Main Consular affairs Consular servicesVisa

Visa

General information

General visa information in Kurdish is available at the following link.

Foreign citizens are allowed to cross the Russian border only on a valid national passport and a valid Russian visa therein. Visa exemptions are based on bilateral or multilateral agreements.

Before applying for your visa to the Russian Federation, applicants should decide the visa category under which they wish to lodge their visa application.

Please make sure you familiarize yourself with the information on the visa category you are applying for.

The different categories that are catered to are:

Private visa can be single-entry and double-entry and is issued for up to three months.

The following documents should be submitted by an applicant in person in order to obtain a private visa:

Valid passport (with a copy) which should have at least two clear visa pages and must be valid for not less than 6 months after the expiry date of the visa.
Properly and fully completed visa application form (one per person) (http://visa.kdmid.ru) with a photo of an applicant sized 3,5 x 4,5 cm (Please, check the photo requirements).
An original official invitation issued by an appropriate local branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation or a printed copy of an electronic invitation.
Residence permission (ikama) in case an applicant is a non-Iraqi citizen.

Business visa can be single- or double-entry for up to three months or multi-entry for up to one year. Holder of multi-entry business visa can't stay in Russia for more than 90 days out of every 180.

The following documents should be submitted by an applicant in person in order to obtain a business visa:

Valid passport (with a copy) which should have at least two clear visa pages and must be valid for not less than 6 months after the expiry date of the visa.
Properly and fully completed visa application form (one per person) (http://visa.kdmid.ru) with a photo of an applicant sized 3,5 x 4,5 cm (Please, check the photo requirements).
An original official invitation issued by an appropriate local branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation or a printed copy of an electronic invitation.
Residence permission (ikama) in case an applicant is a non-Iraqi citizen.

Humanitarian visa can be single- or double-entry for up to three months or multi-entry for up to one year. Holder of multi-entry humanitarian visa can't stay in Russia for more than 90 days out of every 180.

Valid passport (with a copy) which should have at least two clear visa pages and must be valid for not less than 6 months after the expiry date of the visa.
Properly and fully completed visa application form (one per person) (http://visa.kdmid.ru) with a photo of an applicant sized 3,5 x 4,5 cm (Please, check the photo requirements).
An original official invitation issued by an appropriate local branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation or a printed copy of an electronic invitation.
Residence permission (ikama) in case an applicant is a non-Iraqi citizen.

Educational (student) visa can be single- or double-entry and is issued for up to three months (during this period applicant can enter the Russian Federation and solve all the issues concerning his education in Russia).

The following documents should be submitted by an applicant in person in order to obtain an educational visa:

Valid passport (with a copy) which should have at least two clear visa pages and must be valid for not less than 6 months after the expiry date of the visa.
Properly and fully completed visa application form (one per person) (http://visa.kdmid.ru) with a photo of an applicant sized 3,5 x 4,5 cm (Please, check the photo requirements).
An original official invitation issued by an appropriate local branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation or a printed copy of an electronic invitation.
Medical Certificate (with HIV blood test). This certificate is valid for 3 months only (HIV blood test should be taken not earlier than 3 months before applying for a visa).
Residence permission (ikama) in case an applicant is a non-Iraqi citizen.

Initially, an educational visa is issued for three months. After this period you should apply to the local division of the General Administration for Migration Issues of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for a visa extension. The Ministry issues a one-year multi-visa which allows you to travel to and from Russia within the validity period of the visa. When your visa is about to expire, you should apply for a further 1-year extension, and carry on in this manner for the duration of your academic programme.

Work visa can be only single-entry and is issued for up to three months.

The following documents should be submitted by an applicant in person in order to obtain a work visa:

Valid passport (with a copy) which should have at least two clear visa pages and must be valid for not less than 6 months after the expiry date of the visa.
Properly and fully completed visa application form (one per person) (http://visa.kdmid.ru) with a photo of an applicant sized 3,5 x 4,5 cm (Please, check the photo requirements).
An original official invitation issued by an appropriate local branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation or a printed copy of an electronic invitation.
Medical Certificate (with HIV blood test). This certificate is valid for 3 months only (HIV blood test should be taken not earlier than 3 months before applying for a visa). The document must be legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iraq (legalization issues can be found here)
Residence permission (ikama) in case an applicant is a non-Iraqi citizen.

