5- Tips to Apply for Russian Business Visa

Most people who want to visit Russia do so on a tourist visa, which allows a stay of 30 days. On the other hand, a business visa authorizes a longer stay and more flexibility for this reason; foreigners who want to stay longer than 30 days often use business visas. This guide will explain five tips to apply for a business visa.

1. You must have an original and valid visa:

To apply for a business visa, you must have a valid passport, which should be valid, at least six months from the day you end your trip to Russia. The most crucial factor is that the passport should not have scratches or damage. Otherwise, it is possible that it will not be approved, and you will have to apply for a new one.

Note: For processing the visa, you have to present the original passport, as the visa itself is a document attached to your passport.

2. Receive an official business invitation:

For processing the business visa, an official business invitation letter is mandatory, which you can receive in two ways:

Option 1: Via the Russian company that invites you

When doing business in Russia, you must contact the organization you wish to conduct business activities or negotiate with. The organization can obtain a letter of invitation from the General Directorate of Immigration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (GUVM, also known as Federal Immigration Service or FMS). The Russian organization will know how to process this invitation letter on paper or in electronic format.

Option 2: Buy a business invitation and receive it in 5 minutes

There are various agencies you can go to purchase a business invitation letter. It can be of four types:

1. Invitation from a Russian organization (only for Schengen area countries, USA, China, and Japan)

2. eFMS electronic invitation (for all countries)

3. Original paper invitation from FMS (for all countries)

4. Electronic Invitation code is known as Telex (for all countries)

3. Travel assistance insurance (only for citizens of EU countries):

To apply for a visa, European citizens need travel health insurance with coverage in Russia, which covers the period of validity of the visa (1 month, three months, six months, one year), regardless of even-if, the stay will be lower.

You can easily get good health insurance at an affordable cost from the Russian company Cherehapa. It is easy to purchase, and all you need to do is print out the insurance policy once it has been downloaded in PDF format.

4. Fill out the application form:

Once all of the documents (passport, travel insurance, and business invitation) have been collected, you have all the information you need to fill out the application form.

You can fill an electronic form that has some slight differences, which are as follows:

A. Information on the type of visa:

Concerning the type of visa, the following fields on the application form must be considered:

Purpose of the visit (section): Business Visit

Purpose of the visit: Business

Visa category and type: Common Business

Number of Entries: Number of entries as per your business invitation letter

Date of entry to Russia / Date of exit from Russia: As stated in your letter of invitation, a period of 1 month, three months, six months, or one year.

B. Inviting entity details:

If you consider the invitation letter from the iVisa, you must fill in the following fields:

Which institution are you going to visit? Organization

Organization name: ABC.COM LLC

Address: ABC Str., Bld. 123 A, XYZ, Russia, 191024

TIN (Tax Identification Number): 1234567890

Invitation number: 0X0000XXX (each invitation letter has a different number)

C. Information of your job:

You will need to re-enter your job information, which will also appear in the invitation letter: company name, designation/position, address, phone, and company email. If you are not working for someone else, you can tell that you are a freelancer or self-employed.

5. Provide all documents and complete the payment:

Once you have all the documents, you can complete the process in the Russian Visa Center or one of the Russian Consulates. While in the consulates, the procedure must be carried out personally and by appointment. You can perform the remote process in the visa centers by post or mail.

I hope the five tips mentioned above have helped you apply for a Russian business visa more efficiently and economically