Russian Transit Visa. Price 2020

Validity	Up to 10 days
Average price	≈68$ (≈59€) *
Multiplicity	Single, double, multiple
Visa processing term	from 1 to 10 calendar days **

* – For the EU citizens. It is ≈100$ (≈89€) for others (What does it consist of?)

** – For the EU citizens. It is from 1 to 20 business days for others

Using this guide you could prepare all the necessary documents in 1 hour and you will only have to wait an issuance of a visa. So, what do you need?

1. Bear a valid passport
2. Get travel documents, which proves that you are going through the territory of Russia
3. Get medical insurance
4. Complete a visa application form on Заполнить анкету на visa.kdmid.ru and print it
5. Put a photo 3,5х4,5cm into your application form
6. Pay a consular (visa application) fee
7. Submit or send documents to the Russian Consulate (passport, travel documents, insurance, application form, receipt)
8. 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 nationals. It is from 1 to 20 business days for others

• Introduction
• Validity
• Price of the visa
• How to get a visa?
  • Which documents are required?
  • Where submit documents to?
  • Visa processing terms
• Visa multiplicity
• How does a visa look like?
• Special topics
  • Do you need it while transfer at the airport?
  • Transit from Belarus to Kazakhstan
• Summary
• Legislation
• Q&A

Most of all, transit visa is used by travellers going to Mongolia or China through the territory of Russia by a train or car. Those travellers, who arrive to Russia on cruise ships have the right to be on the territory of Russia during 72 hours without a visa.

Russian transit visa may be valid for up to 10 days^[1]. It can be single or double-entry. In case of emergency stop (staying in the same populated area for more than 24 hours) caused by a serious illness, for example, or by the need to repair a vehicle, natural disaster or other unpredictable delays, transit visa validity can be extended by a local Federal executive authority of internal affairs.

If you are going through the Russian territory on a passenger vehicle, you will obtain a transit visa for a period required for the shortest route.^[2] This period is calculated of 500 km per day.

In order to issue a transit visa, you need to pay a consular fee and buy a health insurance policy, which is valid on the Russian territory during the whole period of your stay in Russia.

Sample calculation of the transit visa to Russia price for a citizen of the European Union country:

Invitation to Russia	NOT REQUIRED!
Insurance for a visa	≈1.5 per day * 10 days ≈ 15$ (≈13€)
Photo 3,5 х 4,5 cm	≈8$ (≈7€)
Consular fee	40$ (≈35€)
Post services (optional)	5$ (≈4€)
Total:	68$ (≈59€) *

* — For the EU citizens. Price may be higher for others.

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The price of the transit visa to Russia consists of:

• Insurance for a visa
• Photo
• Consular fee (bulk of the cost)
• Post services (optional)

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Price of an insurance for a transit visa

Insurance for the transit visa costs ≈1.5$ (≈1€) per day. Insurance pricing is complicated and depends on your age. Price ranges depending on an age from 1.5$ to 8$ (from ≈1€ to ≈7€) per day.

That is, depending on the duration (from 1 to 30 days), an insurance will cost from 1.5$ to 40$ for an ordinary adult.

Where to obtain an insurance for a visa?

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Price of the photo for a transit visa

Professional photo costs ≈8$ (≈7€). Photo must be in high quality, taken without head covering and glasses. Required photo size is 3,5х4,5cm.

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Consular fee for a transit visa application
(bulk of the cost)

Consular fee amount is fixed and depends only on a multiplicity of a visa.

Consular fee amount depending on a multiplicity of the visa to Russia:

Fee doubles for the expedited processing (except the USA, there is a common tariff):

Due to a reciprocity consular fees may increase or decrease. For example, there is the 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, if it doesn’t have any, just call.

List of the Russian diplomatic authorities

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Post services (optional)

If you going to visit a Consular section by yourself, no additional costs are required. You don’t have to visit a Consulate personally, if it is far from your residence. It is enough to send a pack of documents by post. In this case, extra 10$-20$ (from ≈9€ to ≈18€) are added to the visa cost (it depends on a country).

