What is a Russian Humanitarian Visa?
Humanitarian visa is required for the citizens of those countries, which don’t have a treaty on visa-free regime and for those who plan to visit the Russian Federation due to cultural, scientific, sport, religious, sociopolitical, charity, pilgrimage purposes and and delivery of humanitarian aid.
This visa type is issued under a humanitarian invitation, which must be given by a non-governmental organization or state authority.
Brief details about humanitarian visa:
| Validity | from 1 month to 1 year |
|---|---|
| Average price | ≈168$ (≈148€) * |
| Multiplicity | Single, double, multiple |
| Processing time | from 1 to 10 calendar days ** |
* – For the European Union citizens. It is 405$ (≈360€) for others. (What does the price consist of?)
** – For the European Union citizens. For all others from 1 to 20 business days
Don’t you want to delve into details? Our simple step-by-step guide will help you:
Using this guide you will prepare all the necessary documents in 1 hour and you will only have to wait for a visa issuance. So, what do you need to do?
- Bear a valid passport
- Get a Russian Humanitarian Visa Invitation
- Get a medical insurance
- Complete a visa application form on visa.kdmid.ru and print it
- Glue a photo 3,5х4,5 cm to your application form
- Pay the consular fee
- Submit or send documents to a Consulate of Russia (passport, invitation, insurance, application form, receipt)
- Wait from 1 to 10 calendar days * and obtain your passport with a visa.
Step-by-step guide to get a visa to Russia
* — For the EU nationals. For all others from 1 to 20 business days
Read more about humanitarian visa to Russia:
Introduction
First of all, I want to say that this type of visa has its own nuances. Humanitarian visa is provided by a very low amount of organizations because they need a special non-governmental accreditation. Most of all, such visas are issued for a pilgrimage to the Russian territory.
It is more practical, convenient and safer to use common business visas which give more opportunities.
Validity period of the Russian Humanitarian Visa
Common humanitarian visa to Russia is issued for a period up to 1 year[1] [2].
1-year Russian Humanitarian Visa
Bearers of a multiple-entry 1-year humanitarian visa have a right to stay in Russia not more than 90 out of each 180 days.
Average cost of the Russian Humanitarian Visa
Humanitarian visa to Russia for the EU citizens will ≈168$ (≈148€). Price for the citizens of other countries may slightly differ.
Visa price contains paperwork, obtaining an invitation and other options. Let’s find out what is the total cost of the humanitarian visa.
Sample calculation of a single-entry humanitarian visa for a citizen of the European Union country (Italy):
| Invitation to Russia | ≈70$ (≈62€) |
|---|---|
| Insurance for a visa | ≈1.5$ per day * 30 days ≈ 45$ (≈40€) |
| Photo 3,5х4,5 cm | ≈8$ (≈7€) |
| Consular fee | 40$ (≈35€) |
| Post services (optional) | 5$ (≈4€) |
| Total: | 168$ (≈148€) * |
* — For the citizens of European Union. The price may be higher for other countries.
The price of the humanitarian visa to Russia consists of:
- Humanitarian invitation
- Insurance for a visa
- Photo
- Consular fee (bulk of the cost)
Price of the Russian Humanitarian Visa Invitation
In order to make a request to issue a humanitarian invitation, an inviting party needs to pay the state fee in amount of 13$. Inviting organization itself charges you as for a business invitation. So you can’t save money on that.
Don’t forget that only a Russian non-governmental organization may issue this invitation. Maybe it will be more convenient for you to obtain a business visa.
In some cases, it is enough to an inviting organization to send a written request. Not all the companies can issue such a documents because an inviting organization must meet the requirements.
Where to obtain a humanitarian invitation?
Insurance price for a humanitarian visa
Insurance for a humanitarian visa costs ≈1.5$ (≈1€) per day. Price is determined by your age. Insurance cost increases by 2 times for a children under 7 years, for the senior citizens it begins to increase at age 60.
Depending on a duration of stay (30 days — 90 days), insurance price will be from 45$ to 115$ for an ordinary adult.
Where to get an insurance for a visa?
Photo price for a humanitarian visa
Photo cost depends on your country. Price is ≈8$ (≈7€). Photo must be taken in high quality without head covering and glasses. Photo size is 3,5х4,5 cm.
Consular fee amount for a humanitarian visa
(bulk of the cost)
Consular fee amount is fixed and depends only on a multiplicity of a visa.
Consular fee amount due to a multiplicity of a visa to Russia:
| Single | Double | Multiple | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU countries | 40$ (35€) | 40$ (35€) | 40$ (35€) |
| USA | 160$ (140€) | 160$ (140€) | 160$ (140€) |
| Other countries | 80$ (70€) | 128$ (115€) | 240$ (215€) |
In case of expedited processing fees double (except the USA, there is a common tariff):
| Single | Double | Multiple | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU countries | 80$ (70€) | 80$ (70€) | 80$ (70€) |
| USA | 160$ (140€) | 160$ (140€) | 160$ (140€) |
| Other countries | 160$ (140€) | 256$ (228€) | 480$ (425€) |
On the basis of a reciprocity prices may increase or decrease. For example, there is a visa facilitation agreement between the European Union and the Russian Federation.
Precise amount of a consular fee you can find out on the website of a Consulate or by phone.
