Russia Visa

• The passport is valid for at least 6 months from intended arrival.
• Current photograph, passport-style.
• Email address.

• An eligible passport with a minimum validity of 6 months from the intended date of arrival in Russia, containing at least one blank page
• A current email address to which a copy of the approved E-visa for Russia will be sent
• A photograph of the traveler taken within the last 6 months against a white background, passport-sized.

Citizens of South Africa can go to Russian Federation without a visa.

• Russia E-visas are electronic visa types that allow eligible citizens to travel to individual regions of Russia for short stays.
• The Russian government has implemented the electronic visa system in order to expedite the process of applying for a visa to travel to select regions in the country.
• Online Russia visas allow the traveler to visit their selected region in Russia for tourist, business, or humanitarian purposes.
• An approved E-visa to visit Russia is a single entry travel authorization that grants a total stay of 8 days in the territory of the destination. E-visas for Russia are valid for 30 days to enter the territory from the date of approval.
• Eligible citizens are able to obtain an electronic visa for Russia through the simple E-visa Russia application form, which only takes a few minutes to fill in.
• Applicants are required to complete the online Russia visa application form with basic personal, passport, and travel information, and answer a few security-related questions to receive an approved E-visa for Russia sent via email.

When completing the Russia E-visa application it is necessary to indicate the regional visa the traveler requires, from the following types:

St Petersburg E-visa

An online Saint Petersburg visa permits the holder to travel to the St. Petersburg and Leningrad regions of Russia.

Kaliningrad E-visa

The online Kaliningrad visa allows travelers to visit the Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave located between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic Sea.

Russian Far East E-visa

An online Russian Far East visa permits the holder to visit all of the regions in the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia:

Primorsky Krai

Sakhalin Oblast

Kamchatka Krai

Amur Region

Khabarovsk Krai

Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

Republic of Buryatia

Zabaykalsky Krai

An approved E-visa for Russia allows the holder entry to the designated territory at select air and seaports, and certain land border checkpoints, in the relevant region.

• The online St Petersburg visa requirements are the same as the Kaliningrad eVisa requirements and the visa requirements for the Far East.
• The visa policy of Russia states that it is not necessary to provide any additional supporting documents, such as hotel booking confirmations or a tourist invitation, for an E-visa for Russia to be approved.
• Once approved, a copy of the online visa for Russia is sent via email to the traveler, who is then able to print a copy.
• The copy of the approved E-visa can be used to board transportation for Russia and should be presented to a Russian border official upon arrival to gain entry to the relevant territory.
• The 8-day period of allowed stay in the relevant territory of the Russian Federation starts at midnight of the day of passage through Russian passport control, regardless of the actual time the E-visa holder passes through immigration control.
• For example, if the traveler passes through Russian border control upon entry at 8:00 pm on the first day of a month, then they will need to have exited the territory by 11:59 pm on the 8th day of the same month when the eVisa validity will expire.
• Russia entry requirements also state that it is necessary for holders of an E-visa to leave the Russian Federation only through checkpoints of the territory of Russia through which they entered.

• Eligible citizens are currently able to apply for an electronic visa in Russia for a specific region through a simple online application.
• Applicants are able to complete the online form in just a few minutes, with basic personal, passport, and travel information, to receive an approved E-visa for Russia electronically linked to their passport.