Russian Visa Registration

According to the Russian legislation, all foreign citizens arriving in Russia must have their visas registered within three days upon arrival (excluding weekends and official holidays).

There are two ways of registering your Russian visa : at a hotel where you're staying, or in the UVIR. If you are staying at a hotel in Russia, you can register your visa at the front desk. You will be asked for your visa and passport. A small registration fee may be imposed. The registration is made for the period of your accommodation in that hotel.

However, it is better to register your visa in the UVIR , especially, for multiple-entry visas . To do this you have to come to the company who issued the invitation for you and bring the following documents: a notary assured permission for registration made by a Russian citizen/landlord of the apartment where you are staying (we can provide for extra $30 fee), your passport and Russian visa. All the documents should be presented in the original. Registration fee in our agency is $10. You should remember that starting from July 2002, the punitive sanctions are very high for those who don't register their visas on time. Also, penalties can be charged by local police or immigration control in the airport during departure from Russia. That's why we highly recommend to arrange all the registration formalities in due time.

If your final destination is not Moscow and you are not staying at a hotel, you will need to register your visa at a local OVIR. We can provide you with an official letter requesting OVIR officials to register your visa promptly (in case you made your invitation in our agency).

However if the visit is only two to three days it is not necessary to register the visa. In case of a private invitation the person who issued the invitation should submit the documents to the visa registration office (OVIR) where the initial visa request was made. A separate letter is not required in case of a private visit.

Finally, if you are in Russia, but you don't know who invited you, what is your sponsor-company, what to do, how to extend your visa, etc., just give us a call and we'll try to help!