Visa & Migration

Visa & Migration

All the foreign students going to study in Russia are required to comply with the visa and migration requirements prescribed by Russian authorities.

Passport & Student Visa to study in Russia

All the students going to study in Russia must have a valid passport and Visa. 11 countries are exempted from Russian student visa requirements. Students from such countries can enter Russia with their passports and without a visa. However, a visa-free stay is limited to 90 days only. Therefore, it is the best approach to apply for a student visa from the very beginning.

The first student visa is issued with a validity period of three months. Before the expiry of the visa, you can apply for a visa extension. At every renewal, a one-year visa extension is given. Therefore, the visa-renewal process needs to be repeated every year until the completion of the program.

To apply for a student visa, you must first get an invitation to study in Russia. Once you are selected for a program, an invitation letter is issued either by the concerned university or by the concerned Ministry, depending on the selection process.

Following documents are required to apply for getting a Russian student visa:

Student Migration Procedure

Besides the student visa, you also need to take care of the migration formalities. To live and study in Russia, you need to fill out a Migration Card and register with the Russian Migration Service.

Migration Forms are distributed on planes and are also available for free at the airport. Once you arrive in Russia, fill out the Migration Form and submit the following documents to the University:

1. Migration Form (original as well as a copy);
2. Passport (original as well as a copy); and
3. Visa (original as well as a copy).

To ensure timely completion of the migration process, submit these documents to the University’s international office within three days of your arrival.

Once you submit your migration documents package to the University, it will take care of the rest of the process. The entire process to register with the Migration Service must be completed within seven days of arrival.

Once the migration process is completed, your University will provide you with an arrival document, which is proof of your registration with the Migration Service.

Initially, the arrival document is issued for a period of three months. At least two weeks before expiry, you can apply for an extension. At every renewal, an extension of one year is given, and the process follows until the completion of your education in Russia.

Russia Student Visa & Migration Procedure Infographic