List of Russian diplomatic authorities
Post services (optional)
If you apply to the Consulate by yourself, there will be no additional expenses. In a case when a Consulate is far away, you don’t have to visit it personally, it is enough to send a pack of necessary documents via post. This adds extra expenses to a visa cost in amount of 5$ and more (from ≈4€) (it depends on a country).
How to get a Russian Humanitarian Visa?
In order to obtain a humanitarian visa to Russia you need to:Для оформления гуманитарной визы в Россию следует:
- Bear a valid passport
- Get the humanitarian invitation to Russia
- Get a medical insurance
- Complete an application form on visa.kdmid.ru and print it
- Glue a photo 3,5х4,5 cm on your application form
- Pay the consular (visa application) fee
- Submit or send documents to the Russian Consulate (passport, invitation, insurance, visa application form, receipt)
- Wait from 1 to 10 calendar days * and obtain your passport with a visa
Step-by-step guide to get a Russian Visa
* — For the EU citizens. For others – from 1 to 20 business days
Detailed information on documents and nuances of obtaining humanitarian visa to Russia:
- Which documents are required?
- Where to get an invitation?
- Where to get an insurance?
- Where submit documents to?
- Visa processing term
Which documents are required to get a Russian Visa?
In order to issue the humanitarian visa you require the following documents:
- international passport valid for at least 6 months after the date of visa expiry and which has at least 2 empty pages for visas;
- humanitarian invitation;
- printed out visa application form completed on the website of the Consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation with a photo ;
- medical insurance policy valid in Russia.
Where to get a Russian Humanitarian Visa Invitation?
Invitation to enter Russia is issued by the Federal executive authority (at a request of state authorities, international organizations, diplomatic representatives and consular sections of foreign states in Russia, дипломатических представительств и консульских учреждений иностранных государств в РФ, regional state authorities and also Federal or territorial migration authority (at a request of municipal authority).
Inviting party interested in your visit to Russia should obtain a humanitarian invitation for you.
Read more: Russian Humanitarian Visa Invitation
Besides that, some accredited companies are engaged in the issuance of humanitarian invitation to Russia. You can find them in the list below, However, not all of them can issue such an invitation
Where to get an insurance for a Russian Visa?
In order to get an insurance policy you should contact any insurance company working in Russia. Price of such insurance depends on your age, consular requirements of insurance coverage, amount of days of stay in Russia.
Get a medical insurance policy
Insurance price primarily depends on a person’s age.
Where submit documents to?
You need to submit documents required to obtain a humanitarian visa to Russia to the diplomatic authority of the Russian Federation situated in the country of your residence.
If there is no Consular sections or representatives of Russia in your country, you may submit documents to the nearest country where they are.
It is impossible to apply for a humanitarian visa on the Russian territory.
Russian Humanitarian Visa processing term
In exceptional cases, the period of consideration of documents may be up to 30 business days. Citizens of the European union and countries not included in the list of migration risk countries, may wait from 1 to 20 business days after submitting the documents. In a case of expedited processing it takes from 1 to 3 business days.
Multiplicity of the Russian Humanitarian Visa
Humanitarian visa issued for a period up to 3 months can be single or double-entry.
Multiple-entry visa is issued for up to 1 year.
Visit purposes of the Russian Humanitarian Visa
Humanitarian visa to Russia is issued to those foreigners who have an invitation proving the purpose of their visit or there is a permit of Consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is indicated in the “visit purposes” list [4] which is used to issue invitations, that humanitarian visa purposes of visit are the following::
- sports;
- youth relations;
- cultural relations;
- science;
- social and political activity;
- religion;
- pilgrimage;
- charity;
- humanitarian aid;
- accompanying (visa can ve single or double and issued for up tp 10 days to those, who accompanying deported person, seriously ill person or a body of a deceased person);
- accompanying family member.
How does the Russian Humanitarian Visa look like?
Humanitarian visa to Russia is a machine-readable form pasted into your passport. It must contain the following information:
- visa multiplicity, its category and type;
- date of issue, period of validity, period of duration;
- citizenship and a code indicating a place of issuance and serial number;
- name and surname in Latin and Cyrillic;
- passport number, date of birth, sex, code of an institution issued an invitation and its serial number;
- purpose of visit;
- name of a inviting organization;
- additional information.
No corrections are allowed in the machine-readable form!
Summary
Humanitarian visa is needed to visit Russia to create and strengthen bonds in science, culture and religion and also to carrying out charitable activities or providing humanitarian assistance.
This visa type refers to common visas as well as tourist, business and private visas. There are no big differences in issuing such visas.
If you have questions look for an information in the Q&A section. Maybe, you question have been answered already. Some important notes from that section get to this article.
Legislation
The following legal act were used to write this article:
- Federal law of 15.08.1996 N 114-ФЗ (ред. от 11.10.2018) – О порядке выезда из Российской Федерации и въезда в Российскую Федерацию.
- Russian government decree of 09.06.2003 N 335 (ред. от 20.11.2017) – Об утверждении Положения об установлении формы визы, порядка и условий ее оформления и выдачи, продления срока ее действия, восстановления ее в случае утраты, а также порядка аннулирования визы.
- Federal law of 25.07.2002 N 115-ФЗ (ред. от 19.07.2018) – О правовом положении иностранных граждан в Российской Федерации.
- Приложение к совместному Приказу МИД России, МВД России и ФСБ России от 27 декабря 2003 г. N 19723А/1048/922.
Q&A
If you have questions, ask them in the comments to this article. I will try to answer them all.