Preparation for entering the Russian Federation

Foreign students who are to arrive in Russia according to visa regime have to go through the following procedures:

1. Check the period of validity of your international passport. There are 2 important points:

- Period of validity should be 18 months from the date of arrival in the Russian Federation.

- Your international passport should have at least 4 pages for pasting visa and border control stamping when entering and leaving Russia.

In case your international passports period of validity is less than 18 months or there are less than 4 pages in your passport, a new international passport is needed.

2. For validating your visa, you have to receive an invitation** first.

- To get an invitation send an email to indekanat@gnesin-academy.ru with the title «Invitation for studies» (or «Приглашение на обучение» in Russian). Attach notarized translation of your passport.

- Employees of the Department of Visa and Migration support will answer your email and send an application form.

- Fill in the form and send it to indekanat@gnesin-academy.ru 

- An invitation will be sent to your email as soon as it will be prepared. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation is responsible for signing invitations. The procedure of validating an invitation takes at least 15 working days. Invitations are only sent in digital form. 

Always keep in touch!

Important! We suggest you not to book a flight unless you get the invitation.

Important: if you are going to study in Russia within the «Россотрудничество» quota, after confirming your participation the invitation for entry (personal visa identification) will be done by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. You can find your visa identification number on the website: https://education-in-russia.com/ 

3. After getting an invitation you have to validate your visa***:

- To sign for visa, go to the Russian Federation Embassy or the Russian Federation Consulate in your country. Contact information of these institutions can be found on the website: https://www.kdmid.ru/docs/ 

- Submit documents required for getting visa

- Get your visa. This visa will be considered single educational visa**** with 90-days-period of validity. Once the period of validity expires you have to prolong it. 

Important! Visa-migration support is only provided to students of the intramural form of study

Important: if you are going to study in Russia within the «Россотрудничество» quota, you should go directly to the Russian Federation Embassy in your country and bring your personal visa identification with you

**Invitation for entry into Russia — document, both physical and digital, which allows foreign citizens either to get visa, or to enter Russia on special terms without requiring visa according to laws of the Russian Federation and International Agreement.

***Visa — document allowing a foreign citizen to enter the country either for staying there for a period of time or for travelling in transit. Visa confirms the terms and period of your visit. 

****Single educational visa is only done in the country of your citizenship. It allows you to enter and to leave Russia only once during a certain period of time

Citizens of the CIS (citizens of Azerbaijan, Armenia, the Belarus Republic, Qazaqstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldavia, Tadjikistan, Uzbekistan) and also citizens of Georgia, South Osetia, Ukraine and those who have diplomatic visa for entry into the Russian federation do not have to obtain educational visa.

Important! Free entry does not mean there is no specific rules for foreign citizens staying in Russia 

Check your international passport before your visit to the Russian Federation. At the moment of your visit it should be valid and have spare pages for entry and leave stamps

Important: period of your stay in Russia is limited by the period of validity of your passport and duration if study