Russia visa requirements
The rule for your own passport, from Russia's official immigration page, with the date it was last checked. The same answer for every guide in Russia: Moscow, St Petersburg, Lake Baikal, Kamchatka, Vladivostok.
e-Visa requiredup to 30 daysabout $50
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Japan, China, India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia
The unified e-visa was extended to 64 nationalities and to a 30-day stay in August 2026. Apply at least four days ahead; you need a passport valid six months, a digital photo and travel medical insurance valid in Russia. It is only good for entry at designated crossings, which include the Moscow and St Petersburg airports.
No visa neededup to 90 days
Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Israel, South Korea, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Serbia
Bilateral agreements, and the permitted stay differs by country — check the official page for yours. Turkish passports are visa-free for a shorter period.
Visa required in advance
Every other passport
US, UK, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passports are not eligible for the e-visa and need a consular visa, which requires an invitation or tourist voucher from a Russian host or agency. Note also that the governments of those countries currently advise against travel to Russia, and their embassies say plainly that they can offer little help to those who go.
How to get it: Apply on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs e-visa portal, not through an agency charging a markup. There are no direct flights from the EU, the UK or the US; the usual connections are through Istanbul, Dubai or Belgrade.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, your route and the purpose of the trip. Confirm on the official page before booking.
The guides in Russia
MoscowRussiaRed Square, marble metro halls, and a city that runs to the second
St PetersburgRussiaCanals, the Hermitage, and a month of nights that never get dark
Lake BaikalRussiaA fifth of the world’s unfrozen fresh water, and in March you can walk on it
KamchatkaRussiaThirty active volcanoes, brown bears fishing, and no road to the rest of the country
VladivostokRussiaRussia’s Pacific city, closer to Tokyo than to Moscow, at the end of the railway