Private invitation to Russia

Issuing an invitation for a foreign citizen to Russia from a private person

Those Russians who have friends or family abroad often get into a predicament when the question arises of how to invite them over to Russia.

Before you start with the application, it is necessary to answer a few important questions:

• For how long do you want your guest to stay?
• Where will they be staying?
• How much time do you have to prepare the paperwork?
• How many times would they like to enter the country in the period when their visa is valid?

A private visa to Russia is given to foreign citizens who are going to visit the country upon an invitation from a private person, issued on a special form of the Ministry of Internal affairs at the place of residence of the inviting citizen of the Russian Federation. To issue a private invitation, a Russian citizen who has a permanent or temporary registration has to personally apply at the Ministry of Internal affairs and provide necessary documents.

With a private visa the guests can remain in the Russian Federation up to 90 days, however, the application takes time and requires a large amount of paperwork from the inviting person. For a short single trip, a tourist visa is more fitting, as it is fairly quick to apply for, and doesn’t require a large amount of documents. If a foreigner were planning to visit the country several times and for longer periods, then they would need a business visa.

The process of issuing an invitation for different types of Russian visas

We have prepared a convenient table to compare a private, tourist and business invitations. Here you can also find the time and costs of issuing an invitation

Thus, a tourist visa is an inexpensive, quick and convenient alternative to a private visa. Moreover, if you require a visa for a longer period of time and with the possibility of multiple entries, you can apply for a business visa.

Validity of a private Russian visa

A Russian visa with a private invitation can be issued to be valid for up to 90 days, but in reality, it is usually made to be valid for the travel dates. A business invitation allows you to get a visa that would be valid for up to a year, however, the 90 days within a 180-day period rule applies with every type of Russian visa except for a work visa.

Private invitation to Russia: what to consider

A regular private visa assumes that during their trip a foreign citizen will be residing at the private address, stated in by the inviting party wile applying to issue an invitation.

So, in cases when:

• Your guests are not yet sure where they will be staying;
• A hotel is their priority choice;
• You are not a property owner and do not want to bother the landlord with paperwork and going to the Ministry of Internal affairs.

It is a good idea to consider less time-consuming alternatives for tourist and business invitations, which we can provide.

Why it is important to understand how long it will be until the supposed visit of your guest

The process of issuing an invitation to the Russian Federation by private citizens can take a long time for several reasons.

1. Only a specialist familiar with the issue can correctly do all the paperwork from the first try. It is possible that a person facing it for the first time would have problems and issues, which can lead to having to visit the ministry again and loose time.
2. The second thing to consider is that the issuing of the invitation itself can take more than a month just because of how the Ministry works.

If the visit of a foreigner is supposed to take place soon, instead of getting a private invitation it is a good idea to consider getting a tourist invitation for a visa.

The prices for getting a tourist invitation to Russia start from 1100a*
You can learn more about the terms and prices here >>>

Can a private Russian visa be multiple-entry?

In some cases, foreigners want to get a multiple entry private Russian visa. Unfortunately, it is impossible; such visas can only be single entry. If your guest wants to be able to enter the country more than once, it is good idea to choose a business invitation, which can be valid from 3 months to up to a year.

The cost of a business invitation to Russia starts at 3500a*
Learn more about the terms and prices here >>>

Summing up:

• You can issue a private invitation yourself by personally applying at the Ministry of internal affairs with the paperwork;
• Choose this option only when the supposed time of arrival of your guest is not for another 2-3 months minimum;
• For a quicker and easier way consider getting a tourist invitation;
• A private visa to Russia is usually valid on the stated dates of the trip;
• If you are interested in a multiple entry visa, consider getting a business invitation.