Tourist visa can be issued for a period of 30 days maximum.

Attention: Tourist visas are issued only after the approval procedure, which lasts 28-30 days after submission of all documents and paying visa fee.

In case of refusal to issue a visa – no refund.

The following documents should be submitted by an applicant in person in order to obtain a tourist visa:

Valid passport (with a copy) which should have at least two clear visa pages and must be valid for not less than 6 months after the expiry date of the visa.
Properly and fully completed visa application form (one per person) (http://visa.kdmid.ru).
One recent photo of an applicant sized 3,5 x 4,5 cm (Please, check the photo requirements).
Original confirmation of a reception of a foreign tourist issued by a host Russian Travel Agency.
Hotel payment confirmation for the entire duration of the visa. Please, make payment direсtly via the hotel, not via third party booking websites.
Paid tickets to Russia and back.

A tourist voucher and a confirmation must contain an applicant's name, passport number, dates and points of arrival and departure, cities to be visited, agency's reference (or registration). The stamp and all the details should be clearly readable.

Non Iraqi citizens applying for a visa at the Consulate should also provide Iraqi Kurdistan residence permission (ikama).

After providing the Consulate with all the requested documents applicant will be invited for an interview. Only after that all the documents will be sent to Moscow for the approval procedure.

Please note that a hotel booking only is not sufficient for a visa application.

The following documents should be submitted by an applicant in person in order to obtain a transit visa:

Valid passport (with a copy) which should have at least two clear visa pages and must be valid for not less than one and a half-year after the expiry date of the visa.
Properly and fully completed visa application form (one per person) (http://visa.kdmid.ru) with a photo of an applicant sized 3,5 x 4,5 cm (Please, check the photo requirements).
Valid tickets for entry and exit from the Russian Federation.
Valid visa to the country you want to enter after leaving Russia or passport of that state.

Transit visa for an applicant who is travelling on a plane is issued for a period of three days maximum.

The following documents should be submitted in order to obtain a visa according to its category:

Completed visa application signed by the Applicant only (more information below).
Valid national passport (original only and it should have at least two clear visa pages). It must be valid no less than six months after the visa expiration date.
One photo (sized 3,5 x 4,5 cm) of an applicant. (Glue the photo to the application in the designated space. Do not staple photograph. Photo Requirements.)
Documents depending on visa category.
The Fee for the visa.

The fees for a single entry visa for Iraqi citizens are:

for 4-20 working days processing: 80 US dollars;
for 1-3 working days processing: 160 US dollars.

The fees for a double entry visa for Iraqi citizens are:

for 4-20 working days processing: 128 US dollars;
for 1-3 working days processing: 256 US dollars.

The fees for a multi entry visa for Iraqi citizens are:

for 4-20 working days processing: 240 US dollars;
for 1-3 working days processing: 480 US dollars.

Visa application form

Visa application forms should be completed online only on the special website of the Consular Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation: http://visa.kdmid.ru.
Applicants should read all instructions carefully and then fill in the visa application form. Upon completion of your application form please print it out, sign it and submit at the Consulate General together with all required documents, payment and passport.
Please make sure that the signature of your application for is identical to the one in your passport. Application forms should be filled in English or in Russian.
Incomplete visa application forms will not be processed. Visa application forms taken from other Internet sources as well as hand-written visa application forms will not be accepted.

Incomplete set of documents may lead to refusal of visa processing, or documents may be returned to an applicant undone.

Visa processing commences only after all necessary and proper documents have been presented by an applicant and accepted by a consular officer. The Consular officer may request additional documents.

Visas cannot be swapped or extended. If your travel plans has been changed after the visa issuing, you have to re-apply for a new visa. Also a new visa fee is to be paid by the applicant.

