An invitation is a document that serves as the basis for obtaining a student visa to Russia. You can only apply for a student visa with an official invitation issued by an educational institution.
Citizens of Azerbaijan, South Ossetia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Armenia, and Uzbekistan do not require a visa or an invitation to enter Russia.
Yes, you can enter Russia without an invitation, for example, on a tourist visa. However, studying is only permitted with a student visa, which can be obtained only with an official invitation from an educational institution. You cannot study if you have a tourist visa: it is limited in duration (maximum of 6 months) and cannot be extended. Once the visa expires, you will have to leave the territory of the Russian Federation.
To receive an invitation, follow these steps:
If you have been admitted under the Rossotrudnichestvo quota, then after your candidacy is approved, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation will issue your entry invitation (personal visa instruction). You can find the number of your personal visa instruction in your user account on the website: https://education-in-russia.com.
Invitations are processed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. The processing time is at least 15 working days. Invitations are issued only in electronic format. Once your invitation is ready, the staff of the Department of Visa and Migration Support of Foreign Students will send it to the email address that you used for requesting the invitation.
Important! We strongly recommend not to purchase your tickets until you have received your invitation.
Invitations for student visas for those enrolled in main academic programs (bachelor's, specialist, master's, assistantship/internship, or postgraduate program) are issued free of charge.
Students enrolled in additional education programs (music school students, preparatory course participants, internship program participants) at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music must pay a state duty of 960 rubles to receive an invitation.
Immediately contact the staff of Department of Visa and Migration Support of Foreign Students by emailing indekanat@gnesin-academy.ru or messaging them via WhatsApp or Telegram at +7 903 708-07-48, and wait for further instructions.
You must contact the Embassy or Consulate of the Russian Federation in your country with your electronic invitation to apply for a single-entry student visa.
If you were admitted under the Rossotrudnichestvo quota, you should apply for the visa at the Russian Embassy in your country using the number of your personal visa instruction.
A visa is an official document issued by a competent authority of a country that allows foreign citizens to enter and stay temporarily within its territory. It defines the rules and restrictions for the foreign citizen's stay, including the purpose of the visit, duration of stay, and permitted activities.
To study in Russia, you need a student visa with the declared purpose of stay listed as «учеба» («study»).
A single-entry student visa is a visa that is issued for the first time for entry into Russia based on an invitation from an educational institution. This visa can be obtained only in your country of citizenship, and it allows the student to enter and leave Russia only once.
A single-entry student visa is valid for up to 90 days, after which it must be extended.
To obtain a single-entry student visa, you must contact the Embassy or Consulate of the Russian Federation in your country after receiving an invitation from the educational institution.
If you were admitted under the Rossotrudnichestvo quota, you should apply for the visa at the Russian Embassy in your country using the number of your personal visa instruction.
You can find the list of required documents for obtaining a student visa for the first time by contacting the Embassy or Consulate of the Russian Federation in your country, or by visiting the Consular https://www.kdmid.ru/docs/ (first select the appropriate consular office).
You must contact the Russian Embassy or Consulate where the visa was issued. If it is not possible to correct the mistake, you will need to apply for a new visa based on a new invitation.
You can enter the Russian Federation only from the date of entry indicated on your visa (it is not the same as the visa issue date).
We recommend not to purchase your tickets until you have received your visa.
Prepare the following documents:
You must also pay the state duty for the visa extension.
Visa extensions are processed by the territorial division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Migration Department). The processing time is no more than 20 working days.
According to Russian law, a multiple-entry student visa can be extended for up to one calendar year at a time per year of study and and is limited by the validity of the passport. The visa must expire no later than six months before your passport’s expiration date.
To legally stay in Russia for the full duration of your studies, the student visa must be extended annually.
Rules on Migration Registration
Students may also apply for a Temporary Residence Permit for Educational Purposes (RVPO) to obtain a visa for the entire period of their studies.
