(Excerpted from the Kazan 2013 website, 1.20.2012)
All foreign citizens are required to have entry visas to travel to the Russian Federation. Depending on the purpose of visit, one of the six basic types of Russian visas can be issued :
- regular visa,
- diplomatic visa,
- business visa,
- transit visa,
- temporary residence visa.
To be able to come to attend the 2013 World University Summer Games in Kazan, a foreign citizen needs to obtain a tourist visa at local Russian Embassy or Consulate according to the place of residence. You can apply for a visa through a personal representative or via post service.
A tourist visa can be obtained on the basis of invitation from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a Russian tourist agency, registered with the Department of Consular Services of Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), or a receiving party (either an organisation or an individual).
The invitation to Russia must be from the Russian Foreign Ministry or its regional representatives. The letter must contain: official seal and legal address of the agency, signature and name of official authorized to invite foreigners to Russia.
All visas are normally issued within 20 working days from the date of application, unless otherwise stipulated by international agreements of the Russian Federation. The date of applying for visa is the date when all the properly completed and signed documents are submitted. In accordance with the International Law, the Consulate in certain cases reserves the right to consider your visa applications for as long as it deems necessary.
Visa can be denied if the Consulate has serious reasons to believe that the applicant’s visit to the Russian Federation is not desirable, and the disclosure of the reason for the denial can be withheld.
