Russia entry requirements, by passport

Vaccinations

• No mandatory vaccines for entry. The international vaccination certificate is asked of nobody: not the yellow fever one, and not even of travellers arriving from a country with risk of transmission. That is what the country has declared in the International Health Regulations list.

Customs limits

Cash

Cash and traveller's cheques worth more than the equivalent of USD 10,000 in total must be declared in writing on entry and exit (Eurasian Economic Union Customs Code, Art. 260). Below that figure, declaration is voluntary. In addition, since 2 March 2022 taking foreign currency in cash out of Russia above the equivalent of USD 10,000 has been prohibited (Presidential Decree No. 81 of 1 March 2022); the restriction does not apply to the rouble.

Alcohol

3 litres of alcoholic beverages duty-free, for those aged 18 or over (Eurasian Economic Commission Council Decision No. 107 of 20 December 2017, Annex 1).

Tobacco

200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars or cigarillos, or 200 heated-tobacco units, or 250 grams of tobacco, or a combination of up to 250 grams in total, duty-free, for those aged 18 or over.

Overstay penalties

Article 18.8 of the Russian Federation's Code of Administrative Offences penalises a foreign national who breaches the rules of stay, which includes not leaving the country when the authorised period ends, with a fine of 2,000 to 5,000 roubles, with or without administrative removal. In Moscow, Saint Petersburg and the Moscow and Leningrad regions the fine is 5,000 to 7,000 roubles, with removal.

Grounds for refusal

Apply to: Visa-free, Visa required

• Any of the circumstances in Federal Law No. 114-FZ of 15 August 1996 arising: being granted the e-visa does not guarantee entry, and refusal can happen at the border check itself.

Apply to: e-Visa

• The details on the e-visa application not matching those in the passport; citizenship, surname, given names, date of birth, sex or passport number: a full or partial mismatch is a ground for refusing entry at the border crossing point.
• Attaching a photograph that is not of the applicant or does not meet the required format: the official source names it expressly as a ground for refusal at the border.
• Presenting yourself at a border crossing point that is not on the list approved by the Russian Government for the unified e-visa: that visa is only valid for entry and exit through those points.
• Any of the circumstances in Federal Law No. 114-FZ of 15 August 1996 arising: being granted the e-visa does not guarantee entry, and refusal can happen at the border check itself.

What to do if you are refused entry →