Do I need a visa for Russia?
Whether you need a visa for Russia depends on the passport you hold. Of the 21 most-checked passports, 3 enter visa-free and 18 need to apply for something in advance. Visa-free stays run to 90 days or 30 days depending on nationality. Find your passport in the table below for the exact rule, the stay length, the passport validity required, and any arrival registration you have to complete separately.
Now pick the passport you travel on.
Entry rules by passport
Select your nationality for the full answer: stay length, passport validity, pre-registration and how to apply.
| Passport | What you need | Max stay |
|---|---|---|
| Lithuania | 30 days | |
| Germany | 30 days | |
| United Kingdom | Visa requiredApply for a United Kingdom passport | No stated limit |
| United States | Visa requiredGet help for a United States passport | No stated limit |
| France | 30 days | |
| Poland | 30 days | |
| Netherlands | 30 days | |
| Spain | 30 days | |
| Italy | 30 days | |
| Brazil | Visa-free | 90 days |
| India | 30 days | |
| China | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Türkiye | 30 days | |
| Nigeria | Visa requiredApply for a Nigeria passport | No stated limit |
| South Africa | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Philippines | 30 days | |
| Pakistan | Visa requiredApply for a Pakistan passport | No stated limit |
| Bangladesh | Visa requiredApply for a Bangladesh passport | No stated limit |
| Indonesia | 30 days | |
| Egypt | Visa requiredApply for a Egypt passport | No stated limit |
| Vietnam | 30 days |
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Need a visa for Russia?
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What to do next
The part most visa checkers leave out: what actually needs doing before you fly.
Confirm with the official source
Rules change without notice, and only the immigration authority of Russia can tell you where you stand. Search for its official site before you travel.
Check your passport
Passport validity required: valid on arrival. Renew first if you are close, because this is the most common reason travellers are turned away.
Check the rule for your own passport
What Russia asks for depends on the passport you travel on, and the table above differs from row to row. Open your nationality for the stay length, the validity required and whether anything has to be applied for.
Common questions
Entry to Russia, answered from the same rules the table shows.
It depends on the passport you hold. Of the 21 most-checked passports listed above, 3 enter Russia without a visa, 18 have to apply for something before travelling. Find your nationality in the table for the exact rule, the stay it allows and what has to be applied for.
3 of the 21 most-checked passports listed above: Brazil, China and South Africa. The rest have to apply in advance.
It varies by passport — 90 days or 30 days across the visa-free rules in the table. The limit is per entry, so check the row for the passport you will actually travel on.
Valid on arrival. Renew before you travel if you are close to that, because it is one of the most common reasons travellers are refused boarding — by the airline, before they ever reach the border.
Not for any of the 21 most-checked passports listed above. Nationalities outside that list may still be offered one, so check the rule for the passport you hold.
Yes, for Lithuania, Germany, France, Poland, Netherlands, Spain, Italy and India among others. The application is completed online with no embassy appointment.
No separate arrival registration is listed for Russia. Your airline may still ask for advance passenger information, which is not the same thing and is handled at check-in.
Travelling somewhere else?
Check any passport against any destination