US Citizens: Get your Russia Business visa with the TDS Washington DC Office

If Travel Document Systems assists you in applying for a New/First Time, Renewal or Second Limited passport as part of this order, the passport will need to be returned to you for a signature before your visa application can be processed. Extra FedEx fees will apply in this case.

If you are applying for a 3-year multiple entry visa your passport MUST be valid 6 months beyond the expiration of the visa.

Please send 1 recent professional passport-type photograph.
The photograph must have been taken within the last six months.
Digital and non-passport photographs are not acceptable.
Passport Photo Guide - Click Here

Please do not attach the Photo to the visa application, TDS will do this for you.

An Original Official Letter of Invitation from Russia, issued by the Federal Migration Service or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Russia is required to apply for a Russian business visa, a 3 Year Multiple Entry visa invitation can also be issued by your host company or organization. A letter of invitation is considered to be the first step in applying for a business visa to Russia.

Effective August 17th, 2015: The Russian Government has begun a Pilot E-Invitation Program, this program is designed to replace the requirement to submit an original hard copy invite. Using the new E-Invitation Program means the original invitation will not be required and your invitation will be sent to you via email. TDS recommends requesting your invitation using the E-Invitation method. Below is a sample of the old original invitation (Sample One) and the new E-Invitation (Sample Two).

Original Invitation: Sample One

E-Invitation: Sample Two

LETTER OF INVITATION OPTION ONE:

Original Official letter of invitation issued by the Federal Migration Service or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Russia arranged for by your host organization in Russia. If your invitation was issued using method One you must send Traveldocs the original invitation (effective Jan 2017 a high-quality color copy will now be acceptable for a Single entry invitation only, however it is still recommended to send the original if you are able too) as part of your visa application documents. If method Two you can send a copy of the emailed invitation to Traveldocs as part of your visa application documents.
If the official Russian visa invitation was submitted directly to the Embassy of Russia or Russian Consulate by "Telex", provide a record of the telex visa invitation number and details.

Information from the invitation is needed to complete the Russian Visa Application Form. You must have the invitation, or have the information from your host before you can complete the Russia visa application form.

Traveldocs can assist with the Invitation process, please click on the banner below for more information or the invitation order form link to get started.

TDS is able to obtain an original Official Letter of Invitation for you. Since it is required to obtain your Russian Business Visa, Complete our simple online order form first.

LETTER OF INVITATION OPTION TWO:

 A 3 Year Multiple Entry Invitation (Traveldocs can also assist with this option. Select the invitation order form option above)

**If you select this option as your Letter of invitation, ONLY Regular processing (7-9 Days) will be available. Rush or Emergency processing is not available to you.

**This option is only for a 3 Year Multiple entry visa. If you wish to apply for a Single, Double, 6 or 1-year multiple entry visa you cannot use this option as your letter of invitation you must use option one above.

A written Letter of Invitation on company letterhead from the host organization in Russia which should indicate the following information:
*Full name of the host organization.
*Official address and contact information of the host organization.
*Surname, First Name, patronymic, and position of the person who signed the statement, this person must hold a position of General Manager or higher to be eligible to sign the Invitation Letter. The individual's taxpayers number is required.

Basic information about the visa applicant is also required in the statement, information included should be:
*Surname, First name, and any other given names.
*Date of birth.
*Citizenship.
*Gender.
*Passport Number, date of issue, date of expiration and place of issue.
*Letter must state applicant wishes to apply for a 3-year Multiple Entry Visa and the period of stay from dd/mm/yyyy to dd/mm/yyyy, (e.g. 23 June 2017 to 22 June 2020).
*Purpose of travel.
*Location of the intended residence of the visa applicant.
*Cities to be visited.

This Letter of Invitation must be written in Russian, the letter cannot be in English, CLICK HERE to view a template of the Business 3 year template.

Complete and Sign One Online Russian Visa Application Form.
This application is hosted by the Russian Foreign Ministry. We recommend allowing up to an hour to complete as the website and application form can be difficult to use.

. Send your Application ID and Password to TDS in case of corrections.

. The application must be printed on THREE or FOUR sheets of paper, back to back forms are NOT accepted.

For a guide to completing the Online Russian Application please Click Here

 Common Errors to Avoid

The very first question on the electronic application site asks “Country (select the country where you will be applying for your visa)”. Be sure that you select “UNITED STATES" from the dropdown menu.

Question 10: Date of Entry and Date of Departure from Russia - the dates on your visa application MUST match the dates on your Letter of Invitation. (If your invitation date of entry has already passed please call traveldocs for assistance in answering this question. 

Question 22: If applicant is applying for a Business/Humanitarian visa the applicant MUST state the hotel and full address where applicant is going to stay. If the applicant states that he/she is staying in a private residence he/she MUST include an agreement of rent. If applicant hasn't decided yet about a place to stay he/she should write the address and name of the inviting organization in Question 22.

The very first question on the electronic application site asks “Country (select the country where you will be applying for your visa)”. Be sure that you select “UNITED STATES" from the dropdown menu.

If you select the city without "Russia Visa Center" the application will not be accepted.

When applying for a visa it is necessary to provide documentation that you no longer possess Russian Citizenship, such as:

Copy of USSR passport with a stamp stating you left for permanent residence abroad, dated prior to February 6th, 1992.

Copy of a Visa to Israel issued prior to February 6th, 1992.

Copy of a Certificate of Naturalization issued prior to 1996

A document confirming the renunciation of your Russian citizenship.

Copy of the main pages of a passport of a former USSR state, issued after February 1992.

A written statement of explanation in the case that you have no documentation.

In accordance with Russian law, visas cannot be issued to Russian citizens with expired passports. We remind you that in accordance to Article 12 of Russian law "On citizenship of the Russian Federation", children born to two parents who are Russian citizens automatically gain Russian citizenship regardless of the place of birth. In this case, visas are not issued and they must apply for Russian citizenship or have their information written into the passport of one of their parents or obtain a Russian passport.

If you were born in a state of the former Soviet Republic or Ukraine you must supply a copy of your Soviet or Ukrainian passport along with a letter stating when you immigrated to the US.

The Russian Embassy has the right to request, if needed, additional documents/evidence which shows the purpose and length of the applicant's planned trip, the applicant's financial means sufficient for a stay in Russia and the applicant's intent to depart the Russian Federation after the trip, documents/evidence may include:
*A Bank Statement from the applicant.
*A statement from the employer regarding the applicant's wages for the preceding year, half year or month.
*Medical insurance valid in the country to be visited and fully covering the period of the first trip.
*Documents regarding the applicant's ownership of property in the country of his/her citizenship.
*A certificate on the makeup of the applicant's family.
The Russian Embassy also have the right to request additional information and/or documents from applicants as may be needed in particular cases.