A citizen of Vietnam planning to come to Russia needs to receive a visa prior to his trip. Visas are issued for different periods of time according to the invitation obtained from the Russian host. There exist various visa types corresponding to the purpose of your trip. 

A process for obtaining your Russian visa may turn out to be lengthy and complicated, this simple guide is intended to help you navigate through the process and get your visa in the most efficient way.

Step 1. Determine your travel purpose and choose the visa type

According to the new Russian Law no. 23235 of 21.12.2020 the stipulated list of visa types includes the following most common types:

Visa type you need	How long you can stay in Russia	The purpose of your trip
Ordinary tourist visa	30 days	Individual traveling as a tourist, or a member of a tour group of no less than 5 people
Guest/ Private visa	90 days	visiting your friends and relatives who are Russian citizens/ attending funerals, tending the sick relatives etc.
Business visa	30 -90 days (a visa can be issued for up to 1 year with stay no longer than 90 days in each 180)	attending business negotiations in Russia, looking for partners, investing etc.; accompanying a family member on a business trip; undergoing a medical treatment; driving a road or air vehicle; as an accredited reporter to conduct journalist activities in Russia; to carry out technical maintenance work for a Russian inviting company
Humanitarian visa	30 -90 days (a visa can be issued for up to 1 year with stay no longer than 90 days in each 180)	For trips with political, religious, sport, charitable, scientific, cultural visits, as well as members of youth exchange programs
Transit visa	3 -10 days	crossing Russian territory on your way to another country
Student visa	90 days and above	studying a course in a Russian school or university
Work visa	90 days and above	working under a contract for a Russian employer; working as a domestic employee; accompanying member of family of an employee; installation and maintenance workers

After you have decided on the type of visa you are going to apply for, you can start collecting the necessary documents.

Step 2. Collect the documents for visa application according to the check-list

You can start the application process not later than 1 week, and not earlier than 3 months before your trip. Ideally, take at least 1-2 months for all visa procedures. Before applying you’ll need to gather a set of main documents which includes:

• A valid passport for international trips. Its validity should be not less than 6 months from the date of your exit from Russia. The passport must contain at least 2 empty visa pages
• A filled in visa application form. Complete it online on the portal of visa.kdmid.ru in English or Russian, print on both sides, sign and date.
• Color photo on the light background sized 3.5×4.5 It should be taken recently and have true semblance to you. Please, avoid wearing shades or head coverings unless you appear in them on your passport photo

Apart from these documents, collect some additional ones, depending on the purpose of your trip. See the description below.

Tourist visa to Russia- specific documents for Vietnamese citizens

• Copy or original of a tourist confirmation (voucher) issued by a registered Russian travel agency
• Full itinerary (flight details)

Business visa to Russia – specific documents for Vietnamese citizens

• Original or electronic invitation issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia upon request of a Russian inviting company covering the entire period of requested visa. You can contact our manager to order the necessary business invitation here: info@myvisatorussia.com
• Itinerary (flight details)

Guest/Private visa to Russia – specific documents for Vietnamese citizens

• Original or electronic invitation issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia upon request of a Russian hosting individual 
• Itinerary (flight details)

Student visa to Russia – specific documents for Vietnamese citizens

• Original or electronic invitation issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia upon request of a Russian inviting educational establishment 
• Itinerary (flight details)
• Certificate proving you are HIV-negative. It’s valid for 3 months since the date of the blood test results. Take a test in any authorized clinic

Work visa to Russia – specific documents for Vietnamese citizens

• Original invitation issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia upon request of a Russian employing company 
• Itinerary (flight details)
• Certificate proving you are HIV-negative. 

After you have decided upon the visa type and collected the necessary set of documents, you can make an appointment and apply for your visa. Read below on how to do it.

Step 3. Apply for a Russian visa in Vietnam

A Vietnamese citizen or resident can apply for a Russian visa at the Russian Consular Department of the Embassy in Hanoi in person upon prior appointment. You can find the address and working hour here: Russian Consulate in Hanoi

When you bring your documents for a visa application, be ready to pay the state visa fee. It is non-refundable and is paid in local currency. See the rates in the table below:

Visa type	Standard processing (4-20 working days)	Expedited processing (3 working days)
Common single entry	1200000 VND	2400000 VND
Common double entry	1920000 VND	3840000 VND
Common Multiple entry	3600000 VND	7200000 VND

After you submit your documents and pay the fees you will be given a receipt with an indicated date of your visa issuance. Pick up the document and  carefully check all details. If you spot any mistake immediately ask the consular officers to apply for correction.

Please note, the consular officers have the right to ask for any additional documents or invite you for an interview if they consider it necessary to take a decision upon granting you a visa.

Step 4. Take the PCR test, come to Russia and get registered

COVID regulations:

In current conditions of pandemic measures it is required from all foreign citizens to take the PCR test not earlier than 3 days before your trip and present the confirmation of a negative result at migration control, and the repeated PCR test within 72 hours after your arrival to Russia. Find the list of official clinics where to take the test in Russia here: Covid-19 test labs in Russia 

When in public places, you are required to wear a mask and gloves. 

Good news is that in Moscow you can take a vaccine against COVID-19 in a private clinic It costs around 100-200 euro. The whole procedure takes about 15 minutes.

Documents to obtain in Russia

When you pass border control, don’t forget to fill in the migration card which is normally given out by flight attendants on board the plane, or can be found at the crossing points. Fill it in block letters in English, state your passport details, the purpose of your trip (corresponding to the type of your visa), intended place of stay. See the sample below

Another thing to do upon arrival is to get registered at the place of your stay. If you are planning to stay in a hotel, the hotel will register you. If you are going to rent an apartment or stay at your friends’ place, ask the owner of the place to have you registered at the local department of MIA (МВД) within 7 working days upon arrival. Registration is not necessary in case your stay is less than 7 working days. If you stay in several cities, you have to get reregistered in each city where your stay is over 7 working days. Your registration should look like the sample below (please note there has been introduced a new form since 2021 consisting of 2 pages filled on both sides instead of 1 page with two sides filled as in previous version):

Always carry along your passport with valid visa, registration and migration card when you travel around Russia or simply walk to the nearest shop. Currently police officers have the right to ask for these documents to check your identity and legality of your stay in Russia.

Have a safe trip trip and enjoy your stay in Russia!