On this page
- When this guide applies
- Check the route first
- Two limits, one trip
- Check dates on the official portal
- Before fixing your travel dates
- Official sources
- Count calendar dates, not hours
- Extensions are exceptional
- Why older guides mention 16 days
- Common stay and validity questions
- Visa guidance
- Prepare the rest of your application
- Questions this guide answers
- Medical insurance guidance
- Travelling on an Indian passport?
- About this guidance
When this guide applies
This guide explains a unified e-visa for an eligible foreign traveller using a national passport for a qualifying short visit; it does not establish your eligibility. Work, study, residence, unusual travel documents and a transit-only journey need a separate assessment. Russian citizens must use their applicable Russian travel documents, not this e-visa route.
Last checked 28 September 2026. Official e-visa instructions · Official e-visa FAQ
Check the route first
Read the unified e-visa overview for eligibility and shared route conditions.
Two limits, one trip
- Visa validity
The 120-day window runs from issue, not from your arrival. Read the start and expiry dates on the issued visa. Departure must still be within that window.
Hypothetical expiry example: if the visa expires on 20 October, unused stay days do not make departure on 30 October valid.
Last checked 28 September 2026. Official e-visa instructions · Official e-visa FAQ
- Allowed stay
A stay may not exceed 30 calendar days from entry, and it must end before visa validity runs out. Arrival and departure dates both count; this is not an allowance of 720 complete hours.
Hypothetical calendar example: entry on 1 October and departure on 30 October uses 30 calendar dates, provided the visa remains valid throughout. This illustrates the count, not an entry guarantee or a personal departure calculation.
Last checked 28 September 2026. Official e-visa instructions
Check dates on the official portal
External Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. Its instructions link to the official visa calculator.
Before fixing your travel dates
Read your issued visa, then check that both arrival and departure fit the validity window and the allowed stay. Remember that this is a single-entry visa. Use the official instructions and their visa-calculator link to check your dates; the examples here do not replace your issued visa.
For when to submit an application, read how to apply and processing time. Those are separate questions from validity and stay. No application, quote or insurance purchase is offered here.
Last checked 28 September 2026. Official e-visa instructions
Official sources
Count calendar dates, not hours
Count the arrival date and departure date as part of the stay. Hypothetical midnight example: arriving late on 1 October and leaving early on 2 October spans two calendar dates, even though less than 24 hours have passed. Do not subtract the hours before arrival or after departure to gain an extra day.
Last checked 28 September 2026. Official e-visa instructions
Extensions are exceptional
The official instructions allow an extension only when you cannot leave Russia because of emergency treatment, force majeure or a natural disaster. They direct the procedure to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) or its territorial bodies at your place of migration registration, or at your actual place of stay if you have no such registration. An ordinary, not electronic, visa is issued for the extension.
This is not a routine way to lengthen a holiday, and an extension is not promised. If you need a longer planned stay, assess the appropriate route before relying on an e-visa; do not assume that you can extend it later.
Last checked 28 September 2026. Official e-visa instructions
Why older guides mention 16 days
The official notice changed the limits from 60-day validity and a 16-day stay to 120-day validity and a stay of up to 30 days for applications submitted from 00:00 Moscow time on 23 August 2025. Applications submitted before that cutoff kept the earlier limits.
That is historical context, not a choice of limits for a new application. Check your issued visa and the current official instructions, rather than an undated guide.
Last checked 28 September 2026. Official notice: limits from 23 August 2025 · Official e-visa FAQ
Common stay and validity questions
Does 120-day validity mean I can stay for 120 days?
No. Validity is the visa's window of use. The allowed stay is up to 30 calendar days and must fit inside that window.
Last checked 28 September 2026. Official e-visa instructions
Do the arrival and departure dates count?
Yes. Both calendar dates count. A trip spanning two different dates is not reduced to one day just because less than 24 hours pass.
Last checked 28 September 2026. Official e-visa instructions
Can I enter shortly before the visa expires?
The whole stay, including departure, must fit within visa validity as well as the allowed-stay limit. Entering near expiry does not restart the visa's validity or guarantee 30 days of stay. Read the dates on the issued visa; this guide does not guarantee entry.
Last checked 28 September 2026. Official e-visa FAQ
Can I leave and enter again on the same e-visa?
No. The unified e-visa is single-entry. Do not plan a second entry using the same visa.
Last checked 28 September 2026. Official e-visa instructions
Can I extend an e-visa for a longer holiday?
A longer holiday is not an extension ground listed in the official instructions. The exceptional procedure concerns inability to leave due to emergency treatment, force majeure or natural disaster; the competent authority handles it through an ordinary visa. Do not rely on an extension being granted.
Last checked 28 September 2026. Official e-visa instructions
Questions this guide answers
About this guidance
Russian Visa Guide is an independent information portal, not a Russian government website. We do not issue visas or guarantee approval, entry or a decision date. Use the official sources above and report a factual error if something needs correction.
Not sure this guidance applies?
Check the passport, purpose, travel document, dates and stay before choosing a visa or insurance product.
The route checker is not published in this release. Use the official sources on this page before choosing a route.