Is it necessary to have visa to Russia for citizens of Canada?
Yes, citizens of Canada have to get visa if they want to visit Russia.
Visa is a document for foreigners which allows to cross the border of Russia legally.
For getting visa to Russia you need to get an invitation for visa and health insurance. These documents must be submitted to the Russian Consulate abroad.
For getting visa an Canada citizen should know:
Canada is a developed country, occupying the 2nd place in the world in terms of area and 37th in terms of population, which has 36 million people. More than 40 thousand tourists come from Canada to Russia every year.
How to get visa to Russia for Canadian?
Short list of steps-to-do for Canadian:
- To have valid passport
- To get an invitation to Russia
- To get a medical insurance
- Fill in the form on visa.kdmid.ru and print it
- Paste your photo 3,5х4,5 cm in form
- Pay consular (visa) fee ≈ 80$ (112 canadian dollars)
- Bring or send documents to the Russian Consulate (passport, invitation, insurance, application form, receipt)
- Wait for 1 to 20 calendar days and get a passport with visa
Where to get Russian visa in Canada?
The visa can be obtained by contacting the consulate or Embassy of Russia in Canada. Before visiting the Consulate, you need to get an invitation, medical insurance for a visa and complete the online form on the website of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Types of visas to Russia for Canadians
There are the following types of visas and purpose of visiting Russia:
- tourist visa for tourism;
- business visa for signing contracts;
- private visa for meeting with Russian relatives (in this case more practical to use a tourist visa);
- work visa for employment.
Comparison of length of stay and price of visa:
| Type of visa | Length of stay | Full processing price |
|---|---|---|
| Tourist | from 1 to 30 days | ≈125$ |
| Business | from 30 days to 1 year * | from 200$ |
| Private | from 30 to 90 days | ≈205$ |
| Work | from 1 to 3 years | from 1220$ |
| Electronic | from 1 to 8 days | ≈17$ |
* – visa can be valid up to 1 year, but it is possible to stay in Russia continuously for no more than 90 of 180 days
Tourist visa to Russia for Canadian citizens
If Canadian citizen travels to Russia to visit places of his interest, he needs to get a tourist visa. He will need a tourist invitation, which will take no more than 5 minutes to complete online.
Tour Operators registered in the Unified Federal Register of Tour Operators have a right to print their own forms for tourist invitation’s. Each invitation should have two parts:
- Tourist voucher indicating that you have bought a tourist ticket to Russia.
- Confirmation of tourist admission — the Consulate is requested to issue a visa to a foreign citizen.
The documents have information about the travel agency and tourist, about the route of his trip, about the dates of entry and exit, number of visas and reference number of the tour operator.
Read more: Tourist invitation to Russia for foreigners
If you have such an invitation and all other necessary documents, tourist visa will be issued to a Canadian citizen up to 30 days. Depending on the features of the tourist travel route in the Russian Federation, it can be single or double.
Read more in the article: Tourist visa to Russia for foreigners
Business visa to Russia for Canadian citizens
If Canadian citizen is businessman and he is going to Russia on business-related matters, he should submit documents to the Russian consulate for a business visa. To do this, he will definitely need a business invitation, which he can receive from a Russian company or a person living in Russia who is interested in his arrival.
Business visa is very attractive for a longer (up to 90 days) continuous stay in Russia. A business visa is free of problems that private visas have and this visa make possible to stay in Russia continuously 3 times longer than with a tourist visa.
To get a business visa required a business invitation to Russia. For Canadians, there are different types of business invitations, all of them have their pros and cons:
Read more: Business invitation to Russia for foreigners
The form of Ministry of Internal Affairs
On the form of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, protected from fakes, invitation can be issued on the basis of a statement from the inviting company only after checking the foreigner for the presence of unpaid fines earned by him in his previous visits to Russia. Such a check may take from 7 to 21 business days. If there is no reason to refuse to issue a business invitation, the form received by the representative of the inviting foreigner company will need to be sent to Canada.
Electronic invitation from Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Telex)
An electronic invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as instruction to issue a visa to a foreigner arriving from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation to the Russian Embassy, has a number of advantages (despite the fact it can take from 7 to 21 business days to apply for it). Issuing an invitation this way, inviting party will have to tell the foreigner only the Telex number and information about the inviting organization, which be useful for filling out the visa application form.
Read more in the article: Business visa to Russia for foreigners
Private visa to Russia for Canadian citizens
Canadians who have relatives or friends in Russia can come to Russia with private visa. They will need a guest invitation for it. An inviting party located in Russia should take care of its making.
Read more: Why to use a private visa is unprofitable?
For receiving a guest invitation for a Canadian, a person living in Russia interested in the arrival of a foreign guest must go to the territorial authority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and submit a request for a private invitation for a foreigner, enclosing a copy of his passport and a receipt for paying the state duty. It will take about 30 days to wait for the issuance of an invitation or refusal to issue it, during this time will be checked if citizen violated the rules during his previous visits to Russia, the observance of which is mandatory for foreigners. If violation of the rules is detected, invitation for this foreigner will not be issued. If everything is right, person interested in the arrival of a foreigner will have to send the invitation received by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to Canada.
A guest visa issued to citizens of Canada for the period specified in the invitation, not exceeding 90 days. At the same time, such a visa can be single, double or multiple.
Read more in the article: Private (Guest) visa to Russia for foreigners
Work visa to Russia for Canadian citizens
If a Russian company offers a Canadian citizen to come to the Russian Federation to carry out labor activities and sends him a specially designed invitation and work permit, he will be able to get a work visa. It is impossible to make these documents without the help of the employer.
