Electronic Visa to Russia

Russian electronic visa (e-visa*): Saint-Petersburg & Leningrad region, Kaliningrad region and Far Eastern regions.

Some history

The global trend of using electronic visas (e-visa) is gaining popularity these days through the advantages that it offers. Many countries around the world (e.g., United States, Australia, India, Turkey), including the former Soviet republics (e.g., Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan) use electronic visa system to authorize foreign citizens to entry to their country.
In August 2017, Russia introduced the e-visa system in the Far Eastern Federal District regions. It was a pilot project that was limited only to citizens of 18 countries (mostly African and Asian countries). By October 2019, this project was expanded for Kaliningrad & Kaliningrad region (located on the Baltic Sea, between Poland and Lithuania) and Saint-Petersburg & Leningrad region.
  

It’s essential to know that arrival & departure to/from all the above cities/places with e-visa possible only through certain air, naval, automobile, and pedestrian checkpoints located on the territories of these cities/places.

What is an e-visa? What parts of Russia can I visit?

Russian e-visa (Russian electronic visa) is an official permission that allows entry to some areas of Russia - Saint-Petersburg & Leningrad region, Kaliningrad & Kaliningrad region, and Far Eastern Federal District regions.

Who and how issues an e-visa?

E-visa is issued electronically by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

How to apply for an electronic visa to Russia?

To apply for a Russian e-visa, you will only need
- a valid passport with a validity period more than six months from the date of application,
- a recent digital photo that you will attach to the application,
- and a travel medical insurance with coverage in the Russian Federation.
As for the digital photo, you can attach the one taken with the front camera of your mobile phone, with a plain wall of light color in the background. When you complete your e-visa application, you don’t need to provide an invitation, hotel reservations, airline tickets, etc. It’s not necessary to visit a Russian visa center or a consulate. You can request a Russian e-visa yourself from your home computer using one of the following links below: 

https://evisa.kdmid.ru/  
https://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru/index_en.html

When to apply for an e-visa to Russia?

The deadline for the issuance of the e-visa is a maximum period of 4 calendar days from the day of your request. Though it is usually ready in 2 days, you can apply as early as 20 days and no later than four days before the date of your entry to the Russian Federation.
You can monitor the status of your application on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation - https://evisa.kdmid.ru/en-US/Home/StatusCheck By using your application number (your ID and your password), you will track the state of your application.

* United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia are excluded from the e-visa procedure. But it is yet to be seen which nationalities can request a Russian e-visa from 2021. 

Who can apply for an electronic visa to Russia?

Today an e-visa can be requested by the citizens of the following countries:

Saint Petersburg and Leningrad region	Kaliningrad and Kaliningrad region	Far Eastern Federal District regions
Andorra	Andorra	Algeria
Austria	Austria	Bahrain
Bahrain	Bahrain	Brunei
Belgium	Belgium	India
Bulgaria	Bulgaria	Iran
China         (incl. Taiwan)	China          (incl. Taiwan)	Qatar
Croatia	Croatia	People's Republic of China
Cyprus	Cyprus	North Korea
Czech Republic	Czech Republic	Kuwait
North Korea	North Korea	Morocco
Denmark	Denmark	Mexico
Estonia	Estonia	United Arab Emirates
Finland	Finland	Oman
France	France	Saudi Arabia
Germany	Germany	Singapore
Greece	Greece	Tunisia
Hungry	Hungry	Turkey
Iceland	Iceland	Japan
India	India
Indonesia	Indonesia
Iran	Iran
Ireland	Ireland
Italy	Italy
Japan	Japan
Kuwait	Kuwait
Latvia	Latvia
Liechtenstein	Liechtenstein
Lithuania	Lithuania
Luxembourg	Luxembourg
Malaysia	Malaysia
Malta	Malta
Mexico	Mexico
Monaco	Monaco
Holland	Holland
Northern         Macedonia	Northern         Macedonia
Norway	Norway
Oman	Oman
Philippines	Philippines
Poland	Poland
Portugal	Portugal
Qatar	Qatar
Romania	Romania
San Marino	San Marino
Saudi Arabia	Saudi Arabia
Serbia	Serbia
Singapore	Singapore
Slovakia	Slovakia
Slovenia	Slovenia
Spain	Spain
Sweden	Sweden
Switzerland	Switzerland
Turkey	Turkey
Vatican	Vatican