We are pleased to inform you that the Consular Section of the Russian Embassy in Malta has resumed its operation. Please schedule an appointment for your visit here. 

Private visas are issued to foreign citizens and stateless persons entering the Russian Federation as private guests on the basis of an invitation completed in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, following an application by a citizen of the Russian Federation or a foreign national who has obtained residency in the Russian Federation.

There are three kinds of invitations accepted for private visas:

- an invitation in a paper form (original only) or an electronic form issued by the Ministry of Interior of the Russian Federation (MVD of Russia). Ask for this kind of invitation from your Russian inviting person;

- an inviting letter of a citizen of the Russian Federation made out to the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Malta regarding the joint entry to the Russian Federation with members of his family (spouse and minor children). Taking into account that this application must be submitted by a citizen of the Russian Federation, the procedure in the Russian language is to be followed;

- a letter of invitation legalized at a notary office in Russia (original only) from a citizen of the European Union who lives on a legal basis in the Russian Federation and invites his next of kin.

 The standard maximum validity period of a single-entry or a double-entry private visa is 90 days.

The validity period of a multiple-entry private visa issued:

- on the basis of bilateral agreements of the Russian Federation with Germany, Swiss and Spain is up to 6 months (the authorized stay is 90 days at one trip or in total),

- on the basis of bilateral agreements of the Russian Federation with Hungary and Japan is up to 1 year (the authorized stay is not more than 90 days in any 180-day period).

 List of required documents

1. Visa invitation of one of three kinds:

- an invitation of the Ministry of Interior of the Russian Federation (MVD of Russia) – in a paper form or an electronic form. Ask for this kind of invitation from your Russian inviting person;

- an inviting letter of a citizen of the Russian Federation made out to the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Malta regarding the joint entry to the Russian Federation with members of his family (spouse and minor children). The procedure in the Russian language is to be followed;

- a letter of invitation legalized at a notary office in Russia (original or copy) from a citizen of the European Union who lives on a legal basis  in the Russian Federation and invites his next of kin. The copy of the document proving the legal stay in Russia of the inviting person and the proof of the relationship with the applicant will be required.

2. Travel passport (original). The passport must contain at least 2 blank visa pages and must be valid 6 months after the last day of the required visa validity;

3. Visa application form printed and signed personally by the applicant.

4. 1 recent passport photo. The photo must be glued (not stapled!) on the visa application form;

5. Medical insurance policy document (copy or original) issued by a foreign insurance company or a Russian insurance company. This document is required only from the citizens of all EU countries (except Great Britain), Iran, Iseland State, Israel, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway and Swiss. This document must contain: 

- the date when the agreement was signed;

- the policy number;

- the full name of the insured person;

- full details of the insurer;

- the dates of validity: the policy must cover the entire period of stay in Russia for single-entry and double-entry visas, and the duration of the first trip for multiple-entry visas;

- the list of medical services covered by the insurance, the repatriation must be included;

- the geographical area coverage: worldwide or including the Russian Federation or Europe including the Russian Federation;

- the insurance coverage amount must not be less than 30.000 Euros;

- the signature of the insurer.

Insurance policies and confirmation letters which do not contain the above information and standard forms stamped by the insurer are not accepted.

Insurance cards are not accepted;

6.    Original and copy of a valid Malta permanent residence permit (not required if the applicant is a citizen of the EU or the USA).

 The Russian Consulate may request additional documents before issuing a visa, invite any applicant to a personal interview or extend the time required for the visa consideration.

To be noted that the law of the Russian Federation empowers the Russian Consulate to refuse to issue any visa without explaining the reasons of the refusal.

Processing time

The processing time for the issuance of a private visa in the Consular section depends on the invitation: 

- for invitations of the Russian MVD: 3 working days – 20 calendar days;

- for inviting letters of citizens of the Russian Federation made out to the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in the Repablic of Malta regarding the joint entry to the Russian Federation with family members: 5-7 calendar days; 

- for inviting letters from a citizen of the European Union who lives on a legal basis  in the Russian Federation and invites his next of kin:

- single-entry and double-entry visas: 3 working days-20 calendar days;

- multiple-entry visas: only 10 calendar days (may not be reduced).

The Article 7 of the Russia-EU visa facilitation Agreement authorizes the Russian consulate to extend the time processing of a visa application up to 30 working days in individual cases, notably when further scrutiny of the application is needed.

                          Important information

Processing time

The processing time for the issuance of a business visa in the Consular section depends on the invitation:

- for invitations of the Russian MVD: 3 working days – 20 calendar days;

- for telex invitations of the Russian MFA: 1 working day – 5-7 calendar days; 

- for inviting letters from organizations based in Russia:

- single-entry and double-entry visas: 3 working days-20 calendar days,

- multiple-entry visas: only 10 calendar days (may not be reduced).

The Article 7 of the Russia-EU visa facilitation Agreement authorizes the Russian consulate to extend the time processing of a visa application up to 30 working days in individual cases, notably when further scrutiny of the application is needed..

General rules

1. The Consular section is authorized to give visas only for the Russian Federation.

2. The Consular section does not accept any visa documents sent by post and never sends passports with visas by post.

3. The visa application is to be introduced not later than 5 calendar days and not earlier than 3 months before the trip to the Russian Federation.

4. All payments in the Consular section must be done only in cash. Bank cards money and other means of payment are not accepted.

5. The fee paid for a visa is not refundable.

6. When obtaining a passport with a visa, we recommend that you carefully check the personal data specified in the visa.

7. The law of the Russian Federation empowers the Consular section to refuse to issue any visa without explaining the reasons of the refusal.

8. Before you make an appointment we recommend you to read the information about the required documents first.

9.A foreign citizen or a stateless person (who does not have the Russian citizenship) must be present in the Consular section in person. The applicant is authorized to apply for a visa for himself and his/her children under 18 y.o. for a joint trip to Russia (for the same dates). Documents proving the degree of relationship are required (originals from the Gemeente). The applications on behalf of a third person (even with the power of attorney) are not accepted.

10. VERY IMPORTANT ! The visa procedure that is underway in the Russian consulate may be cancelled (stopped) by the applicant. For that the candidate for a visa has to apply with a written statement to the organisation where he has submitted his/her visa documents. All paid fees in that case are not refundable. The passport without a visa will be returned to its holder not earlier than after 2-3 working days. 

11. VERY IMPORTANT ! ARE YOU BANNED TO ENTER THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION?
In case of non-payment in due time by a foreign citizen during his/her stay in the Russian Federation of customs duties and taxes, including the cases of temporary import of vehicles for personal use into the customs territory of the Eurasian Economic Union, the competent authorities of the Russian Federation may take a decision to prohibit the entry of such foreign citizen to the Russian Federation.