Good news for the citizens of Spain and 52 other countries: from 1st October 2019, all of them will be able to apply for a visa to St. Petersburg quickly, easily and absolutely free. It is an electronic visa to Saint Petersburg (e-visa), which can be processed online, with very little documentation required. The news was announced by The Federal Agency for Tourism of the Russian Federation in Spain.
Recall that from the First of July, 2019 citizens of the same 53 countries have the possibility of requesting an electronic visa to visit the Kaliningrad region; which is located between Lithuania and Poland, in the Baltic Sea. In addition, as of August 2017, the option of obtaining an electronic visa for a trip to the Far East is available for residents of 18 countries (the full list of countries can be seen here). Since 2021, Russia plans to expand the electronic visa system for regions such as Moscow, Sochi, Kazan and for citizens of more countries.
So, would you like to travel to the magnificent city of St. Petersburg? Now it’s easier than ever! You simply have to complete an online application, and within 4 days you will have an electronic visa to travel to St. Petersburg and be there for up to 8 days.
In order to apply for an electronic visa to St. Petersburg, it is not necessary to prove an invitation, hotel reservation or other documents. The procedure is very easy, fast and is done online.
What to know about the e-visa for St. Petersburg:
- The maximum stay allowed in Russia, with the e-visa, is 8 days (read the more detailed conditions here).
- The electronic visa is valid for 30 days from the date of issuance.
- The electronic visa cannot be extended.
- The electronic visa is issued within 2-4 days from the date of application.
- The electronic visa is issued free of charge.
- The electronic visa form must be completed, at the earliest, before 20 days of the planned date of travel, and no later than 4 days before the expected date of entry into the territory of Russia.
- When applying for an electronic visa, the passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of the application.
With this electronic visa, you can only travel through the territory of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. To enter Russia with an e-visa, it is essential to use one of the following border control points:
- Plane: Pulkovo International Airport.
- Car: through the border control points “Ivangorod”, “Torfyanovka”, “Brusnichnoye”, “Svetogorsk”.
- On foot: “Ivangorod” pedestrian control border point.
- Ship: border control point “Vysotsk” and “Big port Saint Petersburg (Marine Station)”, “Passenger Port of St. Petersburg”
Attention! This visa is not valid to enter the territory of the Russian Federation by train.
How to get an e-visa to St. Petersburg?
- Fill out the electronic form here. You must attach a digital photo and the passport must be in force.
- Obtain the e-visa (sent to the applicant by email or given a code in order to download it from the web).
- Print the e-visa.
- Present the e-visa to representatives of a transport company when getting on a vehicle.
- Present the e-visa at the border control point of Russia.
This is the complete list of countries for which the e-visa to St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region is available: Austria, Andorra, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Vatican, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Denmark, India, Indonesia, Iran , Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Qatar, Cyprus, China (including Taiwan), Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, North Macedonia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Philippines, Finland, France, Croatia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, Estonia, Japan. Citizens of these countries can also visit the Kaliningrad region with an electronic visa.
You can find more information about the e-visa to St. Petersburg here.
