Russian visa Invitation (visa support) in 5 minutes (PDF)

A Russian visa invitation (also called visa support, tourist voucher, or confirmation of hosting a foreign tourist) is an official document issued by a Russian tour operator registered with the Federal Agency of Tourist Operators. The Russian consulate requires it to issue your tourist or business regular visa. Without it, your visa application will be rejected. Note: the invitation is only required for the regular (paper) visa, NOT for the Russian eVisa.

The price depends on your nationality, the length of stay, and the number of entries (single or double). Once you fill in the form on this page the system automatically shows you the exact cost based on those details, before you confirm payment. iVisa is one of the cheapest invitation providers among Russian tour operators, and the price for most Western nationalities is among the lowest available.

With the form on this page (iVisa, automatic system) you receive the invitation by email in PDF format in less than 5 minutes after payment. You can also download it directly from your browser right after paying.

You need: full name (exactly as it appears in your passport), email, passport number, date of birth, sex, nationality, passport expiry date, and the hotels or apartments where you will be staying. Double-check the passport number, the consulate verifies it matches your passport exactly.

Each traveler, including children, needs their own invitation. However, you only fill out one form with all the travelers details and you will receive all invitations at the same time. Maximum 5 invitations per single application.

No. This invitation is only valid for tourist visas, not private visas. So it must include hotels or tourist apartments, never private home addresses (the consulate could deny the visa). If you are visiting friends or relatives, what most travelers do is apply for a tourist visa with random hotels in the invitation, then stay with friends or family once they have the visa in hand.

The invitation must cover at least the entire length of your stay in Russia. For example, if you travel August 1 to 10, the invitation must cover at least those dates (covering a longer period is fine). The maximum tourist invitation period is 90 days. Special case for US citizens: under the US-Russia visa agreement, US citizens can obtain multi-entry tourist visas valid for 3 years. To apply, get a standard 30-day invitation and on the visa application form indicate a 3-year period of stay starting from the invitation entry date.

Single entry means you enter Russia once, visit your destinations (e.g. Moscow and St. Petersburg), and return home. Double entry means you enter Russia, leave to visit another country (e.g. Mongolia), and re-enter Russia a second time before returning home. Choose based on whether your itinerary involves leaving and re-entering Russia.

No problem, you simply include those hotels in the invitation form. A Booking.com reservation alone does NOT serve as a visa invitation; you still need to obtain a separate invitation document.

In the Hotels section of the form, simply write Airbnb apartment and the address. Airbnb hosts cannot issue invitations themselves, which is why a tour operator invitation is required.

Yes. You can include hotels you have already booked, ones you plan to book, or even placeholder hotels if you are undecided. After getting the visa you can change or cancel hotels freely without affecting your visa. If you are unsure, two safe placeholder options are: in Moscow, the President Hotel, Bolshaya Yakimanka Street 24, Yakimanka 119134; in St Petersburg, The Bridge Hotel, Admiralteyskaya Naberezhnaya 12, Admiralteyskiy 190000.

For most nationalities, no, you only need the invitation, not the hotel reservations. However, citizens of countries classified as migration risk may be asked by the tour operator or consulate to provide hotel reservations alongside the invitation.

Nights on Russian trains do not need to be listed in the Hotels section, as long as they fall within the total invitation period.

A color printout of the PDF invitation is enough for most consulates worldwide (USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Japan, and most European countries). However, some consulates do require the original by post; in that case iVisa can mail it for an additional fee. See the example of the PDF document below in this page.

A TELEX invitation is a special type of invitation sent directly to the Russian consulate by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, instead of being delivered to you in PDF. Some consulates and certain visa categories require it.

Yes, with no additional cost. With iVisa you can correct errors directly through their electronic system, or by emailing [email protected]. You can also change hotels at any time.

Several practical reasons: a single invitation covers the entire trip across multiple hotels (Booking.com does not issue invitations); you can include Airbnb apartments and cruise ships (which cannot issue invitations either); you can include nights on trains; you can change hotels later for free; and it is almost always cheaper than requesting it from each individual hotel.

In some countries (e.g. France) if your trip is longer than 13 days, the consulate may require a detailed program of stay, which iVisa or Russia Support can provide for free if you tell them your day-by-day itinerary. You may also be asked for hotel reservations confirming full payment of tourist services.

No. The Russian eVisa does not require an invitation, it is a fully online process with no invitation document. This invitation is only needed if you are applying for a regular (paper) Russian visa at a consulate.

On the electronic visa application form (visa.kdmid.ru), in the Details of the visit section you must include the inviting agency information. Name of organization: VISA SERVICE LLC. Address: Leninsky Avenue 153A, Office 706, St. Petersburg 196247. Reference number: 015681. Confirmation number: a unique number printed in the header of your invitation (also sent in the confirmation email). See the example screenshot below in this page.

Yes. Russian consulates require travel medical insurance valid in Russia for both eVisa and regular visa applications. Most Western insurance companies no longer cover Russia due to sanctions, so you need a policy from a provider that does.

If you have payment issues with the iVisa form on this page, or if for any reason you prefer a different provider, you can use Russia Support as an alternative. Both providers are official Russian tour operators registered with the Federal Agency of Tourism, and the invitations they issue are equally valid at any Russian consulate. See the dedicated Russia Support page on this site for the application form: russiable.com/letter-invitation-russia/.