If you fail to apply for a visa extension before your current visa expires, you will be required to leave Russia and apply for a new visa in your home country after receiving a new invitation from the Academy.
NO, YOU CANNOT.
You must stay in Russia while your new visa is being processed. Once the visa is placed into your passport, you are free to leave the country.
If you cross the Russian border while your visa is still being processed, your migration card and registration will be cancelled, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs will reject your visa extension.
Important! Expedited visa processing is not available. Please plan your travel in advance and allow enough time for all procedures.
The visa must be extended until the end of the study period. You can request additional time by submitting an application for post-graduation leave* (this application is submitted through your faculty dean’s office).
Post-graduation leave is granted to graduates of higher and secondary vocational education institutions who are enrolled in main educational programs, in accordance with the Federal Law «On Education in the Russian Federation» dated December 29, 2012, No. 273-FZ.
In Russia, the term «migration registration» refers to notifying the executive authorities about one’s arrival/departure and place of stay — that is, registering at the place of residence.
Russian legislation sets strict deadlines for migration registration of foreign citizens: that is within 7 days from the date of crossing the Russian border.
The date of border crossing is recorded in the migration card.
Migration registration is handled by the territorial division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Migration Department). Depending on where the foreign citizen will live, they need to contact a specialist from Department of Visa and Migration Support of Foreign Students (if living in a dormitory), the apartment owner (if living in an apartment), or the hotel administrator (if staying in a hotel) to request registration at the place of residence.
It is also necessary to prepare documents required for migration registration.
Depending on the entry procedure (visa or visa-free) and place of residence, the list of required documents for migration registration will vary. You can find the full list of necessary documents here.
The official confirmation of migration registration is the arrival notification. After submitting the documents and completing the registration process, a foreign citizen receives the detachable part of their arrival notification, which confirms that they have been registered for migration purposes.
For students, the migration registration period is limited to the duration of the academic year (for citizens of visa-free countries) or to the validity period of the visa (for citizens of visa-required countries).
Important! Please make sure to monitor the expiration date of your migration registration and extend it in advance.
You must apply no later than 30 days before your current registration expires.
Depending on the entry procedure (visa or visa-free) and place of residence, the list of required documents for extension of migration registration will vary. You can find the full list of necessary documents here.
Yes, you do.
You must extend your migration registration when you receive a new visa. In this case, the registration must be extended within 3 days from the start date of the new visa.
Yes, you do.
If a foreign citizen travels to another city for more than 7 days, they must complete migration registration — i.e., complete temporary registration at the place of stay in that city.
Yes, you do.
Regardless of how long you stayed outside of Russia, you must go through the migration registration process again. Your previous registration becomes invalid once you leave the country.
Please note: obtaining a new migration card requires a new migration registration.
To extend your registration for the summer months after graduation, you need to submit an application for post-graduation leave.*
After that, depending on your place of residence, you must either contact the Department of Visa and Migration Support of Foreign Students or ask the apartment owner (or hotel administrator) to extend your registration.
Rules on Migration Registration
Post-graduation leave is granted to graduates of higher and secondary vocational education institutions who are enrolled in main educational programs, in accordance with the Federal Law «On Education in the Russian Federation» dated December 29, 2012, No. 273-FZ.
If you have an RVP, RVPO or residence permit you must obtain a registration at the permanent place of residence (this is not the same as migration registration!) within 7 days after receiving the document. If your permanent registered address does not match your actual place of residence, you must additionally register at your temporary place of stay. You can find the step-by-step process here.
Important! If your RVP, RVPO or residence permit was issued outside of Moscow, you must obtain temporary registration (migration registration) in Moscow.
Foreign citizen who violate migration laws may face deportation by court order, a fine of up to 7,000 rubles, and a ban on entering Russia for up to 5 years.
A foreign citizen staying in Russia must have the following documents:
A foreign citizen must always carry these documents and present them upon request by police officers.
