Tourist Visa is issued for a period no longer than 30 days and is valid for single and double-entry only.

Dear travellers, please be advised that foreign citizens are not permitted to enter Russia independently without being hosted by the authorized Russian travel agency or hotel during the whole period of their stay. 

An exception to this rule are tourists traveling on board large cruise ships, who do not require a visa if the following conditions are met:

1. The overall period of their stay on the Russian territory for no more than 3 days (72 hours)
2. They stay overnight onboard of the cruise ship
3. They go ashore only as a part of a group of passengers on the excursions organized by the cruisecompany

In all the other cases Australian citizens are to apply for a tourist visa. 

To obtain a single-entry tourist visa the following documents should be submitted to the Consulate:

1. Visa application form (one per person). No blank spaces must be left. If a question does not apply, please type "N/A". If the answer is none, write "None". Kindly ensure that the dates of your entry and exit, as entered in the application form, match with or fall within the period specified in the supporting documents. The form should bear the original signature of applicant and must be well readable. Please state clearlyyour contact telephone number (office and after hours). Incomplete forms, forms with no signature, forms with corrections, forms filled out illegibly or with different pens will be returned to the applicantsunprocessed.
2. One photograph of 3.5 by 4.5 cm, in color taken against a light background (white or off - white). The photo needs to display a full frontal view of the face. The facial image must be sharp and clear. Sunglasses or tinted glasses are not permitted. Head coverings and hats are only acceptable due to religious beliefs, and in this case there shall be a similar photo with a head covering in the applicant's passport. The photo must be glued on the form strictly at reserved place. If photograph presented does not meet the requirements an application will be considered incomplete. The photo should be glued (not stapled or attached using adhesive tape) to the specially marked place of the application form. Please, find our photo requirements here.
3. Valid international passport or another ID recognized as such in the Russian Federation with at least 2 blank pages for visas. The passport should be submitted in original only and should be valid for at least 6 months after visa's expiration date stated in the invitation.
4. A copy of high quality or original tourist confirmation letter ("Podtverzdeniye") or letters (if your stay in Russia is arranged by 2 travel companies/hotels) issued by an authorized hosting Russian travel agency or Hotel, authorized to invite foreign citizens in the Russian Federation and registered in the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The confirmation letter(s) must contain the agency's/hotel's special reference number and should cover the whole period of the applicants stay in Russia. The number of confirmation letters from different travel agents/hotels per person is limited by two. Note that your middle name (if applicable) must appear on your tourist confirmation letter as it appears on your passport.
5. Consular fee. Visa processing fees and time you can find in the "Fees and processing time schedules" section of the website. We accept money orders, credit/savings cards and bank cheques payable to the Consulate General of Russia. If the documents are submitted by post, an applicant must enclose a money order or bank cheque. Please be advised that payments made with personal/company cheques or payable not to the Consulate General of Russia will not be accepted. Accepted visa processing fees received from the applicant are not subject for reimbursement in any circumstances.
6. If the documents are submitted by post, an applicant must enclose a self-addressed envelope. Please ensure that you note the tracking number so that you may monitor the return of your documents. We strongly recommend that you choose a delivery service that enables you to track the arrival of your package, such as Express Post. Please be advised that if an applicant haven't enclosed an envelope the passport with visa won't be sent back and will be left for collection at our Office. If an applicant haven't filled out his address on an envelope the address will be filled out by the consular officer in accordance with the information in the question 17 (permanent address) of the application form. In both cases the Consulate General does not bear any responsibility for the delay in your passport's dispatch or loss. After receiving your passport with visa, please check the visa for possible mistakes (name, surname, passport number, date of birth, term of validity etc.) and, if necessary, return it to us for corrections. The Consulate will not be responsible for the mistakes, which were not brought to its attention before your departure from Australia.

Dear Applicants and visa agents, please follow the above requirements when submitting your papers. Otherwise, the documents will be returned unprocessed.

Double-entry tourist visas are granted only if the following conditions are met:

• In between of entries into Russia a foreigner is visiting only a neighboring country (countries, including the EU Shengen countries);
• The purpose of travel to this country is tourism.

To obtain a Double-entry Tourist visa the following documents should be submitted to the Consulate:

1. Visa application form (one per person). No blank spaces must be left. If a question does not apply, please type "N/A". If the answer is none, write "None". Kindly ensure that the dates of your entry and exit, as entered in the application form, match with or fall within the period specified in the supporting documents.The form should bear the original signature of applicant and must be well readable. Please state clearly your contact telephone number (office and after hours). Incomplete forms, forms with no signature, forms with corrections, forms filled out illegibly or with different pens will be returned to the applicantsunprocessed.
2. One photograph of 3.5 by 4.5 cm, in color taken against a light background (white or off - white). The photo needs to display a full frontal view of the face. The facial image must be sharp and clear. Sunglasses or tinted glasses are not permitted. Head coverings and hats are only acceptable due to religious beliefs, and in this case there shall be a similar photo with a head covering in the applicant's passport. The photo must be glued on the form strictly at reserved place. If photograph presented does not meet the requirements an application will be considered incomplete. The photo should be glued (not stapled or attached using adhesive tape) to the specially marked place of the application form. Please, find our photo requirements here.
3. Valid international passport or another ID recognized as such in the Russian Federation with at least 2 blank pages for visas. The passport should be submitted in original only and should be valid for at least 6 months after visa's expiration date stated in the invitation.
4. A copy of high quality or original tourist confirmation letter ("Podtverzdeniye") or letters (if your stay in Russia is arranged by 2 travel companies/hotels) issued by an authorized hosting Russian travel agency or Hotel, authorized to invite foreign citizens in the Russian Federation and registered in the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The confirmation letter(s) must contain the agency's/hotel's special reference number and should cover the whole period of the applicants stay in Russia. The number of confirmation letters from different travel agents/hotels per person is limited by two. Note that your middle name (if applicable) must appear on your tourist confirmation letter as it appears on your passport.
5. A visa to the third country or an official document proving that visa is not required to enter it. Thus you are to apply for a visa to the third country prior to your application for a Russian visa. No assurance that a visa will be obtained after the Russian visa is received or in the territory of Russia will be taken into consideration and the documents will be returned.
6. Full itinerary of your journey.
7. Consular fee. Visa processing fees and time you can find in the "Fees and processing time schedules" section of the website. We accept money orders, credit/savings cards and bank cheques payable to the Consulate General of Russia. If the documents are submitted by post, an applicant must enclose a money order or bank cheque. Please be advised that payments made with personal/company cheques or payable not to the Consulate General of Russia will not be accepted. Accepted visa processing fees received from the applicant are not subject for reimbursement in any circumstances.
8. If the documents are submitted by post, an applicant must enclose a self-addressed envelope. Please ensure that you note the tracking number so that you may monitor the return of your documents. We strongly recommend that you choose a delivery service that enables you to track the arrival of your package, such as Express Post. Please be advised that if an applicant haven't enclosed an envelope the passport with visa won't be sent back and will be left for collection at our Office. If an applicant haven't filled out his address on an envelope the address will be filled out by the consular officer in accordance with the information in the question 17 (permanent address) of the application form. In both cases the Consulate General does not bear any responsibility for the delay in your passport's dispatch or loss. After receiving your passport with visa, please check the visa for possible mistakes (name, surname, passport number, date of birth, term of validity etc.) and, if necessary, return it to us for corrections. The Consulate will not be responsible for the mistakes, which were not brought to its attention before your departure from Australia.

Dear Applicants and visa agents, please follow the above requirements when submitting your papers. Otherwise, the documents will be returned unprocessed.