What you need to know about the e-visa to St. Petersburg
22.07.2020 Law on electronic visa to the Russian Federation adopted by the State Duma
From October 01, 2019 it is possible to get an e-visa to visit St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region.
We describe below the main things you need to know about this e-visa.
For what purposes can an e-visa to St. Petersburg be obtained?
An e-visa to St. Petersburg may be obtained only for the following purposes:
- Business;
- Tourist;
- Humanitarian (sports, cultural, scientific-technical (academic) purposes).
How much does an e-visa to St. Petersburg cost?
There is no consular fee for such e-visa.
How long before a trip should e-visa applications be submitted?
An application for e-visa must be submitted no later than 4 days before the planned trip.
How long are e-visas to St. Petersburg valid for?
Single-entry visas, e-visas are valid for 30 days from the date of issue. With such visa, it is possible to stay in Russia for up to 8 days from the date of entry.
The days of stay start being counted from the 00:00 of the date of entry.
For example, with a visa issued on October 15, 2019, you could come to Russia on November 01, 2019 at 14:00, and you would need to leave no later than November 08, 2019 at 23:59 but not November 09, 2019 at 14:00.
Through which checkpoints is it possible to enter and leave the country with an e-visa to St. Petersburg?
- Airport Pulkovo;
- Vysotsk, St. Petersburg Port and St. Petersburg Passenger Port harbor checkpoints;
- Ivangorod, Torfyanovka, Brusnichnoe, Svetogorsk automobile checkpoints;
- Ivangorod pedestrian checkpoint.
It is currently not possible to entry and exit by rail with an e-visa.
Citizens of which countries can apply for an e-visa to St. Petersburg?
- Austria, Andorra
- Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria
- China (including Taiwan), Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus
- Denmark, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
- Estonia
- Finland, France
- Germany, Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland, India, Indonesia, Spain, Iran, Ireland, Italy
- Japan
- Kuwait
- Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg
- Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco
- Netherlands, Northern Macedonia, Norway
- Oman
- Philippines, Poland, Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland
- Turkey
- Vatican
How to apply for e-visa to St. Petersburg?
Applications for e-visa are submitted on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at https://evisa.kdmid.ru/
- First, select your country from the drop-down list and St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast from the second list (e-visas are also available for Kaliningrad and Far Eastern autonomous district), tick the boxes to accept the conditions for issuance of e-visa, agree with data transfer and receipt of notices of application status.
- Then enter your email address and set a password unless you already have an account. A number, which you can write down or print out, will be assigned to your application. This number will be required to continue completing the application.
- The data filling section will open. Fill out the application as instructed. At the end of the form, add a photo that meets the requirements of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These requirements can be found in Item 12 of the guidelines.
- Send the application once it is completed and the photo is attached.
What to do after applying for an e-visa to St. Petersburg?
Applications may be tracked on the same site after their submission, and status notices will also be emailed to applicants.
Applications are considered within 4 days.
Issued e-visas must be printed out or saved in any form so that they can be presented upon border-crossing control.
