Russia is an interesting place with plenty of history.  There are many churches and other historic buildings and monuments that go back hundreds of years which are incredible places to travel to.  Many people are starting to take trips to Russia where once it was shunned, though it is not as popular as a few other tourist areas.  Getting a visa to visit could be a challenge, but with the proper knowledge, it can become much easier to visit than without that knowledge.

To begin getting a visa, going to a Russian consulate within the United States is the best approach to take.  It is not very difficult to find a Russian consulate in another country too, if the person is traveling or outside of the United States.  There are some considerations that are not always translated well that the traveler must know; overlooking something may cause significant delays.

Valid US passports are always necessary when traveling internationally.  It is a requirement to get the passport valid for at least six months right after the expected return date.  The visa also uses up two pages in the passport book, so another two pages are required. This must be considered far in advance of leaving, because a request of extra pages or a renewal for one or two United States passports takes up a lot of time and must be done before Russian visas are submitted for.

A photo should also be submitted so the person’s photo can match the visa.  There are a few specific requirements with how these photos should look, so asking the consulate is a good idea since this can change any time.

One of the more difficult requirements comes in the form of getting a formal invitation letter or visa sponsorship.  Which to get completely is dependent upon the nature of the trip taken.  In general an invitation letter is sent from a citizen of Russia that officially “invites” the person to visit them.  A sponsorship is similar, but is used for temporary residency as opposed to a trip.  Since it is based upon the timing and what the requirements are then, the vacation goers should visit their Russian consulate to have the most up to date details on everything.  There are often workarounds for these issues, but the relationship involving the countries traveled to and from plays a big part in how things operate.

Paying a handling fee and supplying additional documentation is often necessary too.  The processing fee has several variables, and can presently be up to $500 per person.  Visiting a consulate also provides more current information on the other specific documents required depending on the timing and grounds for the trip.  In order to address time required for additional things that might surface, starting as early as possible is always the smartest idea.