Tourist visa - general information.
Entry Visas: To enter Russia for any purpose, you must possess a valid U.S. passport and a visa issued by a Russian embassy or consulate. You cannot obtain an entry visa upon arrival, so you must apply for your visa well in advance. U.S. citizens who apply for Russian visas in third countries where they do not have permission to stay for more than 90 days may face considerable delays in visa processing. If you arrive in Russia without an entry visa you will not be permitted to enter the country, and could face immediate return to the point of embarkation at your own expense.
Tourist visa can be obtained on the basis of an invitation from a tourist agency, registered with the Department of Consular Service at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs according to the Russian law, or on the basis of a hotel confirmation. Tourist visa application must include standard tourist confirmation from a hosting authorized Russian travel agency or a hotel, registered with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a voucher from your hotel or travel agency in Russia.
Tourist visas are issued for a period for up to 30 days, and most often up to 14 days. They usually have just one entry and cannot be extended while in Russia! A double entry tourist visa can sometimes be obtained in case if a foreign citizen travels to Russia, then to a neighboring CIS country, then back to Russia, and only after that to a third country. A double entry tourist visa cannot be issued for two separate trips to Russia with a return travel to the home country in between. Total period of validity of a double entry tourist visa cannot extend 30 days.
Russian travel agency can issue a voucher for you. A travel agency must have a special tourist reference number at the Department of Consular Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia and at the Russian Consulates/Embassies abroad to issue an invitation.
A tourist invitation should contain two parts: confirmation and a tourist voucher. Confirmation has a standard form, tourist voucher does not have a standardized form and can look different. It should contain number of the voucher, name of the sponsoring organization, its address and reference data; personal data of the tourist, dates of entry and exit from Russia, detailed description of the tourist services provided and information about payment for the tourist services. Tourist voucher should be stamped and signed.
Russian tourist visas are usually granted only for the specific dates mentioned in the invitation letter provided by the sponsor. U.S. citizens sometimes receive visas valid for periods as short as four days. You may wish to have someone who reads Russian check the visa before departing the United States. Please ensure that your visa reflects your intended activities in Russia (e.g., tourism, study, business, etc.).
Magic Carpet Voyage provides Visa support via its partners in the Russia on condition of booking package tour only! Document list, terms & dates of Visa preparation & Consular fees may be changed according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation regulations. Magic Carpet Voyage does not carry responsibility for non-fulfillment Visa support by consular sections of embassies in time, nor is Magic Carpet Voyage responsible for Visa rejection.
Should the Customer cancel the paid order, the service of Visa support shall be automatically terminated.


Useful Links:

Tourist visa information on the website of the embassy of the Russian Federation to the USA.
2641 Tunlaw Road N.W.,
Washington,D.C. 2007
Phone: (202) 298-5700
Fax: (202) 298-5735


Russian Consulates in the USA.


Country specific information on the U.S. Department of State website.



Please contact us on any visa questions.