How to get a Russia transit visa

The transit visa can be single entry and double entry.

No visa invitation letter is required. The Russian consulate will issue a transit visa (if required) after you present your travel and visa documents to the destination country. If you have difficulty obtaining a transit visa, you may need to apply for a tourist visa.

Validity of Russia transit visas

These types of visas are issued for a period of 10 days. This is enough to cross the country’s border that a foreign citizen travels to the destination country.​​ In addition, when determining the validity duration of a transit visa, the travel document details must be considered. It is allowed to stay in one location for no more than three days.

If you are traveling by car, split the distance between the entry point and the exit point by 500 kilometers to determine how many days it will take you to cross Russia.

If the validity period of this type of visa is not suitable for you for any purpose, you can learn about other types of visas.

Required documents for applying for Russia transit visas

If you want to apply for a transit visa, you must present the following documents to the Consulate of the Russian Federation:

• Application form of visa
• Three Photos
• Travel documents (including departure date)
• Medical insurance policy
• Copy of the verified ticket to and from Russia
• A copy of the valid visa
• Travel passport (original). The passport should have at least two blank visa pages, and it has to be valid within six months after the last day of the needed visa validity.
• One recent passport photo. The photo must be pasted on the visa application form.

Medical insurance policy documents including:

• The date that the agreement was signed
• Policy number
• Full name of the insured individual
•  Complete information of the insurer
• Validity period: the insurance policy must cover single entry and double entry visas in Russia. The total length of stay and the duration of the first trip with a multiple entry visa;
• The complete list of medical services covered by insurance and the repatriation should be included and attached;
• Geographic area coverage: worldwide or including the Russian Federation or Europe including the Russian Federation.
• The amount of the coverage must not be Less than 30,000 Euros;
• Signature of the insurer.
• Original and copy of valid permanent residence permit

Other documents may be required due to particular cases.

Russia transit Visa cost

Find out transit visa costs, asking the Russian consulate in your country, or visiting the official website. Unfortunately, our company does not help to apply for transit visas.

Russia transit Visa exemption

Transit visas are not required in the following cases:

• Foreign nationals who are flying over the territory of the Russian Federation without wanting to change their flights in the country
• Foreign citizens who take flights of international airlines and change their flights in the Russian Federation, leaving and entering at the same airport (provided the airport has a transit zone)
• Foreigners have filled documents to confirm their right to enter the destination country and a ticket with a confirmed departure date. Then, they changed the flight within 24 hours after the arrival.

Please keep in mind that if a foreign citizen travels through Russian territory to Customs Union countries (Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan), they must apply for a transit visa if they are considered as a citizen of eligible countries that do not require a visa to travel to Russia according to the bilateral agreement.

Fundamental note:

Foreign citizens traveling with airplanes to or from Belarus must obtain a Russia transit visa through the Russian Federation.

Where to apply for a Russia transit visa

There are two places in the Netherlands to apply for a Russia visa:

• Consular Section of the Russian Embassy

You have to make an appointment before going to the embassy. Applicants should visit in person. You do not have to make an appointment to collect the passport; you can pick up your passport without any kind of appointment. However, the applicant should visit in person and hold the payment receipt.

• Russia visa Application Center

Suppose the consular office of the Russian embassy does not have any available dates for the visa candidates to submit their documents. In that case, the documents should only be presented at the Russia visa Application Center.

Even though the documents have been submitted to the Visa Application Center, the visa is still issued (printed) by the Russian Consulate.

You will be contacted as soon as the Consulate makes a decision. Then you will be able to travel to Russia with peace of mind.

Russia transit visa Processing time

The processing time for a transit visa issued by the Consular Office is three working days to 7 calendar days.

If the applicant submits documents through a visa agency, it will take two to three extra days to the previous visa processing time.

Article 7 of the Russian European Union Visa Facilitation Agreement permits the Russian consulate to extend the processing time of visa applications in individual cases to 30 working days, especially when the application needs to be further reviewed.

Let’s recap!

As you have read the blog carefully, a Russian transit visa is one of the best ways to enter Russia when you do not intend to stay in the country for a long time and you are destined to a third country at the same time.

If you are determined to know more about other types of worldwide visas, you can visit the website’s menu or the left sidebar. For further questions, feel free to contact us using the online chat or the comment section.