Russian passport

Russian passports are issued to citizens of Russia for the purpose of international travel.

Internal passport

The Russian internal passport is the primary identity document for citizens of the Russian Federation residing in Russia. It is initially issued to citizens at the age of 14 by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, and has to be renewed at the ages of 20 and 45. Every citizen after the age of 14 who is a permanent resident of Russia is required to have a valid internal passport.

The passport contains the information about the full name of the citizen, his/her sex, birth date and birthplace and a picture of him/her. Also it contains remarks about his/her home address, military duty, marriage, children under 14, other internal and foreign passports issued by the Russian authorities, blood group (optional) and individual taxpayer identification number (also optional). All the data is filled in Russian. Any other remarks render it invalid.

The Russian police will sometimes do random ID checks to look for draft dodgers, illegal immigrants, people who don't have the proper registration, etc. Since the lack of an identity document can be grounds for temporary detention, many Russians, especially young people, carry their passport whenever going outside.

International passport

The Russian internal passport serves as an identity document only within Russia. To go abroad to most countries with current exceptions for some ex-Soviet Union countries, and to reside there while retaining Russian citizenship, Russian adults need a passport for travel abroad issued by Russian authorities (in Template:Lang-ru; sometimes translated as international passport or foreign passport), which is valid for only 5 years and is not granted by default. In addition to the standard zagranichny pasport, there exist three special-purpose types of passports for traveling abroad: the diplomatic passport (issued to Russian diplomats), the service passport (issued to government employees going abroad on official business), and the seaman's passport. A citizen can be denied a passport for travel abroad, and hence the right to leave Russia, if: (s)he had, in order to get access to classified information, signed a contract with the government that included a provision restricting his/her right to leave the country; has been conscripted to the military or alternative civil service; is detained as a suspect for a crime; is under investigation or is serving his/her term according to a court decision; disobeys obligations imposed by a court decision; or has provided false information in his/her application. Children under 18 can only go abroad by consent of both parents or when permitted to do so by a court decision.

Visa-free access for Russian passport holders

According to a study done by Henley & Partners^[1], Russian citizens enjoy visa-free access to 60 countries and territories for short-term tourism visits. Russia is ranked 53 rd in the study in terms of international travel freedom.
An agreement between the European Community and Russia on the facilitation of the issuance of visas^[2] has been in force since June 1, 2007. It has unified the cost of visas, and made it easier to obtain visas for close relatives, journalists, official delegations, transport crew members and some other groups of visitors. Similar agreements have been signed, but not yet ratified, between Russia and Denmark, and Russia and Norway. Silvio Berlusconi, the Prime Minister of Italy, and later Alexander Stubb, the Foreign Minister of Finland have started public discussions on the future possibility for visa-free travel between the EU countries and Russia. ^[3]^[4] Both the EU and Russia acknowledge, however, that there are many problems to be solved before visa-free travel is introduced.

