Useful information for visitors to Russia
Russia is safe for travel, but there are basic precautions that you should take when visiting any country.
Using photo- and video cameras in some museums, national parks and reserves will be charged, but in most places it is free (in some places shooting is strongly prohibited at all!).
Tipping is customary in Russia to give in the amount of 50-150 rubles for the service, for the waiters’ service – usually 10% of the invoice amount.
There are several rules of conduct necessary to keep in the museums: Visitors are supposed to check in their coats at the entrance. Visitors are supposed to put special boots on their own shoes (if it is necessary, it is always provided free at the entrance). Visitors are supposed not to carry big bags/ suitcases visiting the museums. Visitors are supposed to keep silence inside the museums. Visitors are supposed not to touch the exhibits and show windows.
Before entering into the any Orthodox Church, women are supposed to cover their heads, and men are required to remove their hats. Women should not go into a monastery or a temple wearing trousers, short skirts, for this matter at the time of the visit long skirts and shawls are offered on the entrances. Behave in temples and monasteries should be modestly, keeping silence and not interfering the believers. Photo and video shooting of priests in some churches is strictly prohibited, it must be definitely clarified before entering inside.
Water quality varies from place to place. So don’t use the tap water in Russia.
For the legal stay in Russia all foreign nationals are required to obtain a voluntary health insurance policy on the day of arrival for the entire period of stay in Russia, regardless of the purpose of the visit. Health insurance policy gives you a right for health service in any city and in any state medical clinic, regardless of your registration. In the insurance case, follow the instruction which is indicated in your insurance policy.
All payments are carried out in rubles. One can exchange dollars, euro and other currencies in the banks. International credit cards are widely accepted.
There is no tradition in Russia to smile at strangers, Russians are very reserved in public.
Russian outlets take round 2-pin Euro plugs. A flat Euro plug adapter did not fit into the socket. Current is 220V.
You must carry your original passport at all times. A copy will not be sufficient.
Russian outlets take round 2-pin Euro plugs. A flat Euro plug adapter did not fit into the socket. Current is 220V.
You must carry your original passport at all times. A copy will not be sufficient.
Restaurants of Moscow, Petersburg and other large cities of Russia will offer you a wide choice of dishes of local and international cuisine, as well as some national specialties.
What do you need to know about the e-visa to Russia?
An e-visa is only issued for visits to one of the following three regions of the Russian Federation: the Far-Eastern Federal District, or Kaliningrad Oblast, or Saint-Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast. An e-visa issued for a visit to one of the three above-listed regions is not valid for visits to other regions of the Russian Federation
An e-visa is free
Business
Tourist
Humanitarian (purposes of journey are sports, cultural, scientific and technological ties)
be submitted?
You can fill in an application form for an e-visa on this website not earlier than 20 days and no later than 4 days before the intended date of entry into the Russian Federation
Single-entry visas, e-visas are valid for 30 days from the date of issue. The permitted stay in the Russian Federation with an e-visa is up to 8 days starting from the date of entry, within its validity period.
Please note: The days of stay start being counted from the 00:00 of the date of entry.
For example, with a visa issued on April 15, 2021, you could come to Russia on 01 May 2021 at 14:00, and you would need to leave no later than May 08, 2021 at 23:59 but not May 09, 2021 at 14:00.
and leave the country with an e-visa?
E-visa can be used for entering and leaving the Russian Federation at the following checkpoints at the national border of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District, Kaliningrad Oblast, Saint-Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast:
air checkpoints «Vladivostok (Knevichy Airport)», «Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Khomutovo Airport)», «Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Yelizovo Airport)», «Blagoveschensk», «Khabarovsk (Novy Airport)», «Anadyr (Ugolny Airport)», «Kaliningrad (Khrabrovo)», «Ulan-Ude (Muhino)», «Chita (Kadala)», «Pulkovo»;
naval checkpoints «Vladivostok», «Zarubino», «Posiet», «Korsakov», «Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky», «Kaliningrad (checkpoints in the cities of Kaliningrad, Baltiysk and Svetly)», «Vysotsk», «Big port Saint Petersburg (Marine Station)», «Passenger port Saint Petersburg»;
railroad checkpoints «Pogranichny», «Khasan», «Makhalino», «Mamonovo», «Sovetsk»;
automobile checkpoints «Poltavka», «Turiy Rog», «Bagrationovsk», «Gusev», «Mamonovo (Grzechotki)», «Mamonovo (Gronowo)», «Morskoje», «Pogranichny», «Sovetsk», «Chernyshevskoye», «Ivangorod», «Torfjanovka», «Brusnitchnoe», «Svetogorsk»;
pedestrian checkpoint «Ivangorod».
PLEASE NOTE: Entry and exit by an e-visa with means of rail transport is currently unavailable in Saint-Petersburg.
Citizens of 53 countries can apply for an e-visa:
Austria, Andorra
Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria
China (including Taiwan), Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus
Denmark, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Estonia
Finland, France
Germany, Greece
Hungary
Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy
Japan
Kuwait
Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg
Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco
Netherlands, Northern Macedonia, Norway
Oman
Philippines, Poland, Portugal
Qatar
Romania
San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Taiwan, Turkey
Vatican
Citizens of 53 countries can apply for an e-visa:
Austria, Andorra
Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria
China (including Taiwan), Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus
Denmark, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Estonia
Finland, France
Germany, Greece
Hungary
Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy
Japan
Kuwait
Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg
Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco
Netherlands, Northern Macedonia, Norway
Oman
Philippines, Poland, Portugal
Qatar
Romania
San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Taiwan, Turkey
Vatican
Applications for e-visa are submitted on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at https://evisa.kdmid.ru/
Applications may be tracked on the same site after their submission, and status notices will also be emailed to applicants. Applications are considered within 4 days. Issued e-visas must be printed out or saved in any form so that they can be presented upon border-crossing control.
Your application must contain full and valid data. Any incorrect information, including passport data and photo, could cause revocation of an already issued visa at the national border checkpoint of the Russian Federation.