How to Get a Russian Work Visa for US Citizens

Getting a work visa for any country is (not without justification) an exercise in jumping through hoops, as is getting a Russian visa in general. So when I decided to apply for jobs in Moscow, I was not looking forward to the process. However, it wasn’t the nightmare that I was expecting. So based on my experience, here’s a basic step-by-step guide on how to get a Russian work visa for US citizens, starting with your three-month single entry visa.

(Note: I am not a lawyer or an employee of either governments or any such person who knows the legal ins-and-outs of this issue. This is an anecdotal guide to get you started and prove it’s not as overwhelming as people make it out to be. You should rely on the official Russian guidelines. Requirements are subject to change at any moment. And, unsurprisingly, they do.)

1. Get a job.

Like the majority of work visa situations, the easiest route to a visa is to get an employer to invite you. Russia, as far as I’m aware, is not a place where it’s easy to show up and obtain legal employment as a US citizen — and if you do, you’ll have to leave the country anyway to get this initial work visa — so I’d recommend doing this from abroad. I applied for jobs in Moscow while living in Poland.

2. Apply for an invitation letter through your employer.

At this point, your employer is doing most of the bureaucratic hoop jumping. I had to fill out a form with some basic information, including the date I wanted my visa to start and which city I would be applying in. The start date of the visa is important. You cannot entire the country beforehand, not even by a few minutes. I heard a horror story of a guy who got a Russian tourist visa, but they wouldn’t even allow him on the plane because it was due to land at 11:55pm the night before his visa started. I’d recommend requesting a start date a few days before you actually intend to be there, just to be on the safe side.

My employer submitted this to the migration office via a visa agency, and the migration office will mail you a letter of invitation.

3. Obtain a cover letter from your employer.

I’m not sure if this is strictly necessary, but my employer emailed me a notarized cover letter to submit with my visa application. Extra documentation never hurts, so ask if you need one.

4. Complete the online application form.

The visa application form is a beast and definitely the most tedious part of the process (well, after finding a job). You have to both complete the form online AND print it out and submit it in person. Here are a few tips:

1. Remember the information on the visa application has to match the information on the invitation letter application, including start date and application location.
2. You will be asked about your current occupation, previous employers, educational history, and accommodation in Russia, including addresses and phone numbers. It’s best to collect that information before.
3. You will also be asked to list every country you’ve been to in the last ten years and when your visit started. This is the biggest headache in the world (I actually ran out of ‘space,’ which is kind of crazy with an online application), so definitely have this information organized before you start the application.
4. The visa agency in Poland advised me that US citizens were not required to have insurance. I’m not sure if this varies from location to location or citizenship to citizenship, so definitely double check.
5. You can be kicked out of the portal if you’re inactive for 20 minutes, so save often. You can save and resume if needed.
6. Note your application number and password in case you need to make changes.
7. Remember to actually submit the visa and not just complete it.

5. Get a photo.

You must have a recent photo to go along with your visa application.

6. Get an official HIV/AIDS test and certificate.

You must submit an HIV/AIDS certificate along with your visa application. The test must be done within a certain time frame, so don’t go too early for this. However, it usually takes a few days to get the results, too.

You need a reputable certificate, so you will probably have to go to an actual lab and not just your friendly neighborhood testing center. I went to the latter first, because they said they did international certifications, and I was given a photocopied half sheet with my name written on top. I don’t think that would have passed muster, so I ended up redoing the test at a lab.

7. Take your documents to a visa processing agency.

At the time of writing, this did not have to be done in your own country. You had to apply outside of Russia, but you could do it in somewhere else outside of the US.

I 100% recommend going to an agency if there’s one available and not to the consulate itself. I went to an agency in New York City to apply for a tourist visa and one in Warsaw for the work visa, and both were relatively painless experiences. They also have customer service email address and phone numbers and will probably react quicker than the consulate itself.

Do bear in mind that they are not the consulate, and so you should be double checking everything they say.

You will need to bring the invitation letter, the cover letter from your company, the printed out and signed application form, the HIV/AIDS certificate, a photo, your passport, and any other additional documents needed.

8. Wait.

And try not to think about it too hard. Processing times can vary, but there is an expedited option if you’re in a rush.

9. Pick up your passport.

Visa approved! Congratulations!

10. Move yourself to Russia.

At which point, you will have to start another process to get the yearlong, multi-entry visa. However, now you will also be enjoying life in Russia, making friends, finding your groove at work, and getting support from your employer (one does hope).

I’m not going to say that to get a Russian work visa is particularly easy, but it’s not the ridiculous process that people make it out to be. Applying for work visas for both Turkey and Ukraine proved to be much more difficult — and South Korea’s seemed like it was going to be a nightmare. So if you’re thinking of looking for work in Russia, don’t let the bureaucracy put you off!

Feel free to add your own experiences in the comments below — you never know who it might help!