Applicants are advised to verify dates and check whether names are spelt correctly on issued visas immediately after receiving their passports. Please use this guide to read your visa.

EU passport holders should submit travel insurance policy that is valid in the Russian Federation for the whole period of the journey.

the policy number;
the full name of the person insured;
the policy must cover territory of Russia and the entire period of stay there
a list of medical and medical-transport services provided for, including repatriation;
the minimum amount of cover must be 30,000 EUR;

Arriving to Russia

To enter the Russian Federation a foreign citizen must submit valid identity document, accepted as such by the Russian Federation, visa and migration card (see below). It is not possible to obtain a visa at the airport when entering Russia and extend visa while in Russia. Visa entitles its holder to travel to the Russian Federation but it does not guarantee entry. An immigration officer determines the visa holder's eligibility for admission into the Russian Federation. Therefore you should be able to present at the port of entry a copy of your invitation or visa required papers along with your passport and visa.

We inform you that granting Russian visa is an advance consent to allow to visit Russia.

The decision to allow a foreigner or a stateless person to enter the territory of Russia is taken by the Russian Passport control authorities in the airports.

Forbiddance a foreigner or stateless person the country can be caused by the following reasons: presenting false documents, inaccurate information while filling an application form in the Consulate, false or incorrect information about the true objective of visiting Russia, other doings which are found to conform to the Russian Law.

Visa in the invalid passport

If you get a new passport you are required to transfer the valid Russian visa in an invalid passport to the new one or apply for a new visa. Visas in lost/damaged passport must also be transferred to the new passport before you travel.

A foreign national will be denied entry to the Russian Federation with a valid Russian visa stamped in an invalid (cancelled, expired, etc.) national passport.

Migration Card

In accordance with the Russian government decree no. 413 of 16.08.2004 “On migration card”) a foreign citizen is required to fill out a migration card when arriving to the Russian Federation and present it to the border control officer for stamping provided that the data on the card is in compliance with the owner’s passport data.

Migration card forms are distributed free of charge to foreign nationals on arrival to Russia by migration officers or representatives of transport companies.

A foreigner must carry the migration card during the whole period of stay in Russia and submit it along with other documents for migration registration at the place of residence. In case of damage or loss of the migration card foreign citizen must notify a local office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation within three days. A gratis duplicate card is issued assuming travel documents used to enter Russia are presented.

When leaving Russia, a foreign citizen must submit the card to a migration officer at the Russian border checkpoint.

Residence Registration

Visitors staying in Russia more than seven business days must have a residence registration. If you stay at a hotel, registration must be done by the hotel management. If you stay in an apartment or private home, it should be done by the host at the Directorate for Migration Affairs or post office.

Russian Customs rules:

for individuals,
for business.

Federal customs service website.

Crossing Russia-Belarus border

The Russia-Belarus land border does not have international checkpoints. It is forbidden to third-country nationals to cross this border by car, bus or train. Foreign citizens are allowed to travel between Russia and Belarus by air. Passengers flying to Belarus through Russian airports are required to have a Russian transit visa.

Tax liabilities

Fiscal avoidance by a foreign citizen during the stay in the Russian Federation results in refusal of entry to Russia. This rule applies also to cases of non-payment of customs charges and taxes before the due date including violation of terms of importing vehicles for personal use. The online service of the Federal Customs Service of Russia provides information on tax liabilities and travel ban decisions.

Tax Free Shopping in Russia

To be eligible for a value-added tax refund, you must be a citizen of a foreign country outside of the Eurasian Economic Union and purchase goods for over 10,000 roubles from a single retailer during one day at retailer locations approved by the Government of the Russian Federation. VAT refund is not applicable to excise goods, including alcohol and tobacco. To receive a refund, export your purchased goods through official international checkpoints of the Russian Federation. For more details, please contact tax free operators in Russia: HI.SKY (http://hiskytaxfree.com/), Global Blue (http://www.globalblue.com/), Premier Tax Free (https://premiertaxfree.ru/).