Russia Visa Insurance Requirements

Learn about the visa insurance requirements for Russia

Students who wish to study in Russia must first research the visa and insurance requirements for Russia. It is important for students to be familiar with Russia visa insurance requirements before attempting to enter the country, as making a mistake could be reason enough for rejection when applying for a Russian visa.

Student Russian Visa

International students studying in Russia will want to apply for a student Russian visa, which are intended for students who come to Russia for study programs or who are enrolled in a course at a Russian university/school. Student visas in Russia are the most flexible type of Russian visa, but are only available for students who have applied to a Russian university, school, or institution and will study there. Generally speaking, student visas don’t have limited validity, and can be renewed at any time, depending on how long you study in Russia.

Applying for a Russian Visa

Students who are taking part in an exchange program with a Russian university will need to submit their data to the university, and the foreign department of the university will take care of submitting it to the immigration offices. Student invitations are generally ready in two to six weeks. Following that, the university’s foreign department will either send the student his or her invitation, or send it directly to consulate where the student will apply for his or her visa.

The application process for students studying at Russian language schools is much the same if the school in question is attached to a Russian educational body. However, if the school is private, students will most likely have to apply for a business visa, good for up to one month.

Russian Visa Registration

After arriving in Russia, students will need to register their visa within the first 72 hours after their arrival. It is the responsibility of the inviting party (university, language school, business organization) to arrange for visa registrations. Otherwise, the student will be fined and possibly deported from Russia, and the school may lose their education license. In order to get his or her visa registered, the student must bring in his or her passport and migration cards, and the university’s foreign department will submit the documents to OVIR (immigration officials). Registration generally takes about a week.

Russia Visa Insurance Requirements

Insurance requirements for Russia include medical insurance, but only for citizens of certain foreign states. This requirement is generally based on the principle of reciprocity; in other words, medical insurance is required from citizens of a country that requires medical insurance from Russian citizens entering their own country.

Russia visa insurance requirements were further complicated after the publication of Decree 241, which removed medical insurance from the list of documents required at the Russian Consulates/Embassies abroad. This has not yet taken effect in all Russian consulates, so students should contact their nearest Russian consulate/embassy to determine which insurance requirements for Russia apply to them.

It is possible to be rejected for a visa if medical insurance is absent, so students should make very certain which requirements apply to them.