All about getting Tourist Visa for Russia at Mumbai

Recently I have gone through the process of applying for Tourist Visa for Russia. I did my research on the internet and also through phone calls. In order to make all the information available at one place, I am putting it in the form of this blog post.

Let me start with a fact. The documentation required for a Russian Tourist Visa is minimal (In comparison with documentation requirement for Schengen Visa). Do you find it unbelievable? Me too could not believe it. I carried many additional documents with me. They were just not needed.

The documents/forms needed for Russian Tourist Visa up to 30 days in the sequence of their completion are as follows: -

Air / Train / Bus Tickets. The travel tickets for inbound and outbound travel are not necessary for the Visa application. The Tourist Visa invite company may need inbound and outbound travel tickets to determine the period of stay in Russia. It may be prudent to book your tickets to and from Russia.

Tourist Invitation from the hotel that you have booked or from any Russian tourist agencies (available online), It's per person cost depends on the agency you use and the country you belong to. While I do not recommend any particular one if your hotel cannot do it, try one of these - goingrus.com or waytorussia.net (these addresses are indicative) or any other such agency.

Smaple Tourist Invite (from Internet)

Some agencies issuing the Travel Invite ask you to select one accommodation each from a pull-down menu at each of your destinations. Other agencies would ask you to give details of the accommodations that you have booked.

It is not necessary to stay in the accommodation(s) mentioned in the visa invite. The names of the places that you actually book to stay can replace the accommodation mentioned in the Visa Invite (by asking the concerned company to do so).

By what had been mentioned above it must be evident to the readers that booking of accommodation is not necessary if you are getting the visa invite from a company which does not need information of accommodation booked by you (and allows you to choose accommodation from pull-down menu on their website). If you choose a company which wants you to give proof of accommodation booked, free cancellation accommodation can be booked at booking.com.

It can be concluded that the booking of accommodation is not mandatory but if you have a prior booking of accommodation at all destinations (even if it is free cancellation variety), it gives a peace of mind.

 Photograph. One copy of a colour photograph of size 3.5 x 4.5 cm. This photo should be with a white background. The face should be showing clearly and should occupy 80% of the photograph area. Your ears should be clearly visible. There should be no glasses and headgear of any type (unless mandated by religious requirement). The information available at many places on the internet states two copies of photographs with a light background, etc. but I had to attach one copy of a photograph of the above description on the form that I submitted.

White Background, 80$ face, Ears visible, No Headgear or Spects

Filling up the Visa Form. Once all these things are ready, visit the Russian Foreign Ministry site at https://visa.kdmid.ru and fill up the form online. Be very accurate in the information being filled.

The information about your arrival, departure and cities of stay should match exactly with the data given in travel invite. Where will the form be submitted (city and either Russian consulate or VFS Russia centre) also need to be mentioned. Once the form is filled up, take a printout in one copy (information available on the net says two copies but VFS Mumbai took only one copy).

This printout is to be signed by an individual and this signature must match with signature on the Passport.

The Submission. The submission of the form is at the VFS Russia centre at the third floor or Urmi Axis building (behind Famous Study) in Mahalaxmi, Mumbai does not require a prior appointment (as on now), it is a walk in submission.

For submission, carry your duly filled up form (as mentioned in sub-para (d)) with the photograph pasted on it. Travel invite and Entry and exit travel tickets (not mandatory but recommended). Submit the form when your turn is called out (a token is issued to you). Pay the fee and obtain the receipt of the form.

Collection of The Passport after Grant (or in a very unlikely situation, rejection) of Visa. All that is left is to wait for the intimation of passport having received back from the Consulate. Once the information is received, collect the passport(s). On extra payment of Rs 500 per application, VFS can  ensure that Passports are couriered to your address.

Happy Journey. Enjoy the grand cities of Russia.

One very important thing. In case you have to submit an application for someone else, you can do it without any authority letter (while I was told by VFS call centre that an authority letter is required on a Rs 100 Stamp Paper with due notarizing, which on enquiry at VFS Russia Centre, turned out to be inaccurate). The Authority letter on a plain paper is needed when someone else’s passport is being collected back.

I have referred to this blog - https://russiable.in/getting-russian-visa-india/#Step_3_Get_a_letter_of_invitation_or_visa_support written by Irena from Russia