FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Below you will find the list of the most common problems and the possible solutions offered by specialists of Visa-Centre. If you cannot find your problem or question here, you can ask in using a special form, which you will bind at the bottom of this page. Our specialists will answer you certainly answer your question as soon as possible.

I am going to leave, but my visa has not been registered…

Currently the frontier officers normally do not check the registration of your visa at passport control. However, it is planned that soon it will be done by the officers of Migration Service.

To register your visa after 3 business days upon arrival, your Visa Sponsor shall file to the Passports and Visas Department of Militia (PVS) your passport with a visa, your Migration card, registration application form, pay the State Registration Duty and penalty (about 2000 rubles) for violation of visa regime.

It is necessary to have my visa amended…

Upon arrival to Russia it is very hard to change anything in your visa. This can only be done by the bodies of Ministries of Foreign and Internal Affairs. To do this your Visa Sponsor shall file the appropriate documents to these bodies.  

I want my visa to be prolonged…

The visa can be prolonged in exceptional cases.
Your Visa Sponsor shall file to Passports and Visas Department of Militia (PVS)your passport with a registered visa, your ticket with a departure date clearly indicated, a Visa Prolongation Application and pay a special Duty. In some cases the visa may be prolonged at the Consular Service Points of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the airports (Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Pulkovo).

My visa has expired…

In this case you will not be able to leave Russia. You have to prolong your visa or to obtain an exit permit. Your Visa Sponsor shall file to the Passports and Visas Department of Militia (PVS)your passport with a registered visa, one photo (in case if you get an exit permit), your ticket with a departure date clearly indicated, a Visa Prolongation Application (or an Application for an Exit Permit) and pay the State Registration Duty and penalty for violation of visa regime.
In some cases the visa may be prolonged at the Consular Service Points of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the airports (Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Pulkovo).
Also, after receiving a Note from a Consulate or Embassy of your country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may issue a Return Certificate. In this case you will be able to leave Russia in 10 (ten) days without and exit permit.

My passport with my visa is lost (stolen)…

The new passport can be issued only by the Embassy or Consulate of your country. Normally, the visa cannot be restored, and you will need to get an exit permit. To do this, your Visa Sponsor shall file to the Passports and Visas Department of Militia (PVS)your passport with a registered visa, one photo, your ticket with a departure date clearly indicated, an Application for an Exit Permit and pay the State Duty. In addition it is important to get a certificate indicating that your passport and visa have been lost at the Militia Department closest to your location.

The following is vitally important:

• in Militia you should always declare that you have lost your passport (even in case it has been stolen);
• have a copy of your passport and visa with you;
• if your visa has been registered at Passports and Visas Department of Militia (PVS), it is sometimes possible to restore it.

Also, after receiving a Note from a Consulate or Embassy of your country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may issue a Return Certificate. In this case you will be able to leave Russia in 10 (ten) days without and exit permit.

I have been detained by Militia…

Maybe, your visa has not been registered. In this case the Militia Officer can impose upon you a penalty for violation of visa regime (up to 2200 rubles).
It is also possible that the Militia Officer is not professional enough. Try to explain him or her that your visa has been registered timely and properly, or that three business days upon your arrival to the present city of Russia have not passed yet (show your arrival ticket, etc.).
In other cases try to contact your Visa Sponsor as soon as possible.

I cannot pass the customs control at the border…

The frontier officer will explain you the reason. The following is possible:

• your visa has expired;
• your visa or passport have been improperly stamped upon arrival to Russia;
• some other thing is wrong with your documents.

Absence of visa registration normally will not prevent you from leaving the territory of the Russian Federation.
Contact your Visa Sponsor for help.
If you depart from Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo or Pulkovo airports, you can apply to the Consular Service Points of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which are located in the abovementioned airports.