Visa information

Nationals of most countries (including the EU countries and the U.S.A.) require visas in order to travel to Russia. Visa requirements and fees vary from country to country; please check with the Russian embassy in your country of residence.

The Euler Institute staff will be happy to assist you with visa arrangements. The two main options is getting a tourist visa (single entry) and getting a business visa (which can be single, double or multiple entry).

Visa for residents of the EU countries and several other countries

The procedure of obtaining a business visa for scientists of the EU countries (excluding GB, Denmark and Ireland) and several other countries (please check this list) is simplified currently. As a general rule, for residents of these countries the Organising Committee issues official letters of invitation to apply for business visas. It takes a few days to issue it but since the original is required a couple of weeks should be reserved for mail delivery to your mailing address. (Please provide the full address when filling in the visa form on our webpage.) You have to fill in the registration and visa forms.

Business visa for non-EU residents

In order to obtain a business visa (at the Russian embassy in your country of residence) you will need an official invitation from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Such an invitation can be obtained by the Euler Institute staff, although this involves a certain administrative effort; this route should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Obtaining such an invitation costs 500 RUB and takes at least 4-6 weeks. In many cases, a copy of this invitation suffices (please check with the Russian embassy); such a copy will be sent to you as a scanned pdf file. If the original is required, this adds the postage (depending on your country of residence) to the charge. You have to fill in the registration and visa forms and send a scanned passport copy.

Tourist visa

Tourist visas can be obtained on a commercial basis at many tourist agencies in your country. You may find this to be the easiest option; in this case you will not need any help from us.

You can also obtain a tourist visa at the Russian embassy in your country of residence. In this case you will need tourist visa support documents (hotel voucher and confirmation of tourist acceptance). Such the documents can be arranged by the Euler Institute staff within a few days; this involves a fee of approx. 400-500 RUB. Normally it suffices to have a copy (not necessarily the original) of these documents in order to get a tourist visa. Such a copy can be sent to you as a scanned jpg file. You have to fill in the registration and visa forms.

It is also essential that when applying for a tourist visa to the Russian Embassy you should specify "tourism" as the purpose of your trip in your application form. You should not mention “conference” or any other scientific activity in your application; otherwise you take the risk of refusal.

Police Registration

Once in Russia, all foreign nationals need to register. This is usually done at your hotel and costs from 500 to 1000 RUB. The Euler Institute staff can assist you with this.