Introduction

A visa is nothing more than an authorization for a citizen of a foreign country to enter, stay in or pass through the territories of the Russian Federation. This piece of document adheres to the pages of your passport and looks something like this: If you are from Canada or the United States, you will need to obtain a visa in order to travel to Russia. There are people from countries that have bilateral agreements with Russia and those citizens can be exempted from obtaining a visa, instead they are allowed to enter Russia using their passports from their respective countries.

Types of Visas

Depending on the purpose of entry, the Russian Federation issues 7 types of visas:

• Tourist. The most common visa and as the name indicates, it is issued for stays that are for tourism purposes. They are issued for a maximum of 30 days.
• Business. This type is for trips to Russia that are professional in nature and have a commercial purpose or are used to do business.
• Student. This is issued to those who are studying in the Russian Federation.
• Work. Visa that permits a person to work in Russia.
• Humanitarian. Issued for stays with for the purpose of cultural exchange, sporting events, scientific/technological, socio-political, religious or humanitarian missions.
• Private Visas. These are issued to guests of Russian Nationals who reside within the territory of the Russian Federation.
• Transit. Used to pass through the Russian Federation in order to reach another country (this is not necessary for foreigners who have a layover in an airport given that they don’t leave the international area or for those who fly over the territory without a layover).

Generally, all visa application processes are alike. The only difference in process would be how the letter of invitation is obtained. For example, a tourist visa, is issued by the hotel where you are staying or; a business visa, must be issued by a Russian company that has invited you to visit; and a student visa, the Russian educational institution where the person will be attending.

Where is the visa processed in Canada?

Previously, the Russian Visa could be processed via the Russian Visa Application Center in Canada. However, due to the closure of the company that process these visas, the application is now processed via the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Ottawa and the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Montreal directly. For more information, please visit this website.

Cost of a Russian Visa

There are three components for the cost to process the visa:

1. Consular Fees for visa processing
2. Administrative fee
3. Cost of the Letter of Invitation

1. Consular Fee

The processing fee for Canadian nationals for single entry costs $100 CAD (for 10 business days) or $190 CAD (for 3 business days). For double entry, it costs $142 CAD (for 10 business days) or $274 CAD (for 3 business days).

2. Administrative Fee

In addition to the processing fee, there's also a fee called administrative fee. and it could cost up to $50 CAD.

3. Cost of the Letter of Invitation

In addition to the cost of processing visa, you will need to obtain a Letter of Invitation. For tourists visa, you will need to obtain this online and cost about $15 - 20 CAD. For business visas, the letter of invitation should be provided for free from the Russian Company.

Required Documents for Canadians

To apply for a single or double entry tourist visa for Russia, you will need the following documents:

1. Confirmation from a Russian hosting travel agency or hotel registered with the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism
2. Original valid passport. At least two pages of the passport should be free of any notes, stamps and visas. Passport must be valid for at least 6 months after your supposed date of departure from the Russia Federation
3. One photocopy of ID page of your passport
4. Visa application form completed at visa.kdmid.ru, printed and signed by applicant
5. One original color photo 35 x 45mm (1 3/8" x 1 3/4). Your photograph must be taken by the professional photo studio within the last six month against the white or light background. The photo must show a full front view of the applicant's head and shoulders showing full face centered in the middle of the photograph. Please do not staple the photo; it must be glued on the form strictly at reserved space
6. Flight itinerary, train ticket, or detailed tour description is required if applying for a tourist double entry visa. Tourist double entry visa can be issued on in case, if visiting the neighboring countries
7. Status in Canada. Non-Canadian must provide a clear photocopy status in Canada (permanent resident card, work permit or study permit)
8. Cash to pay for the Russian Visa
9. Citizens of Schengen area require a travel card and a copy of medical insurance policy valid on the territory of the Russian Federation covering the entire validity of the visa with the exception of cases based on reciprocal agreements. If you are not a citizen of European _UNION_, please check with Operator at the Call center whether travel insurance policy is required for submission. Insurance policy should contain contact information in case you need assistance during your trip

All this information is taken from ILS Canada website: http://www.canada-ils.com/main.php?id=travel&lang=en.

Steps to Completing a Visa Application

Step 1. Have a valid passport

As indicated in the list of required documents above, you must have a Passport that is valid for at least six months after the final day of your stay in Russia. Your passport should also have at least two pages where it is free of any notes, stamps and visas. Note: You must have an original passport as the Russian visa is an adhesive document that will be stuck inside the pages of your passport. Based on the requirements from the Canada visa application centre, you are also required to bring a copy of your passport ID along with your application.

