How to Get Your Russia Student Visa

A short-term student visa can be given to international students who want to come to Russia to study, learn the language, take other classes, or be a part of a short-term student exchange program.

You can come into the country one or two times with a short-term student visa.

The papers that are needed are

1. Note for the invitation:

a) An official invitation from the Russian Federal Migration Service (MFA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or any of their local offices. Or a six-digit reference number for your visa support information (MFA telex number) sent directly to the office. The official invitation needs to include the names of the people being called, the trip plans, and the dates of stay. It also needs to have the date and number of the document's registration, as well as the signature and name of someone from the agency who has legal authority. It also needs to have the agency's seal and formal location. We still have the right to ask for the original copies of any offer.

For students in the Republic of Korea

a request in writing from the host group In the Republic of Korea, a straight written offer must have the following for people who live there:

a) for the invited person:

- the invited person's name, sex, date of birth, and country; the identity document's number and type; the trip's dates and purpose; the number of entries; and the names and dates of birth of any children going with the invited person.

b) for the person who is asking:

- permanent address (register), date of birth, and full name

c) for the person, company, or group that is sending the invitation:

— full name and address, as well as

— if the request is from a group, the name, last name, and job title of the person who signs the request;

— if the inviter or its office or branch is in the Republic of Korea, that person's or company's Korean business registration number must be included, as Korean law requires.

— the tax ID number of the person or company doing the invitation or its office or branch located in Russia.

You can only turn in the original copy of a student visa application; not a copy.

2. The real ID. Passports with empty pages marked as "visas" will be okay to use. Otherwise, the papers and visa will be returned. The passport needs to be valid for at least a year and a half after the visa is no longer valid.

The person's passport will be with the Consulate for the whole time that the visa is being processed.

3. The normal visa application form , with a black-and-white or color passport-sized picture glued or taped to the spot for a photo on the form (Russian Visa Photo Specifications).

Anyone who wants a visa needs to fill out the form online and print it out at home, at work, or the Consulate General with the other papers they need.

No spots should be left empty. If you get a question that doesn't apply to you, write "N/A." If none is the answer, write "None." Make sure the dates you put on the application form for when you arrived and left match the dates in your letter. The form should have the person's real name on it and should be simple to read. Remember that the numbers on your entry form must be written in European style (day, month, year). Please clearly state your phone number, whether it's your home or office number. People who fill out these forms should remember that if they don't sign their name, if someone else changes anything, or if they fill it out in a way that makes it hard to read, or if it comes from a website that is NOT THIS ONE, it will be sent back.

4. A hospital document that checks for HIV (AIDS). This is good for only three months; the HIV blood test should be done no more than three months before applying for the visa. The Consulate General only recommends a small number of official medical groups that are able to do tests.