Russia Humanitarian Visa – Eligibility, Application, Processing Time

Russia Humanitarian Visa is perfect for you if you want to travel to Russia for religious duties, humanitarian activities, sports events or charitable duties.

Humanitarian visa for Russia can be single entry. Or a double entry or a multiple-entry visa depending on your country. Usually, the single entry and double entry humanitarian visas are valid for about 90 days. While a multiple-entry Russia humanitarian visa is valid for up to one year. A 1 or 3-year multi-entry humanitarian visa is available to US citizens.

Unfortunately, only EU citizens are qualified to get multiple-entry visas valid up to five years. This is as a result of the Russia-EU visa facilitation agreement. In addition, a Humanitarian visa is issued if the applicant has received an Original Official Invitation issued by the Russian Federation’s Federal Migration Service (FMS) that has been applied for by the inviting organization. Outside of this, you may not be issued the visa.

Who needs a Russia Humanitarian Visa

You will need a Russian humanitarian visa specifically if you want to :

• Establish, renew or facilitate academic, cultural, or socio-political ties in Russia.
• Take part in sports events.
• Participate in Religious activity.
• Provide Charity support.
• Provide humanitarian services.

However, there are different types of humanitarian visa for Russia. US citizens frequently receive multi-entry 3 year humanitarian visas, allowing them to visit Russia up to six months at a time.

While multi-entry 1-year Humanitarian visas allows you to stay in Russia for up to 90 days out of every 180-day period.

Requirements for Russia Humanitarian Visa

It is mandatory that you have specific documents in order to obtain humanitarian visa in Russia. These documents typically determines whether or not you will be granted a visa. Below are the required documents:

• Present an Introductory letter from your company/organization: The letter must provide complete information about you, your travel plans, dates, and the reason for your travel. It should indicate the name of the inviting organization and the Russian contact information in-charge. Also, the letter must also specify who will be in charge of your finances.
• Fill out the online application form for Russia Humanitarian visa. You can find this on the Russian  external affairs website.
• Provide Visa Support for humanitarian visit. This is very necessary. The following paperwork is acceptable as visa support:
  –An Invitation from the Russian Ministry of Interior (Ask your Russian host for this invitation). It can be in paper or electronic form.
  –An Invitation from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( your Russian host should request the invitation from the Russian Foreign Ministry). The ministry will forward the invitation to the embassy in your nation after your Russian host accepts it. Make sure you collect your six-digit number invitation from your host. And present it to the embassy when you submit your application.
  –A copy of a direct invitation letter. You can ask your Russian host to write a direct invitation for you. He should print the document on the official paper of your company. This should be duly stamped and signed.
• Provide your original passport – It must contain at least 2 blank visa pages. Make sure the passport is valid six months after your visa expires.
• Provide your Health insurance policy document. This is required from only European Union countries. Such as, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.

• Check if the documents contains:

1. your full name,
2. the date when the agreement was signed,
3. as well as the full information of your insurer and the policy number.

• Validity period: It is important that your insurance policy for single entry and double entry visa cover the entire period you will stay in Russia. Similarly, for multiple-entry visas, your insurance must cover the duration of the first trip.
• Make sure the insurance list the medical services it covers.
• And of course, the territory which your insurance covers, which must include Russia.

N/B: The Russian embassy might request for other documents apart from the listed ones. Take care to go with all the necessary documents.

How to Apply for a Russia Humanitarian Visa

To apply for the humanitarian visa for Russia, you must follow certain steps. Check to see if you need a visa for humanitarian reasons or if you can visit Russia without one. The application process involves these simple steps:

1. Check if your passport is valid: First things first, confirm if your passport is within the validity period. Your passport must be valid for a minimum of 6 months after you leave Russia.
2. Get the Visa Support(Invitation): This is a very necessary requirement. It is an official invitation letter from the Russian Ministry. Ask your Russian host to get the invitation letter for you.
3. Fill out the online application form for the Russia Humanitarian visa: It is necessary that you sign and print the form when you’re done. You can find this form on the Russian Foreign Ministry website.
4. Provide the required documents for a Russian Humanitarian Visa: Of course you can not complete a visa application without having the required documents. Make sure you have all the documents we earlier listed at hand for submission.
5. Submit your Humanitarian Visa application for Russia:  After all said and done, make sure you submit your application form at the right place. Submit it either at a  Russian Consulate or Visa Processing Center in your country. Bear in mind that you need to submit the form by yourself.
6. Pay the application fee: To validate your visa application, you need to pay the Russian humanitarian visa fee. You will pay around €30 – €300. Bear in that they can not refund your money after you have made payments.

Note:

You need to wait for your application to be processed. The Russian mission abroad  will decide whether to give you the visa or not. When they do,  the visa sticker will be attached in your passport and given to you.

How Much is Russia Humanitarian Visa Fee?

It cost anywhere from €30 to €300 to obtain a Russia humanitarian visa. This amount depends on a lot of factors. The first one is your nationality. The second is the number of times you intend to enter Russia with your humanitarian visa. The third is the length of time you want to stay in Russia. And the fourth is the time frame within which you need your visa to be processed.

How long does It take to get a Russia Humanitarian Visa?

It takes approximately ten working days to process your Russia Humanitarian visa However, it might take longer but the time frame should not be more than 20 days. In situations where you need the visa within a short time. What you should do is to apply for an expedited processing. This will take less than 4 working days to process your visa Unfortunately, you’ll have to pay more to get this done.

After you Land in Russia

Once you land in Russia, you will receive a card at the port of entry. This card is  known as the immigration card. Basically, it consists of two identical parts. Make sure you fill in the required information in both parts. When you’re done, drop one of the parts of the card at the port.

Afterwards, you will need to register your visa if you plan to stay in Russia for more than a week. To register your visa, present your Passport data pages, Russian Humanitarian Visa and Immigration Card to your home owner. This might be a hotel or private home where you are staying.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of visa is humanitarian visa?

Humanitarian Visa is perfect for you if you want to travel for religious duties, humanitarian activities, sports events or charitable duties. This visa is available to individuals who face persecutions, disasters, abuse, homelessness or other distressing situations.

In the US, the following categories of humanitarian visas are available:

• T Visa – For victim of human trafficking
• U Visa – For victim of criminal activity
• S Visa – For witnesses and informant who gives information.
• Refugee – For individuals facing oppression while outside the U.S.
• Asylum – For individuals seeking protection for fear of oppression.

Can I get Russian visa Russian?

Sure you can!  However, you need to present some basic documents. One of such is an invitation letter from the Russian Ministry of Foreign affairs. Note that you can not get this on your own. Your Russian host will help you get it.

How do you get a Russian humanitarian visa?

In order to get your Russia visa, you need to take the steps below:

• Gather all the needed documents
• Check if your passport is valid
• Get your visa support from your Russian host
• Fill out the online application form for the Russia Humanitarian visa
• Submit the online application form for Russia Humanitarian visa
• Pay the application fee(max of €300)
• Wait to receive your via

Is Russia giving tourist visa right now?

Yes, many different nationalities are granted tourist visas to Russia. However, because of the ongoing conflict with Ukraine, applying for a visa can be challenging.

Conclusion

In summary, you can apply for a Russian humanitarian visa if you meet the requirements we early state. The application process is simple and quick. Visit the Russian embassy or consulate in your country if you need more information.