If you are traveling through Russia on your way to somewhere else, you need a Russian visa.  Even though you’re just passing through, you still need the Russian government’s approval. Without a transit visa, you probably won’t make it out of the US.

In the event that you do make it to Russia without a transit visa, the US Department of State says that “Russian authorities may refuse to allow a U.S. citizen who does not have a transit visa to continue with his or her travel, obliging the person to immediately return to the point of embarkation at the traveler’s own expense.” That doesn’t bode well for the rest of your trip!

You need a Russian transit visa even if you just have a layover or are changing planes  in a Russian airport, although you can also get a transit visa for train travel through the country.

Here’s what you need to apply:

• 1 completed copy of a Russian visa application form

• 1 passport-sized photo

• A copy of your itinerary

• Your US passport, which must be valid for at least 6 months after you plan to enter Russia and contain at least 1 blank visa page.

• If your final destination country requires that you have a visa, you need to get that visa first.  Your visa application will be turned down if you don’t have the visa from your destination country attached to your passport when you apply for your Russian transit visa.

• If you plan to travel through Russia by train, you may be asked to provide additional information about your itinerary.

Russian transit visas are good for a maximum of 72 hours if you are traveling by air, and a maximum of 10 days if you are using other methods of travel. So, try to avoid delays if possible-make sure you’re on time for your flight!

The US Department of State calls Russia’s visa system “restrictive and complicated.” Applying with RushMyTravelVisa.com makes navigating this system much easier. We’ll help you with the application process and forward your paperwork to the embassy for the fastest possible processing. We can also help you apply for any other visas you need for your trip.

To apply for your Russian transit visa, contact us today!

Tags: Russia, russian transit visa

This entry was posted on Friday, January 8th, 2010 at 10:20 pm and is filed under Country-Specific Visas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.