passport, if you still do not remember – please enter approximate date.

    You can enter maximum 10 countries, so make sure you enter all visits for which you have stamps in the passport. 
     Miscellaneous information
    This section relates to your close relatives, current residence address and current employment. 
    Your phone number IMPORTANT: You need to enter your mobile phone number. The number should be a mobile phone number, if you do not have a mobile number, please enter the number of your closer relatives or friends.
    Current / latest place of work
    Employer details
    		 Please fill in all sections depending on your status as indicated below.
    • employed - list your current employer details
    • self-employed - select "self-employed", enter your name as company name. If you conduct your business through a company - enter your company details
    • retired - select "retired" and leave other fields blank
    • student - select "other" and specify "student"
    • house wife - select "non-working"
    Address of employer (school)
    • self-employed - enter your home address. If you conduct your business through a company - enter your company details
    • retired, please enter NONE. If you are retired you will still need to enter all your previous work details in a separate section. Please see the guidance below.
    Phone If you are retired, please enter NONE
    Fax If you are retired, please enter NONE
    E-mail If you are retired, please enter NONE
    Your Position If you are retired, please enter RETIRED
     Appointment details
    Select the location where you will be applying for your visa
    • Applying in London - select Visa Application Center VFS UK (London)
    • Applying in Manchester- select Visa Application Center VFS UK (London)
    • Applying in Edinburgh - select Visa Application Center VFS UK (Edinburgh)
    Click “Next”, review your answers and then "Save and Submit"
STEP 4. MAKING CHANGES

Once you have submitted the form you can still make necessary changes to your visa form if you feel some data requires amendment.
  1. Please go to https://visa.kdmid.ru/
  2. Enter your application details:
    • your application ID
    • your surname
    • year of birth
    • password (“Gorussia1”)
  3. Click "Get New Draft ID". You will be assigned a new application ID which you must remember (unfortunately the form works like this and you cannot amend the form under the initially assigned ID)
  4. Amend required fields
  5. Email us your new application ID so we can check the amended form
STEP 5. PREPARE ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS

Additional documents for British citizens:
  1. Retired British citizens - no additional documents required.
  2. Unemployed, self-employed, company directors, students, in early retirement British citizens must provide copies of their bank statements for the last three months showing positive balance based on £100 per person per day of stay in Russia. Bank statements must be on a bank letter head and show your name and address. Print-outs from internet won’t be accepted. We appreciate you may have green account with paperless statements delivery, in this case please contact your bank and ask them to print your statements on their letter-head.
  3. Travelling with children under 16 years. You must provide:
    • your child’s full birth certificate;
    • if travelling with one parent only, a letter from the other parent giving consent for the child to travel to Russia;
    • if travelling with one parent only, a passport copy of the other parent.
Additional requirements depending on nationality:
  1. Non-British citizens must provide:
    • residence permit (work permit / visa if applicable). Note for EU nationals: You must provide a residence card issued by the Home Office proving your settled or pre-settled status. If you do not have a physical card you can make a print out from the Home Office website confirming your status and notarise this document. You can use any notary in the UK or use the service provided by the Russian Embassy (cost £15 per person). Prove your status on the Home Office website;
    • proof of address (utility bills, copies of bank statements) for the last three months, good quality copies will be sufficient, documents will not be returned. Bank statements must be on a bank letter head and show your name and address and a positive balance based on £100 per person per day of stay in Russia;
  2. EU, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, China, Australia and New Zealand citizens must additionally provide insurance policy valid in Russia for the duration of the journey. The policy document should show the validity for the duration of the journey as well as indicate the geographical area coverage as worldwide/including Russia. Copies of insurance cards are not admissible. If covered by Company insurance, a signed letter on the Company letterhead clearly confirming the validity of the insurance in Russia for the entire duration of the journey would suffice. Arrange insurance 
  3. French citizens must additionally provide a copy of your return tickets.
  4. USA, Australia citizens cannot apply for urgent visa unless they have a residence permit or long term work or student visa in the UK. The visa processing time for these citizens will take 20 working days if they do not have proof of residence in UK for the last 180 days.
  5. Non-British citizens travelling with children under 16 years must provide
    • your child’s full birth certificate (good quality copies will be sufficient, documents will not be returned) AND
    • if travelling with one parent only, a letter from the other parent giving consent for the child to travel to Russia.
  6. If your nationality is not listed above, regulations and fees may differ. Please contact us, and we will be pleased to offer you our advice upon your specified visa request.
STEP 6 - ADVISE US OF YOUR COMPLETED FORM AND EMAIL US YOUR REGISTRATION DETAILS

When you start your visa application you will be automatically assigned Application ID which you must remember to be able to modify / print the form and allow us to check your application (please refer to Step 2, point 5 above). Please note registration details cannot be changed or retrieved from the system so we recommend you immediately print the registration page with your Applicaton ID. Once you have completed the form please email us your Russian consulate registration details to help@stressfreevisas.co.uk:
  • your application ID
  • your surname
  • year of birth
We assume you have entered “Gorussia1” as your answer to security question, if not - please provide your answer.

IMPORTANT: If you fail to email us your registration details we will not be able to check your form and advise of any required amendments. Incorrect forms will be returned to applicants. Please note we cannot be held responsible for expense and / or delay arising from or in connection with incomplete application forms, or incorrectly or falsely completed application forms. 

STEP 7 - WAIT FOR YOUR VISA FORM TO BE CHECKED

Our visa department will check your form and amend if required, we might also come back to you if clarifications are necessary. Once all checks have been made by us, we will email your visa application form together with supporting documents to you and advise of the next steps (normally within 48 hours after we have received all your correct details). Please do not post anything to us / bring to the visa application centre until you have received a confirmation email from our visa department saying your visa form has been completed correctly.

Disclaimer. The Embassy of the Russian Federation has outsourced the visa application process to M/S VF Services (UK) Ltd. Our company has not designed the visa form and is not responsible for its contents and requirements. To assist our customers we provide support guiding through the visa application procedure and by checking the form. By providing us your Russian consulate registration details you authorise our company to access your online Russian visa application form and check its contents. We cannot be held responsible for expense and/or delay arising from or in connection with (a) incomplete application forms or (b) incorrectly or falsely answered question or (c) inaccurate or incomplete supporting documentation or (d) rejected visa application form or (e) failure to complete the form for any reason whatsoever.