After Arrival

What needs to be done immediately after arriving in Russia

The visa application process does not end with a visa. Remember that upon arrival in Russia you need to perform two additional procedures: fill out a migration card and with the register migration. The first document is usually filled out by a border guard officer, and the second is filled out by the hotel employee where you decided to stay.

Throughout the duration of the trip, be sure to carry a passport with a migration card and a notice of registration for migration in case you are stopped on the street by a policeman (this happens, albeit rarely).

1. Migration card

When entering the territory of the Russian Federation, you must fill out a migration card. Usually at large airports, this issue is decided by the migration service (the card is filled in digitally or by hand). This procedure is performed during passport control.

Миграционная карта - образец

What is a migration card?

A migration card is a page-sized sheet in a passport that consists of two equal parts. Be sure to save this document, it will be asked to present when leaving the country. In addition, a migration card will be needed for registration, this will be discussed in the next section.

The screenshot on the left shows the migration card, usually it is filled in Russian and English.


2. Migration registration

If you have applied for a tourist visa, you are required to register by registering with the migration service of the Russian Federation within the first 7 days of arrival (excluding weekends and holidays). Until March 2011, it was necessary to register within 72 hours, but under the new law the deadline was changed. 

If you intend to stay in Russia for less than 7 days, it is not necessary to complete the registration procedure.

Why do I need a temporary registration in Russia?

 Миграционный учёт - образец

The purpose of registration is to notify the migration authorities of the place where you stayed about your presence in Russia. You must register in each of the cities that you are going to visit.

Registration is not your duty, it must be issued for you by the hotel where you will be staying, or the owner of the apartment in which you will stay.

If you choose hotel accommodation, after your arrival, the responsible officer should take care of registering you with the migration registration. You will be asked to provide a passport with a visa and a migration card,






which you will receive at the border when you enter the country.

If you live not in a hotel, but in a private house, the landlord is obliged to register his guest at the FMS (Federal Migration Service) department or by mail. It is not necessary to attend in person at registration; provide the landlord with a copy of the first page of your passport, a visa and a migration card.

It should be noted that some firms issue temporary registration for a fee.

Also, please remember that when leaving the country, a notice of registration for migration registration, unlike a migration card, is not necessary with you.

An example notification can be seen in the image below. The alien remains the lower part (under the dashed line).