Citizens of Saudi Arabia need a visa to enter Russia, unless they hold a diplomatic or service passport. To obtain a Russian visa you should follow several steps starting with the determination of your travel purpose and duration of your trip. In this article you will find some useful tips and description of the main steps for your Russian visa.

Which Russian visa types exist and how to choose the one for you?

Russian visa types depend on travel purposes, duration of trip and number of entries into Russia you will need to make. Read the description of main Russian visa types in the table below and select the one which will correspond to your purposes best of all.

*Russian visa type*	*Allowed duration of stay in Russia*	*The purpose of your trip*
Ordinary tourist visa	30 days	Individual travelling 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

Which documents to collect for your Russian visa

It is possible to apply for a Russian visa as early as 3 months before the trip and as late as 3 working days (however, it’s recommended to apply at least in a month before planned arrival). You should prepare a set of documents before application, which includes:

Your valid passport for international trips. Expiration of your passport cannot be earlier than 6 months before the visa expiration date (in case of a work visa the validity should be for over 18 months after the visa expiration date)
A completed online visa application form. Find and fill it in at visa.kdmid.ru, print out on both sides of paper, sign and date.
Two recent color photos on the light background sized 3×4 cm. Glue one into the marked area on the application form
Appropriate invitation issued by the Russian host side:

a travel voucher issued by the registered Russian travel agency for a tourist visa. Order your travel voucher with us by this email: info@myvisatorussia.com
an electronic invitation issued by the MIA of Russia upon request of your Russian relatives or friends for a guest/ private visa
an electronic invitation issued by the MIA of Russia upon request of the Russian inviting company for a business/ humanitarian visa. Order your business invitation with us by this email: info@myvisatorussia.com
an electronic invitation issued by the MIA of Russia upon request of the Russian school or university for a student visa
a paper original invitation issued by the MIA of Russia upon request of your Russian employer for a work visa

Additionally it’s required to get the AIDS negative certificate for work visa applicants. Please note it’s valid for 3 months only
Additionally it’s required to present bught return tickets for tourist visa applicants

Applying for your visa at the Russian authorized organization in Saudi Arabia

Once you have collected everything you can make an appointment at the Russian consulate in Riyadh or the Russian Consulate General in Jeddah and apply for your visa. There is an online appointment form which is found by this link: riyadh.kdmid.ru/

When you submit your documents you are expected to pay the visa fee which is non-refundable. Find the tariffs of the Russian consulate for visa processing in the table below:

Visa type	Standard processing (4-20 working days)	Expedited processing (1-3 working days)
Common single entry	480 SAR	600 SAR
Common double entry	480 SAR	960 SAR
Common Multiple entry	901 SAR	1800 SAR

Please note that you will have to leave the original of your passport at the consulate for the whole processing period, and you will be given a certificate about that. Also, you will be notified on the date of your passport issuance. Come on the indicated day, collect your passport and carefully check your visa details. If you notice any mistake, apply for correction at once at the same organ.

Please note, that a visa is granted only as a courtesy of the state, and no one can guarantee the decision of the consul will be positive. Also, if a consul finds it necessary, you will be asked to attend an interview with the consul or submit additional documents upon request.

Traveling to Russia and passing through migration procedures

Before traveling to Russia make sure you take with you:

your passport with valid visa
the invitation from the Russian host party
tickets
PCR test with negative result. See a sample below

Upon arrival you’ll have to take another PCR test within 72 hours after landing in Russia.

Migration Card

When you enter Russian border points you are asked to complete the migration card. It is a document proving your legal entry to Russia. The migration officer will take one side of this document and leave you another one, keep it and carry it with you during the whole period of your trip. See a sample below

Registration Slip

Another document you will need to obtain in case your trip exceeds 7 working days, is a registration slip. A registration is necessary to inform the Russian authorities of your actual stay in Russia. If you stay in a hotel, make sure the administrator provides you with the registration slip. See a sample below. It’s obtained at the Ministry of Russian Federation migration office. If you stay in a private apartment, make sure the owner of the apartment promptly applies for your registration at the local MIA office and provides you with the registration slip. If you travel from city to city, you need to reregister everywhere you stay over 3 days.

I hope that this article has helped you understand better the whole process of Russian visa application. Stay safe and travel to Russia!