Visa free or visa on arrival travel for Russian citizens

Africa

Country	Acceptable passport types
Country	Internal	For travel abroad	Service	Diplomatic
Benin	No	Pre-issued visa required. A 2 day transit visa (extendable) may be available unofficially on a case-to-case basis at land border crossings	90 days	90 days
Botswana	No	90 days (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means)	same?	same?
Burkina Faso	No	30 day visa on arrival (10 000 CFA francs)	90 days	90 days
Burundi	No	Visa on arrival if the travel agency informs the Burundi authorities in advance	?	?
Cape Verde	No	In most cases, can get visa on arrival	Yes	Yes
Comoros	No	Visa on arrival	same?	same?
Djibouti	No	10 day or 1 month visa on arrival	same?	same?
Egypt	No	1 month visa on arrival for $15; free 15 day visa on arrival for southern Sinai Peninsula only	90 days	90 days
Ethiopia	No	30 day visa on arrival (with 2 photographs; $100)	90 days	90 days
Guinea	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days
Kenya	No	90 day visa on arrival (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means; $50)	same?	same?
Madagascar	No	90 day visa issued on arrival (with return ticket; 140 000 Malagasy ariary)	?	?
Mauritius	No	60 day visa on arrival (with return ticket and letter of invitation or tourist voucher)	same?	same?
Mozambique	No	30 day visa issued on arrival	?	?
Morocco	No	3 months (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means)	3 months	3 months
Namibia	No	3 months	same?	same?
Seychelles	No	30 days (return ticket, proof of sufficient monetary means, and hotel reservation or tourist voucher)	?	?
Tanzania	No	Visa on arrival (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means; $50)	same?	same?
Tunisia	No	Visa not required if one travels in a group or individually on a tour organised by a travel agency, and holds a hotel voucher. Otherwise must apply for visa in advance.	?	?
Togo	No	7 day visa on arrival (10 000 CFA francs)	same?	same?
Uganda	No	Visa on arrival ($30)	same?	same?
Zambia	No	Visa on arrival (24 hours for $10, 30 days for $25, multiple entry visa for $80)	same?	same?

Americas

Country	Acceptable passport types
Country	Internal	For travel abroad	Service	Diplomatic
Antigua and Barbuda	No	1 month (with return ticket)	same?	same?
Argentina	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	3 months	3 months
Barbados	No	28 days (with return ticket, proof of sufficient monetary means)	same?	same?
Brazil	No	Visa requirement to be abolished in 2009, after ratification of treaty	90 days	90 days
Chile	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days
Colombia	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days
Costa Rica	No	Must apply for a visa in advance (but holders of U.S., Canada or EU visa valid for at least 6 months can stay for 30 days without visa)	3 months	3 months
Cuba	No	30 days	30 days	30 days
Dominica	No	21 days (with return ticket, proof of sufficient monetary means, and hotel reservation or tourist voucher)	?	?
Dominican Republic	No	30 tourist card issued on arrival for US$ 10	?	?
Ecuador	No	90 days	90 days	90 days
El Salvador	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days
Grenada	No	3 months	same?	same?
Guatemala	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	3 months	3 months
Haiti	No	3 months	same?	same?
Honduras	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days
Jamaica	No	30 day visa on arrival (with return ticket, hotel reservation, and proof of sufficient monetary means)	90 days	90 days
Nicaragua	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days
Panama	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days
Paraguay	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	3 months	3 months
Peru	No	90 days tourism only (with return ticket)	90 days	90 days
Saint Kitts and Nevis	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	With special permission	Yes
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	No	1 month (with return ticket)	same?	same?
Suriname	No	Pre-travel visa required	same?	same?
Turks and Caicos Islands	No	30 days (with return ticket, proof of sufficient monetary means)	same?	same?
Uruguay	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	3 months	3 months
Venezuela	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days

