A business visa is issued to foreign citizens and stateless persons to enter the Russian Federation with business purposes (business talks, seminars, conferences, meeting business partners etc.).

A humanitarian visa is issued to enter the Russian Federation with a purpose of the maintaining, renewal and strengthening of scientific, cultural, and socio-political relations, carrying out sport, religious and charity activities as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid and is issued based on an invitation of the General Administration for Migration Issues of the Russian MIA (before - FMS Russia) or the decision of Russian Ministry of foreign affairs or a written request (invitation) of an organization or an institution.

Business or humanitarian visas can be single or double with a validity period up to 90 days or multiple with a validity period up to 1 year, unless otherwise provided by an international agreement to which the Russian Federation is a party.

From January 1, 2017, based on the article 25.6 of the Federal Law №144-ФЗ of 5 August 1996, the diplomatic missions and consular institutions of the Russian Federation issue for the Japanese citizens multiple business and humanitarian visas with a validity period up to 5 years. Such visas allow Japanese citizens to stay in Russia for 90 continuous days, totally for 90 days within any 180-day period.

Attention! Russian multiple business and humanitarian visas are constrained by the rule "90 days out of 180 days". It means that a foreign citizen can not stay in Russia during the whole visa validity period. A maximum period of a continuous stay is 90 days. The next visit to Russia in this case becomes possible only after 180 days since the day of the first entry.

Important information for Japanese citizens! According to article 2 of the Agreement between the Government of Russia and the Government of Japan of 28 January 2012 on the simplification of visa issue procedures, Russian diplomatic missions and consular institutions issue single visas with a validity period up to 3 months or multiple visas with a validity period up to 3 years to the following Japanese citizens who wish to enter the Russian Federation:

1) Persons who enter Russia for conducting entrepreneurial activity and also to the representatives of commercial organizations;

2) Persons who conduct educational, scientific, creative and other cultural activity;

3) The participants of international sport events and the people accompanying them in their professional capacity;

4) Media workers who go on short trips for covering individual events;

5) The participants of official exchange programs between twinned administrative unites;

6) The spouses and the children under 21years old of the Japanese citizens who legally stay for a long term in Russia (in other words, those Japanese citizens who have a permit to stay in Russia for more than 90 days according to the Russian legislation).

Russian diplomatic missions and consular institutions issue multiple visas to the above mentioned citizens only if the applicant was issued with a Russian visa and legally entered Russia within a year before the application day and besides has grounds to apply for a multiple visa.

Russian diplomatic missions and consular institutions in third countries can issue visas for the Japanese citizens who have a legal permit for a long-term stay in a third country.

Attention!

In order to improve the quality of service for applicants applying for a Russian visa a new Russian Visa Center is in operation in the Consular District of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Tokyo.

Web-site: https://interlinkservice.world/japan/

Call-center: +81-3-6555-5285

The objectives of the Center are: speed up and facilitate the visa procedure, create the most comfortable conditions for applicants, clarify the rules of entry and stay in the Russian Federation, check the completeness of documents that are required for obtaining a visa as well as represent the interests of applicants at the Embassy when submitting (collecting) documents on their behalf.

The final decision to issue or refuse a Russian visa as well as the issuance of visa itself to foreign nationals outside the Russian Federation lies with the respective Russian Consular institutions.

Necessary documents for a business or humanitarian visa are as follows:

• Documents (depending on the purpose of visit) set by article 2 of the Agreement between the Government of Russia and the Government of Japan on the simplification of visa issue procedures of 28 January 2012 (or set by a similar agreement on the simplification of visa issue procedures between Russia and one of the following countries: the USA, the EU member-state, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, China, South Korea, India) or an invitation of the General Administration for Migration Issues of the Russian MIA (before - FMS Russia) or the decision of Russian Ministry of foreign affairs;

• The original of a foreign passport of a foreign citizen or a stateless person with at least two empty visa pages and valid for a minimum of 6 months starting on the day of visa expiry;

• Electronic Visa Application Form, filled out in Russian or English, and printed directly from the following website of the Consular Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry: https://visa.kdmid.ru;

• One passport size (3.5 x 4.5cm) clear photo in colour taken full-face directly facing the camera and against a plain white or light-coloured background. Only non-tinted prescription glasses and head covering worn daily for a religious purpose or as a part of national costume (in this case the same head covering must be worn in the passport photo) are allowed;

Attention! The Consular section of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Japan may request additional visa documents, invite you for an interview or extend the time of visa issue procedure.

If you are not a Japanese citizen please also check the additional information on visa application for third country citizens under the following link.

Visa fees should be paid on the day of the application(Japanese yen only).The visa processing fee is not refundable.

 

Attention!

There is a change in a form of payment of consular fees since July 1, 2019. Only bank transfers or credit card payment (“Visa” or “Mastercard”) are accepted. Payment by cash is not accepted. Thank you for your kind cooperation.

The fee for processing visa application for citizens of Japan *
Visa type	Not longer than 3 working days**	4-5 working days	6-10 working days	at least 11 working days
Tourist Transit	10,000 yen	4,000 yen		FREE
Other***		4,000 yen	FREE

* Only Japanese nationals are eligible for free visas. Citizens of other countries may be charged an extra consular fee on the basis of reciprocity.

** If a weekend or a Russian national holiday falls during the processing period, then the processing period is further extended to include the duration of the weekend/holiday.

*** Multiple visa on a direct invitation from Russian company/individual may be issued to those foreign nationals who had previously visited Russia within the one year period before the application. The multiple entry visa issuing process takes 10 to 20 working days.