You will need a visa to enter Russia. Before you can apply for a visa, you will need an official invitation from the Federal Migration
Service of the Russian Ministry of the Interior. RLUS expects to receive the invitation between 3 and 10 weeks before departure.
RLUS cannot be any more exact than that, as Russian bureaucracy is notoriously unpredictable!
RLUS will send the invitation (sample
on the left) to the address you gave RLUS on your booking form. If it is being sent to an address in the UK, it will be sent by Royal
Mail Special Delivery. If you want it sent outside the UK, it will be sent by courier, as sending it by the most secure postal service
Royal Mail can provide has proved unreliable. You will be expected to pay the cost (currently £45).
Most students will apply
for their visa in the UK. You need to apply through the VFS Global website, and not directly through the Russian Consulate. There
is a link on the left to their website. You will need an HIV test. There is a link on the left to NHS test centres.
You can
find out how to apply for a visa in the UK by dowloading the file on the left. If you are a national of another country,
or are studying ouside the UK, you may also apply in that country. However, please note that the rules for obtaining a visa are different
in different countries. You will need to contact the Consulate concerned to find out how to apply. You can find the addresses of Russian
Consulates worldwide by clicking on the link on the left.