Asia

Country	Acceptable passport types
Country	Internal	For travel abroad	Service	Diplomatic
Bangladesh	No	90 days visa available of arrival for $50	?	?
Cambodia	No	1 month tourist visa on arrival (with photograph; $20); 3 month business visa on arrival (with photograph; $25)	Yes	Yes
China	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	same	Yes
East Timor	No	30 day visa on arrival ($25)	?	?
India	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days
Indonesia	No	Visa on arrival (with return tickets; $10 for 6 days, $25 for 30 days)	same?	same?
Israel	No	Tourism: no visa required up to 90 days, maximum 180 days per year	must apply in advance	must apply in advance
Iran	No	15 day tourist visa on arrival to international airports (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means; $50). Women without a headscarf will not be issued a visa.	30 days	30 days
Jordan	No	Visa on issued on arrival for 10 Jordanian Dinar	same?	same?
Kyrgyzstan	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Laos	No	30 day visa on arrival in international airports (with 2 photographs and return ticket; $30)	Yes	Yes
Lebanon	No	3 month visa on arrival	?	?
Macau	No	30 days visa on arrival (with return ticket, proof of sufficient monetary means; 100 Macanese pataca)	Visa on arrival for 30 days	Visa on arrival for 30 days
Malaysia	No	1 month (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means)	same?	same?
Maldives	No	30 days visa on arrival (with return ticket)	same?	same?
Mongolia	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days
Myanmar	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days
Nepal	No	Visa on arrival (with 2 photographs; $30 for 60 days, $50 for multiple entry 150 day visa)	90 days	90 days
North Korea	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days
Pakistan	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	Yes	Yes
Philippines	No	21 days	Must apply for a visa in advance	Must apply for a visa in advance
Singapore	No	96 hour transit only	30 days	30 days
South Korea	No	15 days (if have visited South Korea 5 times in past 2 years, or 10 times total). 30 days for visiting Jeju Island only.	same?	90 days
Sri Lanka	No	30 days, return ticket required	same	same
Syria	No	Men can usually get a visa on arrival ($20). Women are recommended to apply for a visa in advance.	same	same
Tajikistan	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Thailand	No	30 days tourism only	90 days	90 days
Turkmenistan	No	either pre-issued visa or invitation letter by MFA stating visa will be stamped at airport needed	30 days	30 days
Uzbekistan	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vietnam	No	Visa required prior to travel, except in special cases where invitation letter travel may suffice for a stay of 7 days (Visa free regime for up to 15 days will be introduced on 01/01/2009 ^[5])	90 days	90 days
Yemen	No	1 month visa on arrival (10 500 Yemeni rial)	same	same

Europe

Country/Territory	Acceptable passport types
Country/Territory	Internal	For travel abroad	Service	Diplomatic
Abkhazia	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Albania	No	Must apply for a visa in advance.	90 days	90 days
Austria	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Armenia	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Azerbaijan	No	90 days	same?	same?
Belarus	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Belgium	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Bosnia and Herzegovina	No	90 days (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means)	Yes	Yes
Bulgaria	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days
Croatia	No	90 days tourism only (with original letter of invitation or tourist voucher)	Yes	Yes
Cyprus	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	up to 90 days	90 days
Czech Republic	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Estonia	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Finland	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
France	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Georgia	No	1 month visa on arrival in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, and Batumi airports and at some land and sea border crossings; $30	required	required
Germany	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Greece	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Hungary	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days
Italy	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Kazakhstan	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Latvia	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Lithuania	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Luxembourg	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Republic of Macedonia	No	In practice, getting a visa in advance is sometimes required. In theory, can get a visa on arrival (with letter of invitation, tourist voucher, or "poslovno" or "podelovno" stamp).	Yes	Yes
Malta	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Moldova	No	90 days	Yes	Yes
Montenegro	No	30 days (hotel reservation and proof of sufficient monetary means occasionally required)	?	?
The Netherlands	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Poland	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days
Portugal	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Romania	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days
Serbia	No	90 days	Yes	Yes
Slovakia	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	90 days	90 days
Slovenia	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Spain	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
South Ossetia	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sweden	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Turkey	No	2 month two-entry visa on arrival (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means; $20 or €15)	same?	90 days
Ukraine	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Oceania

Country	Acceptable passport types
Country	Internal	For travel abroad	Service	Diplomatic
Cook Islands	No	31 days (with return ticket, hotel reservation or tourist voucher, and proof of sufficient monetary means)	?	?
Fiji	No	4 months (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means)	?	?
Federated States of Micronesia	No	30 days tourism only	?	?
Niue	No	30 days (with hotel reservation)	?	?
Palau	No	30 day visa on arrival (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means)	?	?
Samoa	No	30 days (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means or tourist voucher)	?	?
Tonga	No	31 day tourist visa on arrival (with return ticket and hotel reservation or tourist voucher)	?	?
Tuvalu	No	1 month tourist visa on arrival (with return ticket, and hotel reservation or tourist voucher, and proof of sufficient monetary means)	?	?
Vanuatu	No	30 days (with return ticket, hotel reservation or tourist voucher, and proof of sufficient monetary means)	?	?