Step 2. Set your Itinerary

It is important to set when you will arrive and leave Russia because the visa includes your entry and exit date. While it is not mandatory to purchase flight tickets in advance to get a visa, I did purchase tickets in advance. There may be a possibility you do not receive your visa after purchasing flight tickets, though that did not occur to my friends or I. Once you know the entry and exit dates, you will need to plan out the cities you plan to visit and the hotels or apartments where you'll be staying at. This information is needed for 1) the visa application form where you will have to include the cities you are going to visit and 2) to get a letter of invitation or visa support. To book accommodation, I used booking.com. In the end, I actually stayed at airbnbs in Russia, but for visa purposes, a hotel booking will be a much easier process. Note: once you get the visa, it doesn't matter where you will be staying.

Step 3. Get a letter of invitation

The letter of invitation (also known as the visa support letter) is the most important document, but also the most controversial. The letter of invitation should not be confused for a hotel reservation. They are not the same. It is not necessary to have a hotel reservation in order to get a visa. This document is needed to apply for a visa and must be issued by a Russian person, institution, hotel or business who has invited you to visit them. Visa support is the most common support received when getting a tourist visa. This document is issued by the hotel in which you'll be staying and is printed on an A4 page. It is divided into two separate but similar parts:

1. Tourist Service Contract (tourist voucher) is the document that states that you have hired a Russian hotel service. This part will show your personal information, the cities you will be visiting, as well as the services you will receive from the hotel and the proof that you have paid for a reservation.
2. Foreign Tourist Reception Confirmation (confirmation letter), confirms you will use the hotel during your visit. It includes personal information and the accommodations you'll be provided with during your stay.

The visa support includes four things that you will need when filling out your visa application form:

• Name of the organization: OSTWEST.COM Travel Agency
• Address (found on OSTWEST.COM): Vosstaniya Street, 7 (office 306), St. Petersburg, 191036, Russia
• Reference number: 009893
• Confirmation number (or Tourist Voucher Number): 68279

In included a screenshot of an actual letter of invitation but hid all the personal information so that you can see the important pieces of information easily. Like I said previously, the hotel address information in the letters of invitation doesn't matter. The only important thing is that you include the cities in which you will be staying.

Step 4. Fill out the Visa Application Form

Once you have all the information you need as far as dates, entries/exits, a current passport and your letter of invitation, you are ready to fill out the visa application form. The form can be filled out electronically by visiting: https://visa.kdmid.ru/PetitionChoice.aspx. The application should include your personal information, the purpose of your visit (tourism, business, study, etc.), your itinerary and dates, your insurance policy information and other information. When you go to fill out the form for the first time, you should select your country (USA or Canada) and the language you would like to continue in. Also mark in the box that you have read the introductory information. Next, click Complete new application form. You can leave your form incomplete and come back another day but make sure to write down your electronic visa application form ID. You will need the application ID, your last name, and answer your security question in order to log back into your account. If not, you will have to fill out a new application form. Sections of the visa application form includes:

• Visa Details
• Personal Details
• Passport Details
• Visit Details
• Additional Information
• Education and work experience
• Last visit details
• Miscellaneous information
• Appointment details

Everything on the application form was quite self explanatory. The only section I was held up on was on the Last visit details tab. This section includes whether or not you have received a Russian visa in the past, if you lost your passport or if it has been stolen as well as other countries that you have visited in the last 10 years. There is a maximum number of 30 countries you can input and the visit dates can be approximate, unless you can validate them in your current passport. Note: say if you went to the same country twice during the past 10 years, you only need to indicate that you've visit that country in once.

Step 5. Print the form, sign it and attach a photo

The following two steps are probably super simple and self explanatory. You will need to print the completed form, write the date and don't forget to sign it and attach a photo. The photo should be 1 3/8" x 1 3/4" taken by a professional photographer within the last six month against the white or light background. The photo must show a full front view of the applicant's head and shoulders showing full face centered in the middle of the photograph. Please do not staple the photo; it must be glued on the form strictly at reserved space.

Step 6. Take all of your documents to the Russian Visa Centre (or consulate)

Once you have of your documents, the final step is to take everything to the Russian Visa Center that is nearest your place or residence. This can be done in person or by mail. Payment is accepted in cash only for where I applied mine, but it could vary depending on where you are applying. So do perform your own due diligence before heading to the Russian Visa Centre or Consulate.

Step 7. Collect your passport

Once you have processed all your documents to the Russian Visa Centre, they will give you a date when you can return to pick up your visa. There is also an option where they can mail you your passport with the visa to your home address. I personally went to pick it up. But it's up to you.

Next Steps

Once you have your visa, you should remember that there are two additional things you must do once you get to Russia. It is important to always carry both your passport and the immigration card while travelling in Russia. The immigration card is the piece of paper that you receive when entering Russia. One of the parts is kept by the custom officer while the second one is handed to you. It is important that you keep this card as they will ask for it when you leave the country. Hope you are not boggled down by the processes to obtaining a travel visa to Russia. It's actually not that bad. And before you know it, you would be travelling to beautiful cities and the land of matryoshkas and faberges.