A citizen of Singapore requires an entry visa to travel to Russia, unless he is the holder of a diplomatic or service passport or APEC Cards allowing visa-free business trips to Russia.

It seems pretty complicated to get a Russian visa, however we are here to guide you through the process. Read on to know the simple steps on how to get your visa and come to Russia.

Step 1. Define the purpose of your visit and your visa type

Based on your travel purpose and duration of intended stay in Russia, you can apply for one of the following visa types described in the new visa law of the RF no. 23235 of 21.12.2020

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

Select the type which best suits your travel purposes and prepare the set of documents. Read below which documents you will require.

Step 2. Prepare the documents for submission

To apply for a visa type you have chosen, collect the main and additional documents from the list:

• Completed online and printed visa application from the portal visa.kdmid.ru signed by the Applicant only.
• Valid national passport and its photocopy. Its validity should be no less than 6 months more after the date of your visa expiration;
• One recent (taken not earlier than 6 months) picture of an applicant – colored on the light background, sized 3.5×4.5 Glue the photo in the indicated field of the application form
• Invitation to Russia issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs upon request of a host person or organisation. (in case of tourism – a travel voucher issued by the registered russian travel agency)

Additional documents corresponding to the travel purpose:

• Confirmed tickets from Singapore to the final country of destination with connection in Russia for transit visa application
• Original HIV-negative certificate issued by the authorized clinic, signed by the doctor and stamped by the clinic. It’s valid for 3 months for transit, work an student visa types
• Optional: Travel insurance covering the period of your stay (you can also order insurance providing diagnostic and treatment of Covid-19)

Step 3. Submit your documents for visa

Now that you have all documents ready and visa type decided upon, you can apply for a visa either at:

• Russian Consular Section in Singapore, in person by previous appointment made in the system here: Consular Appointment
• Russian Visa Center in Singapore in person or through an agent or representative upon appointment made at the visa center, or simply walking to the center within the working hours. See address here: Russian visa center

The visa center has been created to facilitate the process of visa application and is entitled to submit applications on behalf of travelers to the consulate. Please note, if you apply at the visa center, apart from the visa fee you’ll need to pay an extra service charge. See more information on visa fees below.

Consular fees

Visa type	Standard processing (4-20 working days)	Expedited processing (1-3 working days)
Common single entry	126 SGD	252 SGD
Common double entry	202 SGD	403 SGD
Common Multiple entry	378 SGD	756 SGD

Service fees

48 SGD surcharge to consular fees per each application

If you want to order extra services at the visa center like return courier service, or prime time application, photocopies of extra documents or visa application form correction, you can order them at the visa center surchage.

Step 4. Collect your visa and check it

Once you have applied your documents, you will need to wait the stipulated time and then come back to collect your passport with the visa. Make sure you check all details and if you notice any mistake, immediately apply for correction. See the Russian visa details in a sample below:

If all information is correct, then prepare your things and be ready to travel. Carry with you: Your passport with visa, invitation from Russia in copy, tickets, insurance (if you have it). 

Important information for travelers during COVID-19 pandemic

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 

Another regulation which takes effect since May 1st 2021 requires travelers to take another PCR test within 1 day after the first one they have taken upon arrival and not later than 5 days after arrival to Russia.

Please, follow the safety regulations. 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.

Step 5. Obtain Migration Card and Registration Slip in Russia

After a foreign traveler arrives to Russia he is requested to fill in the migration card. This document states his passport details, entry and exit date, inviting party, purpose of trip, and intended place of stay. You are asked to fill it in block letters in Russian or English. After that, you should give it to the migration officer who will stamp it and return you one part of the document. You should carry it everywhere with you and submit back at the border when you leave Russia. See how it looks like below

Another document you will need to get upon arrival is registration slip. You should get registered within 7 working days at the place of your actual stay. If you are staying in a hotel, the administrator will do it for you. If you are staying in a private apartment ask the owner in advance to provide you with registration. The host should get you registered at the local department of the MIA (МВД). Registration is made for free and is only required if you stay longer than 7 working days in Russia.

See a sample of registration in 2 pages (both sides copies) as of the new format:

If you lose any of your documents in your trip, immediately contact the local police office and apply for a copy.

We hope our guide will help you get your visa and wish you a pleasant stay in Russia!