Russia entry requirements, by passport
Russia visa requirements at a glance: 27 of the 81 passports VisaRadar tracks can enter Russia without arranging a visa beforehand — visa-free, with a visa on arrival, or with an electronic travel authorization. The other 54 must obtain a visa before they travel.
Which passport do you hold?
We'll take you straight to the entry requirements for Russia for your nationality.
What we've verified for Russia
Beyond the yes/no matrix, we've checked these against an official primary source (last checked 2026-08-28). The specifics depend on your nationality — open your passport's row in the table for the detail that applies to you.
- Typical processing time
- Required documents (4)
- Required vaccinations
- Health-insurance rules
- Customs limits (cash, alcohol, tobacco)
- Overstay penalties
- Airport transit rules
Sources: evisa.kdmid.ru (official e-Visa portal of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — 30-day stay limit, up to 4-day processing, required documents, mandatory medical insurance; fee's existence confirmed via direct fetch, exact amount not published on the informational pages consulted); customs.gov.ru (Federal Customs Service — cash declaration threshold; the domain wasn't reachable via direct fetch during this verification, the figure was corroborated via consultant.ru citing the legal text); consultant.ru (Eurasian Economic Union Customs Code, Art. 260.7-8 — USD 10,000 threshold); alta.ru (customs document repository, quoting verbatim EAEU Council Decision No. 107 of 20 December 2017 — alcohol and tobacco allowances); legalacts.ru (current text of Art. 18.8 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences — fines for violating the stay regime) (checked 28 August 2026).
Russia is not part of the Schengen Area or the European Union: most nationalities need a visa or prior electronic authorization to enter, under its own regime separate from the rest of Europe. Since 2021, Russia has offered a unified eVisa covering most of the country (single entry, stays up to 30 days), managed directly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and available only to eligible nationalities under the official list.
This table summarizes the exact entry mechanism for every passport we track — the difference between entering visa-free, with an electronic authorization, with an e-Visa, or with a traditional visa is explained in visa, e-Visa, and electronic authorization: what's the difference. How we verify every row before publishing it is on methodology.
Base entry rules refreshed 2026-09-17. Published: .
| Passport | Requirement | Max. stay |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-free | ||
| Argentina | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Bolivia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Brazil | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Cape Verde | Visa-free | 60 days |
| Chile | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Colombia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Costa Rica | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Cuba | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Dominican Republic | Visa-free | 60 days |
| Ecuador | Visa-free | 90 days |
| El Salvador | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Georgia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Guatemala | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Honduras | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Israel | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Moldova | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Nicaragua | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Panama | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Paraguay | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Peru | Visa-free | 90 days |
| South Africa | Visa-free | 90 days |
| South Korea | Visa-free | 60 days |
| Thailand | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Ukraine | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United Arab Emirates | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Uruguay | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Venezuela | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Visa required | ||
| Algeria | Visa required | — |
| Australia | Visa required | — |
| Austria | e-Visa | — |
| Bangladesh | Visa required | — |
| Belgium | e-Visa | — |
| Bulgaria | e-Visa | — |
| Canada | Visa required | — |
| China | e-Visa | — |
| Croatia | e-Visa | — |
| Czech Republic | e-Visa | — |
| Denmark | e-Visa | — |
| Egypt | Visa required | — |
| Equatorial Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Finland | e-Visa | — |
| France | e-Visa | — |
| Gambia | Visa required | — |
| Germany | e-Visa | — |
| Ghana | Visa required | — |
| Greece | e-Visa | — |
| Hungary | e-Visa | — |
| Iceland | e-Visa | — |
| India | e-Visa | — |
| Indonesia | e-Visa | — |
| Ireland | e-Visa | — |
| Italy | e-Visa | — |
| Japan | e-Visa | — |
| Jordan | e-Visa | — |
| Kenya | e-Visa | — |
| Malaysia | e-Visa | — |
| Mali | Visa required | — |
| Malta | e-Visa | — |
| Mexico | e-Visa | — |
| Morocco | Visa required | — |
| Netherlands | e-Visa | — |
| New Zealand | Visa required | — |
| Nigeria | Visa required | — |
| Norway | e-Visa | — |
| Pakistan | Visa required | — |
| Philippines | e-Visa | — |
| Poland | e-Visa | — |
| Portugal | e-Visa | — |
| Romania | e-Visa | — |
| Saudi Arabia | e-Visa | — |
| Senegal | Visa required | — |
| Singapore | e-Visa | — |
| Spain | e-Visa | — |
| Sri Lanka | Visa required | — |
| Sweden | e-Visa | — |
| Switzerland | e-Visa | — |
| Tunisia | Visa required | — |
| Turkey | e-Visa | — |
| United Kingdom | Visa required | — |
| United States | Visa required | — |
| Vietnam | e-Visa | — |
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The border crossings that accept the electronic visa: what changes
The unified electronic visa is valid for entering and leaving Russia only through the border crossing points on the list approved by the Russian government, and that list is not the same across the country: the crossings for Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast, those for the Far East and the one for Kaliningrad are published separately. Turning up with an e-visa at a crossing that is not on the list does not get you in, so check your point of arrival on the consular portal before buying a ticket.
Source: evisa.kdmid.ru, Departamento Consular del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores de Rusia (comprobado 18/09/2026)
Do you need a different visa for Moscow, Saint Petersburg, or Sochi?
No. Russia sets the requirements, so entering through Moscow asks for the same as entering through Saint Petersburg or Sochi. If you're arriving overland or through a small border post, check that separately: some countries apply their own rules to specific crossings.
With one exception, explained above: the rules for The border crossings that accept the electronic visa are not the rules for the rest of Russia.
What does change is where you file the application when a visa is needed, and that depends on the country you live in rather than the city you're travelling to.
What draws travelers to Russia
Russia has an immense heritage — the Kremlin and Red Square in Moscow, the Hermitage and the palaces of Saint Petersburg, the Golden Ring, Lake Baikal, the Trans-Siberian — but in 2026 it is not a viable tourist destination for most Western travelers. Important note: the U.S. State Department has kept Russia at Level 4 ("Do Not Travel") since 2022 owing to the war with Ukraine, the risk of arbitrary detention of foreigners and drone attacks on cities including Moscow and Saint Petersburg; most European governments advise against all travel. There are no direct flights from the EU, Visa and Mastercard cards issued outside Russia do not work, and many countries consular services are suspended. Russia has more than thirty UNESCO World Heritage sites, but this page limits itself to flagging the situation: check your country's current official advisory before considering any trip.
Sources for this section: U.S. Department of State travel advisory (travel.state.gov, Level 4) and UK FCDO travel advice; UNESCO World Heritage List (whc.unesco.org). Accessed 31 August 2026.
Things to see and do in Russia
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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Where can Russia passport holders travel visa-free? →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.