*Foreign students may obtain an Obligatory Medical Insurance (OMI) policy if they:
Foreign students who hold an OMI policy are exempt from the requirement to purchase a Voluntary Medical Insurance (VMI) policy.
Yes, there are.
Foreign students in Russia are required to complete two mandatory procedures:
More details: Rules on Migration Registration
These procedures are not required for citizens of the Republic of Belarus or for those who hold an RVP, residence permit, or have diplomatic status.
Medical examination and medical insurance are both mandatory procedures required for foreign citizens residing in Russia, but they serve entirely different purposes.
A medical examination refers to three certificates issued to a foreign citizen based on test results for infectious diseases and the use of narcotic or psychotropic substances.
Medical insurance (or a voluntary health insurance policy, VHI) is a document that allows a foreign citizen to receive medical care at a healthcare facility if needed.
Yes, they can.
Foreign citizens receive medical care on the basis of a Voluntary Medical Insurance (VMI) policy.*
Detailed information about VMI policies can be found in the «Insurance» section. Rules on Migration Registration
*Foreign students may obtain an Obligatory Medical Insurance (OMI) policy if they:
Foreign students who hold an OMI policy are exempt from the requirement to purchase a Voluntary Medical Insurance (VMI) policy.
Before traveling to another country or city for vacation or any other reason, you must submit a departure notice to both Department of Visa and Migration Support of Foreign Students and the dean’s office of your faculty. This notice must include your departure date and expected return date.
If a foreign student is hospitalized and their condition allows, they should notify the staff of the Department of Visa and Migration Support of Foreign Students. On the first day after being discharged from the hospital, the student must visit the Department of Visa and Migration Support of Foreign Students.
If a foreign student holds dual (or multiple) citizenship, and one of them is Russian citizenship, the student is considered a citizen of the Russian Federation. In this case, they enjoy the same rights and bear the same responsibilities as Russian students.
They are also subject to resident registration as a Russian citizen for the entire period of their studies.
No, it will not. A student who obtains Russian citizenship will not lose their existing quota. However, the student must NOTIFY both the Department of Visa and Migration Support of Foreign Students and the dean’s office of their faculty.
Yes, but only during non-study hours.
Foreign nationals studying full-time at a state-accredited higher education institution in Russia are allowed to work while studying, as of August 2020.
In case of loss or damage of your documents, you must immediately inform the Department of Visa and Migration Support of Foreign Students and take the necessary steps to restore the documents yourself.
More information can be found here.
No, the Academy does not issue invitations for relatives.
You must apply for a new passport in advance through the competent authorities. More details here.
You must immediately (on the day you receive the new passport) inform the Department of Visa and Migration Support of Foreign Students and the dean’s office of your faculty.
Read more about the next steps here.
In case of early termination of studies (expulsion), you are required to leave the territory of the Russian Federation within three days from the date the expulsion order is issued.
Upon graduation, you must leave Russia before your visa expires.
Students who have been granted academic leave must depart from Russia within three days of the issuance of the official order and stay abroad for the full period of their academic leave.
No, you cannot.
Once academic leave is granted, a separate order for eviction from the dormitory is issued, and the student must vacate the dormitory.
Police officers have the authority to check documents that confirm a person’s identity and legal status in Russia and may detain a foreign citizen if there are grounds to clarify the situation. Foreign citizens must present their documents upon request from a police officer.
If an international student is unable to confirm their student status, they should immediately contact the Department of Visa and Migration Support of Foreign Students.
We recommend keeping scanned copies or photos of your documents on your phone.
No, you cannot.
You must keep your migration card until you leave Russia. It must be handed over at passport control upon departure.
Medical certificates are added to the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ database only by the territorial division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Migration Department). To have your data added, you must go to the territorial division (OVM OMVD). If your request is denied, you should go to the following address to have your medical examination certificates entered into the Ministry of Internal Affairs database: Moscow, ul. Bakhrushina, 18. The service costs 1,500 rubles (with a valid student ID).
