US Citizens: Get your Russia Tourist visa with the TDS San Francisco Office

Please send TDS your current valid and SIGNED passport. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the expiration of the visa you are applying for, and MUST have at least TWO blank pages that are listed as VISA pages. Foreign Embassies cannot issue a visa on a page not labeled as a Visa page. Amendment and Endorsement pages in the back of the passport cannot be used for issuance of a visa.
A visa cannot be stamped on a page even if only one Small Stamp is on the visa page. If you do not have Two blank visa pages in your passport, TDS can assist you in applying for additional pages. If your passport is NOT valid for at least 6 months beyond of the expiration date of your visa, you must renew your passport and then we will secure your visa with the new passport. If travel Document Systems assists you in applying for a New, 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 and contain TWO blank visa pages that are opposite one another.

Please send 1 recent professional passport-type photograph.
The photograph must have been taken within the last six months.
The photo must not be smaller than 1 3/4" x 1 3/4". The photo must have a white or gray background only.
Passport Photo Guide - Click Here

Please send a copy of your round trip airline tickets, or itinerary or e-ticket, or letter of confirmation from a travel agent. The itinerary must show the applicant's name, date of arrival and departure from the country, and flight information. The Embassy does not recommend purchasing your ticket prior to a visa being issued.

An official Tourist Confirmation and Voucher from Russia is required to apply for a Russian tourist visa, this is considered to be the first step in applying for a visa to visit Russia as a Tourist staying in a Hotel, Cruise Ship Passengers, Tour Groups, Hostel Stays, Rented Apartment, etc.

Click here for a Sample Confirmation and Voucher. (Issued by traveldocs)

Please send a copy of a standard Tourist Confirmation and Voucher from your authorized Russian travel agency or hotel registered with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The confirmation MUST have an Official Russian Company Registration Number and confirmation number on it. A Confirmation and Voucher from a hotel or travel agency in Russia is required for all tourist visas.

You must have the Confirmation and Voucher before you complete the Russian visa application form (below), information from this document must be included on your visa application form such as city(s) to be visited, dates of stay in Russia, inviting organization name, address, registration number and confirmation number, you MUST have this information before you can complete your visa application form.  

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

TDS is able to obtain the Confirmation and Voucher documents for you. we will email you the required information detailed above, since it is required to obtain your Russian Tourist Visa, complete our simple online order form first.

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 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.

 At the end of the online Russian visa application, you will be asked to select the visa issuing office. You MUST select "Russia Visa Center WASHINGTON", "Russia Visa Center NEW YORK", or "Russia Visa Center HOUSTON", "Russia Visa Center SAN FRANCISCO" depending on which Travel Document Systems location will process your visa. 

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

The online Russian Application functions only with Internet Explorer Versions 7.0 and above and Mozilla Firefox Versions 3.6 and above. Browsers such as Chrome and Safari are not compatible with the online Russian Application.

On September 9th 2012, the Russian Government introduced a new 3 year multiple entry visa option.

If you wish to apply for a 3 year visa follow the application form guidelines below:

You must answer Number of Entries as Multiple Entry on your visa application form.
You must answer Date of Entry and Date of Departure from Russia using a period of time covering 3 years. Example: If your Confirmation and Voucher starts on (Date of Entry) 24/07/2016 the  (Date of Departure) must be 23/07/2019, not the departure date listing on your Confirmation and Voucher. It must be a full 3 year period.

If you do not select "Multiple Entry" and "3 Year Period of Stay" your application form will have to be edited to reflect the correct information. If this has to be done you will have to sign, date and resend an original application to traveldocs for submission to the Russian Government, your signature must be an original, therefore a scan and email will not be accepted by the Russian Government.

If you apply for a Single or Double entry visa using the Rush or Emergency processing options you must use your actual date of entry into Russia and departure date from Russia.

A 3 year multiple entry visa can only be processed under the "regular processing" 8-10 business day option, the Russian Embassy does not offer rush for this visa type.

Please call for further assistance if required.

Any minor traveling to Russia must have a copy of their Birth Certificate and a letter of consent signed by both of the child's parents or legal guardians. If the minor is traveling with a parent or guardian who is not applying for a visa at the same time a copy of the parent or guardian's Russian visa or certificate of Russian citizenship must be submitted along with the minor's application.

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

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.

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

In accordance with Russian law, visas can not 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 and may request a personal interview from applicants as may be needed in particular cases.