Russia Tour Packages

The Consular Department of Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs runs the e-visa itself, and the rules are on its own site rather than an intermediary’s. India is named on the list of states whose nationals may apply. The process is a web form, a payment and a wait: "An e-visa is issued within 4 calendar days, including week-ends and bank holidays", and that window "does not include the day of application submission". There is, in the ministry’s words, "no need for any invitations or confirmations" — which is the single biggest change from how Russian visas used to work. Since 23 August 2025 a single e-visa is valid for 120 days from the date it is issued, with a permitted stay "not exceeding 30 days from the date of entry", and the exit date "cannot be later than 120 days from the date of its issuance". A great deal of secondary advice still quotes the older 60-day/16-day pair; it is out of date. The e-visa covers tourism, guest and business visits, and scientific, cultural, socio-political, economic and sporting events. Anything outside that list needs a paper visa from a consulate.

The checkpoint rule, and registration within seven working days Two rules decide whether an e-visa trip works. The first is the checkpoint list. "An e-visa is valid for entry into and exit from the Russian Federation only through the following State border crossing points of the Russian Federation" — and asked directly whether you may leave through a crossing not on the list, the ministry answers "No, you cannot." This catches people out on the way home rather than the way in. The air list includes all four Moscow airports (Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky), Saint Petersburg’s Pulkovo, Sochi, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Kaliningrad and Vladivostok, so a normal two-city itinerary is comfortably inside it — but check any onward or overland leg against the list before you book it. The second rule is migration registration: mandatory for every foreign visitor, by notification of arrival "at the place of stay within 7 working days". If you are in a hotel this is invisible to you — "migration registration is carried out automatically by the hotel staff" — which is a real argument for hotels over private apartments on a short trip. Two further practicalities, both from the UK FCDO rather than from Russia: air space "will close during drone attacks", producing unpredictable delays, diversions and cancellations at airports in European Russia, so leave real slack around connections; and restrictions on international businesses "including Mastercard and Visa" mean you "may not be able to access money or other services", so money must be arranged before departure rather than on arrival.