Business Visas

A business visa is designed for those traveling to Russia on business, and can be valid for three, six or twelve months. Business visas may be single-entry, double-entry or multiple-entry (six months or more). However, changes to visa regulations in September 2007 mean that it is no longer possible to stay in Russia for more than 90 days within each six-month period. This means that those wishing to work full-time in Russia will have to ensure that their employers are licensed to provide them with a work visa.

To obtain a business visa, you will need to submit the following documents:

1. Two completed and signed visa application forms
2. One recent passport sized photo signed on the back
3. An official invitation from an authorized organization
4. A doctor's letter stating that you are not HIV-positive (if applying for a six-month or twelve-month visa)

The invitation must come from an organization which is accredited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or must have been approved by the Ministry of the Interior. In theory, you can invite yourself on a business trip to Russia, provided you can get the invitation approved. In practice, of course, you're better off going through a recognized visa-broker or travel agency. It is important to remember that whoever invites you will also have to register you when you arrive in St. Petersburg. Invitations for multiple entry visas have to be vetted by the security services, and therefore take at least three weeks to obtain, so make sure that you apply in good time.

Some Russian consular departments insist on seeing the original copy The invitation for a Russian business or commercial visa must be presented to the consular department in the original. Faxed copies will not be accepted. In rare instances, the invitation can be telexed to the embassy or consulate where you will be applying for your visa. Check with the consular department in question.

A business visa must be registered within three days of your arrival in Russia. The responsibility for registering your visa lies with whoever is supplying you with accommodation. If you are staying in hotels, you will automatically be registered by them for the duration of your booking. The hotel will issue you with a registration form when you check in, and demand that you return the form before you check out. If you are staying in private or rented accommodation, then your landlord is theoretically responsible for registering you, and this should certainly be the case if you are booking through an agency. If your arrangements are less formal, then you should refer to the company issuing your visa support to ensure they can register you for the duration of your stay in the country. Whoever registers you will need to take your passport and migration card (or high-quality photocopies) to a post office or local branch of OVIR (the Department of Visas and Registration) and will then return with a stamped coupon which you should then carry with your passport at all times. You will have to return this coupon to them before you leave the country.

As companies issuing visa invitations are liable to fines of up to $20,000 if you are not properly registered, you may be given a notarized photocopy of the registration coupon, rather than the original. This should be accepted as adequate proof of registration. Although it is now the liability of the party who provides your accommodation to register you, you may well have problems with the local police if you are without valid proof of registration. We therefore strongly recommend that you check with the company providing your visa support documents that they are fully able to arrange registration you when you arrive.