If you do not need a visa to enter the Russian Federation
You must bring the following to cross the border:
- A valid passport
- A medical insurance policy valid on the territory of the Russian Federation (if needed)
Visa support
If you need a visa to enter the Russian Federation
You must bring the following to cross the border:
- A visa
- A valid passport
- A medical insurance policy valid on the territory of the Russian Federation (if needed)
What kind of visa do I need?
If you need a visa to enter the Russian Federation, you can apply for one of the two following types of visas
Visa by invitation for foreign arrivals
for all Forum participants
How long is a visa valid?
After submitting all the required documents, Forum participants can obtain a short-term, single-entry Russian visa for the period from 17 September to 3 October 2026 at foreign consular offices of the Russian Federation on the day of their application.
If you need to apply for a visa, you need:
- an invitation for foreign arrivals
- a list of documents
How to apply for a visa?
View the list of documents
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1
Generate an invitation for foreign arrivals
Please note: this is not an invitation to the Forum. It is a special document from the organizers that will become available in your Roscongress personal account.
All confirmed participants will receive an official invitation to the Forum by email.
- After receiving the invitation, log in to your Roscongress personal account and confirm your attendance at the Forum.
- Go to the «My events – United Cultures Forum – Event dashboard – Visa support» tab of the Roscongress personal account.
- Your personal information will be automatically uploaded from the Roscongress personal account to the document. You can manually add the city and country where you will be applying for your visa.
- Download and print the invitation for foreign arrivals.
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2
Submit an application at a consular office
Please note: foreign nationals can only obtain an invitation-based visa at consular institutions of the Russian Federation. They cannot be obtained at a visa centre or travel agency.
To receive a visa for entry into Russia, individuals in possession of an invitation must apply at the relevant foreign consular office of the Russian Federation and provide the invitation for foreign arrivals together with the other required visa documents.
Information about the location of Russian consular offices can be found on the website of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
We recommend that participants apply at their Russian consular office in good time, and at least 2 weeks before their departure.
E-visa
can be issued to citizens of 64 foreign countries
How long is a visa valid?
- The unified electronic visa is a single-entry visa. The validity of the single electronic visa is 60 days from the date of issue.
- The permitted period of stay in the Russian Federation on a single electronic visa is not more than 16 days from the day of entry within its validity period.
How to apply for an e-visa?
- To apply for a unified e-visa, it is necessary to fill in an application on the purpose-made website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.
- The application may be submitted not earlier than 40 days and not later than 4 days before the expected date of entry into the Russian Federation.
The unified electronic visa is not free. Payment is made on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia via the Internet using bank cards of international payment systems (Visa, MasterCard, etc.). No refunds will be issued regardless of the result of the application.
Detailed information on obtaining an e-visa is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.
When applying at a consular office, you must bring the following:
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A printed invitation for foreign arrivals (to be downloaded from your Roscongress personal account).
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A valid passport (ordinary, diplomatic, service or official) or another valid travel document proving the identity of the foreign national and recognized as such by the Russian Federation. The passport must have two blank pages and remain valid for six months after the expiry date of the requested visa. The six-month passport validity requirement does not apply to the issuance of diplomatic and service visas.
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A completed and printed visa application form. The form must be filled in beforehand on the dedicated website of the Consular Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa.kdmid.ru. When completing the form for members of official delegations, business representatives and their accompanying persons, the purpose of the trip is indicated as «official visits», «diplomatic visits» or «service visits»; for journalists — «press/corr.», «press/tech.».
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A photograph measuring 35 by 45 mm (colour or black and white). The photograph must show a clear full-face image without tinted glasses and without headwear (except for foreign nationals for whom permanently wearing headwear is a mandatory attribute of their national or religious affiliation, provided that the foreign national is depicted wearing such headwear in their passport photograph). The photograph must have been taken no earlier than six months before the date of application.
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A medical insurance policy valid on the territory of the Russian Federation.*
*The medical insurance requirement applies only to citizens of the following states, which impose a similar condition on Russian citizens entering their territory: Israel, Ireland, Iran and the Schengen Agreement countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Germany, Finland, France, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland and Estonia). The insurance policy requirement also does not apply to foreign nationals applying for diplomatic and service visas.