DOCUMENTS NEEDED TO ENTER RUSSIA (VISA REQUIRED)

In order to study at ITMO University, you will have to obtain certain essential documents before entering the country. The majority of international students enter the country with their passport and a student visa.

1. obtain a student visa

A student visa is a document that allows you to enter the Russian Federation and leave the country within a specified time frame.

You can obtain your visa at a Russian consulate in your country of residence; the visa will be valid for up to 90 days.

ITMO University provides all successful applicants with the official Invitation Letter needed for applying for a student visa. It takes at least a month to prepare the invitation.

Important: please don’t purchase your tickets before you obtain an invitation from the university!

2. fill out your migration card

Important: upon arrival to Russia, you are obligated to obtain a migration card (with "education" listed as the purpose of your stay) and a migration registration!

A migration card is a document containing information about a foreign citizen entering the Russian Federation. Just like a personal ID, it is a mandatory document for all international citizens in Russia. For instance, it is impossible to obtain a migration registration without a migration card.

You can get a migration card form on the plane/train or at a special desk near passport control.

When crossing the border, you will need to show both your ID and migration card to the Federal Migration Service official.

Important: please hold on to your migration card for the length of your stay in Russia!

3. obtain your migration registration at ITMO’s Migration Services Office

On the day of your arrival or the next business day (excluding weekends and holidays), you have to visit ITMO’s Migration Services Office (Lomonosova St. 9, room 2139d) and register your stay in Russia.

In order to obtain your migration registration, you need to provide:

• your passport (or another ID document that you used to enter the country);
• your migration card;
• an accommodation registration (if staying at a hotel before the university’s dorm).

Important: students with student visas need to leave Russia before their visas expire.

Important: please inform the university’s Migration Services Office if you are planning to travel within or outside Russia, as well as if you lose your migration documents!

Important: all hospitals, hotels, and hostels in Russia provide registration for foreign citizens. If you decide to reside at a hotel or hostel (for any duration – even one day) or you need to stay at a hospital, the registration provided to you by the university will be annulled. Once you leave the hotel (hospital), you will have to apply for another migration registration on the address of your actual residence. If you’re staying at the university’s dormitory, you need to contact the Migration Services Office no later than the day after you leave the hotel (hospital).

4. visa extension

In order to extend your visa, you will need to provide the following documents to the Migration Services Office no later than 45 days prior to the expiration of your valid visa: passport, migration card, temporary registration (the original copy of the detachable section of the notice of arrival of a foreign citizen/stateless person to the area of their temporary stay), one photo (3 cm by 4 cm), contract for provision of paid educational services (if enrolled in a fee-based position), receipt confirming the payment of the state fee for a multiple-entry visa (6,000 rubles), as well as medical certificate, certificate confirming the processing of the subject’s data by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (МВД), and fingerprint registration.

5. obtain medical documents

Important: you need to have a valid health insurance policy for the duration of your stay in Russia!

Important: your insurance policy has to be valid starting from the first day of your stay in Russia!

All foreign applicants must have valid medical insurance. You can obtain a health insurance policy at any insurance company in St. Petersburg. When applying for a medical plan, pay attention to the type of insurance policy (for foreign students) and its coverage territory (St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast). You can get a consultation on choosing medical insurance at the International Students Learning and Support Center (int.students@itmo.ru, +7 (981) 158-97-78, Lomonosova St. 9, room 2139b).