The terms you'll meet when applying for a Russian visa — invitation letters, telex, vouchers, migration cards and more — explained in plain English.
A Letter of Invitation, also called visa support, is a category-specific supporting document used for some regular visas. The accepted format depends on nationality, visa category and the responsible Russian mission. The published eVisa rule does not require an invitation.
A Telex is a business invitation transmitted electronically by Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs straight to the specific Russian consulate where you will apply. Instead of receiving a paper document, the consulate retrieves your invitation by its Telex reference number. Telex invitations are common for business visas and for applicants in countries where paper invitations are not accepted.
A registered Russian tour operator can issue a confirmation of acceptance of a foreign tourist, commonly supplied with a tourist voucher. This is one supporting-document route for a tourist visa. Current KD MID rules also allow a qualifying accommodation-booking confirmation for citizens of countries in the applicable government list, so the required format must be checked with the responsible Russian mission.
A migration card is a small form you complete on arrival in Russia (often handed out on the plane or available at the border). One half is stamped and returned to you — keep it safe, because you must surrender it when you leave and present it during migration registration. Losing the migration card can cause problems at departure.
Every foreign visitor must be registered at their place of stay. Hotels do this automatically at check-in; if you stay in a private home or apartment, your host (the 'receiving party') must notify the local Migration Service, usually within 7 working days of arrival. You receive a detachable registration slip — keep it with your passport and migration card.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MFA, or MID in Russian) oversees Russia's consulates, embassies and the unified e-Visa system. Official visa portals such as evisa.kdmid.ru are operated under the MFA's Consular Department. It is the authoritative source for current entry rules.
GUVM (Glavnoye Upravleniye po Voprosam Migratsii), part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, replaced the former Federal Migration Service (FMS). It issues private and business invitations inside Russia and is responsible for migration registration and residence matters.
The unified eVisa is issued online by the Russian MFA to citizens of 65 eligible states. The published eVisa rule does not require an invitation. It has 120 days from issue, permits a stay within 30 days from entry, and uses 4 calendar days as the current processing limit. The published eVisa rule requires medical insurance, subject to any official exemption returned for the traveler.
The consular fee is the official government charge for processing a visa. It varies by nationality, visa type and reciprocity agreements. The e-Visa portal and responsible Russian mission display the applicable official amount; it is separate from any visa-centre service fee.
A visa application centre, such as VFS Global, is an authorised company that accepts Russian visa applications, collects biometrics and forwards documents to the consulate. Using a centre is often more convenient than the consulate itself but adds a service fee (frequently around USD 30) on top of the consular fee.
The number of permitted entries is stated by the applicable rule and issued visa. The current unified-eVisa value is 1 entry; regular-visa entries depend on the issued visa.
'Visa support' is the everyday term agencies use for the invitation letter (LOI). When a tour operator advertises 'visa support from $19', they mean they will issue the tourist confirmation and voucher (or a business invitation) that you submit with your consular application.
Now that the terms make sense, check exactly what your nationality needs to enter Russia — visa-free, e-Visa or standard visa.
Tourist invitation (visa support) delivered by email. Document acceptance and format requirements may vary by consulate.
The document is issued after payment and data review. Verify local document requirements. Visa and entry decisions are made by the competent authorities.