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It is not so difficult, as you can see!

Complete the following steps to obtain a transit visa:

1. Bear a valid passport
2. Collect a pack of documents
3. Get a medical insurance
4. Complete an application form on visa.kdmid.ru and print it
5. Glue a photo 3,5х4,5cm on the application form
6. Pay a consular (visa application) fee
7. Submit or send documents to a Russian consulate (passport, travel documents, insurance, application form, receipt)
8. Wait from 3 to 10 calendar days * and obtain your passport with a visa

Step-by-step guide to get a Russian Visa

* — For the EU citizens. It is from 3 to 20 business days for others

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• Which documents are required?
• Where submit documents to?
• Visa processing terms

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Which documents are required for a Russian Visa?

Transit visa to Russia is issued under valid travel documents for leaving Russian Federation or the confirmation of purchasing it on the territory of Russia^[2]. Besides, you may need a visa or citizenship to enter a neighbouring state of your destination. Transit visa may be issued under a reasoned request and if you bear documents which prove the need to stay at a populated area on your route more than 24 hours, you will be granted such a visa.

In order to obtain a transit visa, you need an international passport with at least 2 empty pages for visas, medical insurance policy and completed visa application form with a photo.

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Where submit documents to?

Transit visas to Russia with TP2 code are issued by the Russian diplomatic authorities^[2]. Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and its territorial offices have a right to issue transit visas with TP1 code^[2].

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Russian Transit Visa processing terms

Consideration period of documents required to obtain a transit visa is from 4 to 20 business days. In case of the need of urgent consideration, you can pay a higher consular fee and if your application is granted, you will obtain a visa in 1-3 business days.

Transit visa with TP1 code is for a single entry only^[2]. Transit visa with TP2 code may be single or double.

In the list of “visit purposes”^[3] it is indicated that transit visa TP1 is issued to evacuate a foreigner, if he/she has arrived to Russia under a regime which doesn’t require a visa (passenger of a cruise ship, citizen of country which has a visa-free regime with Russia, traveller whose visa-free stay has been expired due to circumstances beyond his control). TP2 visa is issued for a transit travel through the Russian territory.

There are a lot of situations when you don’t need to issue a transit visa to Russia. Let’s have a look at the most common of them:

• Do you need a visa to transfer at the airport?
• Transit from Belarus to Kazakhstan

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Do you need a transit visa to transfer at the Russian airport?

You can cross the Russian border without visa, if you make a non-stop flight or have a transfer at the same airport (interval between flights does not exceed 24 hours^[1]). If you transfer from one airport to another on the Russian territory, you must obtain a visa (such a visa usually is issued for 3 days)^[2].

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Transit from Belarus to Kazakhstan

Transit visa is not required for citizens of those countries which has an international agreement with Russia. Thus citizens of Kazakhstan travelling to Belarus and citizens of Belarus travelling to Kazakhstan don’t need the Russian transit visa^[1]. Herewith due to the Agreement on the Eurasian Economic Union^[4] all flights between Belarus, Kazakhstan and also Armenia and Kyrgyzstan are domestic. That’s why passengers who aren’t citizens of the listed countries and who are going to these countries with a change in Russia, must obtain the transit visa to Russia.

Transit visa is necessary, if you travel through the Russian territory to other countries. There are exceptions for those, who travel by plane or cruise ship. However in the rest of cases, some of which are mentioned in this article, transit visa is required. The procedure of issuing a transit visa is the same as any other visa.

The following legal acts were used to write this article:

1. 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.
2. Decree of the Russian government 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.
3. Приложение совместному Приказу МИД России, МВД России и ФСБ России от 27 декабря 2003 г. N 19723А/1048/922.
4. Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union (signed in Astana on 29.05.2014) (ред. от 11.04.2017).

If you have any questions ask them in the comments to this article. I will try to answer them all.

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