Study VISA and registration

First of all, foreign students need a passport and a student visa to enter the territory of the Russian Federation.  Visa should be obtained in advance to get it before the beginning of the academic year. Visa is not an obligatory for students of countries with which Russia has an agreement on visa-free regime (the Republic of Belarus, Abkhazia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, South Ossetia, Uzbekistan and many others).

! Nota Bene! It is permitted to stay in the country for 1-3 months, while the study lasts 2-5 years. Therefore, government recommend citizens of these countries to apply for a student visa.

How and where you can apply for a visa

Educational visa can be issued at any embassy or consulate of Russian Federation in another country. Most European countries have special Russian visa centers. It is better to apply for a visa 45 days before the arrival. The process of issuing a visa takes up to 3 weeks. Here is the package of necessary documents:

1. Foreign passport
2. Completed application form
3. Invitation from the university to enter Russia
4. Your photo 3.5x4.5 cm
5. Health insurance policy
6. Certificate of absence of HIV infection (if visa more than 90 days)
7. Consent of the parents for minors to leave the country

Visa may be denied due to the incorrect or incomplete package of documents, doubts about the authenticity of documents, the presence of violations of the laws of the Russian Federation or the current ban on entry into the country.

Invitation from university

The invitation is confirmation of the purpose of arrival in the country and it is impossible to obtain a visa without it. If a foreign student entered university in Russia on state quotas (state scholarships), he will be invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The invitation will come as a telex directly to the consulate. If the student entered the university on his own, the invitation will be sent by the university and it will be necessary to present it in the package of documents for a visa. In both cases, the invitation is valid for 3 months!

The validity of educational visa

The initial visa is valid for 3 months. After that it must be renewed by submitting an application through the university. Secondary visa is issued for a year and gives the right to travel outside Russia.

Visa extension

Unfortunately, there is no visa that lasts for the entire educational period. Every year it is extended by the department of work with foreign students at the university. To renew a study visa you must apply to your university 30 days before its expiry date and present:

1. Foreign passport;
2. Completed application from with photo 3.5x4.5 cm;
3. A copy of the agreement with the university confirming your status of the student;
4. Application from the university with a written justification of the reasons for the extension;
5. Copy of the payment of state duty (15 euros);
6. Migration card;
7. Arrival Notification.

! Nota Bene! For staying in Russia with an expired visa, a student will be fined 20-50 euros. In exceptional cases the student will be deported and banned from returning to the country for five years.

Registration

Foreign students with a residence or temporary residence permit must be registered at their permanent residence. To do this, it is necessary to get a permit from the property owner and provide in the application a document confirming the right to use this housing - a rental agreement.

For registration, you can contact the passport office or MFC. The package of documents includes an identity document, a rental agreement and a receipt of payment of state duty.

The certificate of registration is a stamp in the residence permit, PSA or passport.

Migration card

It is a document containing information about a foreign citizen entering the Russian Federation, as well as an employee to control the temporary stay of a foreign citizen in the country. The migration card form is issued free of charge and is completed before passing passport control. Foreigners are advised to always carry their passport and card.

It is important to fill in the migration card without errors and corrections. If the foreigner does not speak Russian, it is allowed to write in Latin letters. The student is returned a fragment of the form, which he is obliged to keep for the entire period of staying in the country. The map has no expiration date, but it will be necessary to fill in all the details on departure and return to the territory of the Russian Federation.

Migration registration

Within a week from the arrival date foreign students are obliged to register for migration. This is the registration of the student at his residence which can be issued both at the address of the living room and at the university address.

Usually it is done by the host university. All you need is to bring the documents in advance to the department of work with foreign students. For registration you need to present a passport, migration card and visa (for countries with a visa regime).

The migration registration certificate is a notice of arrival stamped by the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs which is issued by the university. The period of validity of the notice coincides with the period of the study visa validity. When it is extended, as well as in the case of foreign student trips in the country or abroad, it is necessary to repeat the registration procedure again.

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