A work visa will be issued to a Canadian citizen, if all the necessary documents are available, for period of 90 days. During this time, he will have time to enter the Russian Federation, get a job, go to the migration center and extend the validity of a work visa (for 1 or 3 years).
The holder of a work visa can renew it every year without leaving Russia. The rule of 90 out of 180 does not apply to citizens of Canada who have work permits. They can come to Russia and leave it as many times as necessary, because work visa is multiple.
The obligation to ensure for Canadian citizen timely renews a visa and work permit rests with the employer. If Canadian wants to change job, he will have to leave Russia, receive a work invitation from a new employer, apply for a new work visa and only after that come back to Russia.
Read more in the article: Working visa to Russia for foreigners
E-visa to Russia for Canadian citizens
An electronic visa is a new format of visa introduced as experiment. You do not need an invitation for this visa type and can apply only through the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Currently, an electronic visa is a single entry and cannot be extended. Based on this document, you can stay in Russia up to eight days and to apply for an electronic visa you need just only a digital photo and a completed application form.
It is important that getting of electronic visa is available only to citizens of some countries. Canadian citizens cannot get an electronic visa to Russia. A complete list of countries with which Russia has an agreement on electronic visas is available on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Read more in this article: Electronic visa to Russia for foreigners
Russian consulates in Canada
Russian consulates in Canada are located in the following cities:
See also: Addresses of the Russian consulates in Canada on website of the Russian Foreign Ministry
| Address | 52 Range Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K 1 N 8 J 5, Canada |
|---|---|
| Telephone | (8-10-1-613) 236-72-20 |
| Fax | (8-10-1-613) 238-61-58 |
| consul.ottawa@mid.ru | |
| Web | canada.mid.ru |
| Business hours | Monday to Friday from 09.30 to 12.30 |
| Emergency telephone number | +1-613-235-43-41 — duty telephone of foreign agency |
| Address | 3655, Avenue du Musée, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3G 2E1 |
|---|---|
| Telephone | (8-10-1-514) 843-59-01 |
| Fax | (8-10-1-514) 842-20-12 |
| gcmontreal@mid.ru | |
| Web | montreal.mid.ru |
| Business hours | Monday to Friday from 09.00 to 12.00 |
| Emergency telephone number | (8-10-1-514) 623-59-05 |
| Address | 60 Saint Clair Avenue East, 5th floor, Toronto, ON, M4T1N5 |
|---|---|
| Telephone | (8-10-1-416) 962-99-11 |
| Fax | (8-10-1-416) 962-66-11 |
| toronto@kdmid.ru – for maintenance issues, gctoronto@mid.ru – for general issues |
|
| Web | toronto.kdmid.ru |
| Business hours | Monday to Friday from 09.00 to 13.00 |
| Emergency telephone number | +1-416-962-99-11 |
Q&A
If you have any questions ask them in the comments to this article. I will try to answer them all.
Valerie Dupuis says:
Здравствуйте, я хотел бы получить некоторую информацию, если это возможно, пожалуйста. Я гражданин Канады и хотел бы жить в России, какие у меня есть варианты?
Большое спасибо,
всего хорошего.
Lorena Trogi says:
I am a canadian citizen living in Montreal. I have been to Russia twice and would like to return . The problem is the phone number of the visa center I have always used is no longer in business yet online it says it is open. I am trying to get a tourist visa but it seems it is impossible. The russian embassy in Montreal said they don’t speak english and couldn’t understand me when I inquired about a visa…what am I to do? I know that there are tourists in Russia at the moment. Can you help me?
Lorena
Valerie Dupuis says:
Hello, did you get an answer to your question? I was born in Montreal, I live in Montreal and I would like to move to Russia…. Could you help me?
Антонина says:
Дочь моего мужа вместе с семьей(двое детей и супруг) поехали в феврале 1991 г. в Канаду в Торонто и стали невозвращенцами. В процессе нахождения в Торонто в октябре 1991 года 9-ти летнего сына Депортировали в Москву и мой муж(по факту дедушка) вынужденно встретил его и до настоящего времени он проживает под нашим контролем.Далее семья в Торонто получила временное а затем гражданство Канады и семья распалась(муж вернулся в Москву), младший сын в 2003 году своим отцом перевезен также в Москву и поселен опять таки к дедушке. Дочь моего мужа осталась одна в Торонто и живёт там до сего дня. Нигде и никогда не работала, арендует квартиру, получает пособие(а теперь уже пенсию – ей59 лет) свободно приезжает в Москву для посещения стоматологических и пластических клиник оформила в Москве фиктивный брак (с целью сокрытия этого факта устраивает с”мужем” фотосессии), минуя постоянно отца, детей все года. Мы никогда не слышали, чтобы она отмечалась в органах МВД о своих приездах-от”ездах……..???? Мой муж – её отец 16 сентября 2021 года умер в возрасте 84-х лет (остановилось сердце), о чём дочь была поставлена в известность.Приехать не могла, так как 31 августа 21 г. после месячного пребывания в Москве уехала в Торонто. До сего дня вопрос наследства находится в стадии рассмотрения в суде по иску от дочери.Учитывая ситуацию международных отношений сможет ли она приехать беспрепятственно в Москву? Какие на данный момент ограничения? И какие документы ей надо предоставлять суду о законности пребывания её в Москве? Имеет гражданство РФ.
Casey rudkevitch says:
I am currently work in Saudi Arabia, and plan to travel back to Canada after my visit to Russia. Am I able to process Russian visit visa here in Saudi Arabia?