• A transit visa allows to stay in the Russian Federation up to 3 days in case of traveling by plane or up to 10 days if traveling on land;
• A transit visa can be single or double.
   

Attention! Since the Agreement on Customs Union signed by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan has come into force, all flights among these countries are considered as domestic. Therefore, border and passport control is carried out only in one of these countries. This is the reason passengers traveling to Belarus or Kazakhstan with a flight change in Russia must acquire a transit visa beforehand.

A single transit visa is issued for the citizens of Japan, other states or non-stateless persons for the duration of up to 72-hour transit (by plane) through the Russian territory based on travel documents valid for leaving Russia, a valid visa that allows an entry to the neighbouring/destination country or the passport of this state.

The validity period of a double transit visa is limited by one month. If a foreigner needs to travel through Russia to a third country and on the way back also makes a transit through Russia during a period exceeding one month, one should apply for a single transit visa and then apply for the second transit visa at the Russian consulate in the first destination country.

A foreigner traveling through Russia to the destination country by vehicle can get a transit visa for a period enough to travel through the shortest possible route (but no more than 10 days).

A foreigner making a direct flight over the Russian territory does not need a transit visa.

A foreigner making flight on an international airline plane with a change at the same airport in Russia (provided this airport has a transit zone and the passenger has got proper and valid documents for the entry to the destination state as well as an airplane ticket with a confirmed date of departure from the transit Russian airport during 24 hours following the arrival) does not need a transit visa. Transit visa is required in case of leaving an airport transit zone.

Attention! Foreign citizens traveling on cruise ships and ferryboats that make a stop at a Russian port (Big and Passenger ports of Saint-Petersburg, Vladivostok, Vyborg, Kaliningrad, Korsakov (Sakhalin Oblast), Novorossiysk, Sevastopol and Sochi) for no more than 72 hours can stay in Russia without a visa, provided that they live on board of a cruise ship, ferryboat or at any other place determined by a group tour programme and the company providing the tour has carried out all necessary procedures.

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 transit visa are as follows:

• Travel documents valid for entering and leaving the Russian Federation;
• A valid visa that allows an entry to the neighboring/destination country or the passport of this state, unless otherwise provided but an international agreement. A transit visa is not required for the citizens of states that have the right to enter the neighboring countries or the destination state without visa according to existing agreements between them;

• 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.