All formalities a foreigner should keep in mind when in Russia

The article is current as of April 2025.

A foreign national, when coming to Russia, should remember some important things not to run into trouble, and we talked about some of them, but here we collected them all together to compile the ultimate guide for an alien in Russia.

Here is a checklist to be followed when in Russia or before travelling to it:

MIND YOUR VISA

Even a day of overstay of your visa is illegal and may lead to serious consequences. As a rule, such foreigners are expelled from the country, an entry ban for a few years being imposed.

And beginning from 2025, a citizen from a visa-free country who could before stay in Russia up to 90 days each 180 days now has the right to stay here no more than 90 days each YEAR. Overstaying this period may also result in the non-citizen being deported from the country with a ban on entry.

Students and workers deserve a special mention. The first visa they receive is for 90 days, but this does not mean that they can arrive a week before its expiration at their place of work/study and then get the next, multiple-entry visa for a longer period. The problem is that in the case of students and workers, it is necessary to apply for a new visa 20 working days (i.e., a calendar month) before its expiration. In addition, your employer's or university's immigration specialists must prepare the necessary documents for this and make an appointment with the police, which will also take time. So, we recommend not postponing your trip to Russia if you have just started studying or working.

MIND YOUR PASSPORT

It's not a very obvious rule, but you won't be issued a visa if your passport has less than 6 months left before it expires.

REGISTER WITH THE IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES

Read more here.

Once you arrive, you have 7 working days to register for migration purposes («постановка на миграционный учёт»), i. e., to inform the Directorate for Migration Affairs of the MVD (Ministry of Internal Affairs) where you live. More precisely, this will be done by the inviting party - your university, employer, or person who invited you. If you rent an apartment, your landlord will do it, and if you live in a hotel, this will be done by your hotel. Medical facilities also register foreigners in case of hospitalization. And if you own a house, then you register yourself in it.

A foreign national also needs to apply for registration extension when receiving a new visa, extending a patent, when receiving a residence permit, etc., that is, in cases where the document that was the basis for staying in Russia has changed. You have 3 working days to do it.

Moreover, it is logical that if you move to another place, you are also obliged to inform the MVD about this. The period is the same, 7 working days. But please note that if you are admitted to a hospital or check in to a hotel, they will immediately register you at their address, and when you are discharged or check out, you will need to register again at your home within 7 days.

If a person leaves the country, he is obliged to, vice versa, deregister.

As was said, in most cases it is the host party that does this all, and while there are usually no problems with hotels, hospitals, universities and employers, unpleasant situations do occur with landlords and friends or relatives who invite foreigners. They may not be aware that such a procedure is required for a person coming from another country, and some landlords just don't care. So before making a contract with the owner of the apartment where you're going to stay ask them whether they will register you; And a Russian who's inviting a foreign relative to their home should look for information on the Internet or consult a lawyer how to accomplish it.

Also, to avoid getting into trouble, be sure to notify your university or employer in advance that you are arriving or leaving, that you have changed your passport or obtained a residence permit instead of a visa.

BIOMETRICS

See the list below to know when to submit it and who should do it!

The biometrics includes fingerprints and facial images. If you are in Russia and have not yet completed this procedure, go to a bank - an employee will instruct you on what to do next. Plus, for the bank you will need SNILS - this is a number in the Social Fund of Russia (https://youtube.com/shorts/h9DmS0JdXA0).

On the 1 December, 2024, an experiment was launched to require foreigners to submit biometric data upon entry into the country, but not at all checkpoints - at the airports of Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Zhukovsky, if possible - at the airport of Vnukovo, as well as at the Mastakovo automobile checkpoint on the border with Kazakhstan. Exceptions are citizens of Belarus, children under 6 years of age, and special categories of individuals, such as employees of consulates and embassies. Will see if the experiment continues.

HEALTH CERTIFICATES

The medical examination includes tests for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, tuberculosis, and narcotic drugs in the blood. Only a few licensed Russian clinics have the right to perform this procedure, but there are several of them in every major city and at least one in smaller towns, so immigrants have options to choose.

You need to submit this certificate in a timely manner directly to the Directorate of Migration Affairs or through the Multifunctional Center. When should this be done and who should do this?:

PERIODS FOR PROVISION OF BIOMETRICS AND A HEALTH CERTIFICATE:

• Those who come without a visa (from a "visa-free" country):

For work: 90 days to submit biometrics and bring a health certificate from the date of arrival in the country.
Not for work, but planning to stay longer than 90 days: 90 days to submit biometrics and bring a health certificate from the date of arrival in the country.
Those from "visa-free" countries who have the right to work without a patent/permit and did not initially plan to work, but made a labour contract: 30 days to submit biometrics from the date of the contract, but no more than 90 from the date of arrival in Russia.
Those from the EAEU countries (except Belarus), who stay in Russia for more than 30 days, also bring a health certificate and submit biometrics.

• Those who come on a visa:

For work: 30 days to submit biometrics from the date of arrival in the country.
Not for work, but planning to stay longer than 90 days: 90 days to submit biometrics and bring a health certificate from the date of arrival in the country.
Those who arrive on a temporary resident visa (i. e., a visa whose sole purpose is to allow to obtain a temporary residence permit in Russia): 30 days to bring a health certificate from the date of arrival in the country.

INCOME CERTIFICATE AND STAY IN RUSSIA

This point concerns those who have received a temporary or permanent residence permit. One year after you have received residency, you’re required to submit to the MVD a certificate of income, which confirms that you can support yourself (and your family, if any) within at least the subsistence minimum. In addition, you need to bring your passport; based on the entries in it, officers calculate how many days you were in the country. Residents should be in Russia for at least 180 days per year, otherwise their permit will be cancelled. The reporting procedure is calculated as follows: one year after receiving residency, a foreigner registers with the MVD within two months. That is, if a temporary residence permit was received on March 1, 2024, then from March 1, 2025, he has 2 months, until the end of April, to submit documents.

PERMANENT ADDRESS

This requirement also applies to Russian residents only - if within three years from the date of entry into the Russian Federation, a foreigner hasn't found some kind of residential premises, either rented or owned, their permit may be cancelled.

WHAT SHOULDN'T OR CAN'T YOU DO IN RUSSIA?:

• DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR MIGRATION CARD

A migration card is a white slip given by the border officers when you come to Russia. It's an important document that's required everywhere and is proof that you have crossed the border legally. If you lose it, it can be restored, but it may be difficult and you will be fined for this. By the way, every time you enter Russia, you are issued a new migration card.

• VISA RESTRICTIONS

Remember, one can't work or study on a tourist, private or any other ordinary visa. However, you have the right to study on a work visa or, vice versa, work part-time on a student visa (in the latter case, you must be a full-time student). And if a foreigner receives a temporary or permanent residence permit, he/she will be able to do all this without restrictions.
Also, it's impossible to change the type of visa when in Russia. To do this, you should return to your country of nationality and receive a new visa there. The only exception is a highly qualified specialist who entered on a business visa - he/she qualifies for a work visa.
What else? Only a student and a work visa can be extended in the Russian Federation (and beginning from 2025, a private visa too). Many people ask us if it is allowed to extend a tourist visa while in the country, but my answer is no, there is no way.

• FINES

Two fines within 1 year and you may be removed from Russia with a ban on entry for several years.

Need legal help? Feel free to contact us:
Tel: +7 909 961-19-09
Email: legalsolutions@inbox.ru
Visit us: Moscow, Zubovskiy bulvar, building 4/1, office 308



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