Visa Invitation Letter and Requirements when applying for a Russian Business Visa.

A Visa Invitation Letter is required to obtain a visa for Russia and is issued by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Federal Migration Department of Russia.  I will be discussing the procedure to apply for a business visa. This is the best option if you are planning to stay in Russia for more than 30 days and if you are planning to cross the border often. I am currently in the process of applying for a Russian visa. This will be my third Russian visa and my second business visa.

Before applying for a Visa Invitation Letter, there are two important issues to consider:

[v_icon color=”#1e73be” size=”18px” target=”_blank” name=”moon-checkmark”] Business or Tourist Visa? A tourist visa is quick and less complicated. A business visa takes time but allows for more flexibility.

[v_icon color=”#1e73be” size=”18px” target=”_blank” name=”moon-checkmark”] Single, Double or Multiple entries. Multiple entries are more expensive.

[v_icon color=”#1e73be” size=”18px” target=”_blank” name=”moon-checkmark”] What requirements do the Russian Embassy have where you will be applying for your visa. Not all Russian Embassies have the same requirements and they tend to make changes on short notice. For example: The Russian Embassy in South Africa will accept a Telex (Invitation letter) but the Russian Embassy in Buenos Aires, only accept the original document, printed on special paper.

Where to obtain a Visa Invitation Letter?

There re many companies in Russia who are currently offering this service. However, there are only a handful of reputable companies that offer this service. I have used a company called TravelRussia.su in 2012 and I am using them again. They are located in St. Petersburg, Russia, and speak English. It is important to be able to contact them if there are concerns and questions and they have a chat line available on their page as well as a Skype contact. They also have very good prices and I didn’t hesitate to contact them again, once I decided to go the business visa route again.

Procedure to apply for a visa invitation letter.

The process is fairly simple. You are required to fill out a page with all your personal information, where you will be applying for the visa, the cities that you are going to visit, the type of invitation letter required and if you need a courier. They work with Fedex, UPS and DHL. Once the form has been submitted and payment have been made, the visa invitation letter will be prepared. You need to allow for time as the invitation letter takes 7 business days to be finalized and another 7 business days for it to be couriered. The status of your order can be tracked on their webpage and you can contact them directly should you have any questions.

Once the visa invitation letter has been issued, the formal procedure to apply for your actual Russian visa can now commence. Make sure that your Russian visa application form has the same cities listed as on your Visa Invitation letter.