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Russian visa process

Teacher's Visa  You will be provided with Visa Letters (a Letter of Invitation and a Covering Letter) for obtaining single-entry 3-month Work Visa which will be changed to multiple entry 1 year Work Visa (or for the period of employment according to the contract). It allows you to cross the Russian border as many times as you want during the year without any additional paperwork.

Letter of Invitation The whole Visa process can take up to a month. During this time, our HR Manager will contact you with detailed instructions and requests for information. To apply for a Letter of Invitation for your Visa, we will need a scanned copy of your passport details page(s) as well as the location (city) in which you will be applying for your Russian Visa, also your permanent adress an information about your previous company, not in Russia (name, address, phone number; your position). A passport has to be valid for 6 months after the Visa finishes. With all the information and the copy of your Passport, we will apply for the official Letter of Invitation from the Passport and Visa Department of the Ministry of Interior Affairs. The Letter of Invitation is normally ready within 17 working days after the application is made. When the Invitation is ready, the Original Letter of Invitation or its scan copy will be sent to you. Before applying for the Visa, we suggest that you should find out all the requirements at the Consulate where you are going to apply for the Visa ie AIDS test certificate, insurance policy etc. You should also find out about the Consulate fee and the time it takes for the Visa to be processed. It is your responsibility to organize the Visa application process, including obtaining an AIDS test certificate if it is required.

Russian Consulate You can apply for your Visa either in person or by post or by using a visa agency. With regard to this, there is one important rule to remember: Letters of invitation are Consulate specific. That is to say, the applicant must designate the location of the Consulate where the Visa will be processed. With few exceptions, you can process your visa at any Russian Consulate provided you have specified that Consulate and provided you go in person. If you wish to process your Visa by post, restrictions normally apply. By way of example, in large countries such as the US, the State to which the Visa is return-posted must be in the jurisdiction of the Consulate processing the Visa. Proximity to a Russian Consulate is not a guarantee of jurisdiction. Therefore, it is best to check for jurisdiction by visiting the website of the Russian Consulate nearest you. Americans living abroad may also be banned from using the post to process their Visas, such as in the UK where Americans must process their Visas either in person or via an agency that specialises in processing Visas. In order to apply for a Visa, the following items should be taken or posted to the designated Russian Consulate:

  • Application Form
  • Passport with at least one clear page 
  • Letter of Invitation (the original)
  • AIDS certificate
  • Letter of Support /Covering Letter (upon request, but generally not required)
  • Health Insurance Certificate (upon request)
  • One passport size photo (black & white or coloured)
  • The applicable fee

NOTE : Your questionnaire should be either printed or filled in by pen, but not both at the same time. The photos should be glued or stapled to the questionnaire. Please confirm with the Consulate that they have the same questionnaire form as the one we sent you as they may vary from Consulate to Consulate. Should you have any questions about filling in the Application Form, please do not hesitate to contact our HR Manager. Before going to the Consulate, please check you have all the required paperwork completed according to the instructions you have receive from the Manager. Before leaving the Consulate, please make sure that the Visa has no mistakes and is filled in as the instructions say.

At Customs Migration Card: All foreign citizens are required to carry a Migration Card while staying in Russia. You will be given the Migration Card upon entry to Russia. Complete both parts and present it to Passport Control. The border guard will put a stamp (the same as in the passport) on your Card and remove the top portion.

ATTENTION : Do not forget to take and stamp the Migration Card every time you are crossing the border. No one can be registered without a Migration Card.

Registration According to Russian Migration Laws, your Migration Card have to be registered within 7 working days upon arrival. After crossing the border you need to bring your migration card to HR Manager preferably in 1 day after arrival in order to register it. The result is that few days later you will receive a registration card. Please take into account that in case you failed to register the migration card in time after your arrival, it is considered as a serious violation of the Visa regulations.

Visa Costs The School will pay for the Visa Letter, Residential Registrations and obtaining a multiple entry 1 year Work Visa. The Consular Fee for a single-entry 3-month Work Visa is at the Teacher’s expenses.