Russian passport

Cover of the Russian international biometric 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.

International passport

The Russian internal passport serves as an identity document only within Russia and small number of ex-Soviet Union countries (such as Ukraine). To go abroad to most 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 (requited notarially if they travel without, if travels with one is presumed "agreed" unless customs have an info from another parent) or when permitted to do so by a court decision.

Visa-free access for Russian passport holders

So far, holders of the ordinary Russian travel passport can visit 81 countries, either visa free or visa-on-entry.

An agreement between the European Community and Russia on the facilitation of the issuance of visas 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. Both the EU and Russia acknowledge, however, that there are many problems to be solved before visa-free travel is introduced. On November 26, 2008 the President of Brazil, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva and the President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev signed an agreement on the abolition of visas for citizens of both countries for up to 90 days.. According to US Ambassador Kurt Amend US and Russia are having talks on abolishing visa regime between two countries.

Visa free or visa on arrival travel for Russian citizens

Visa free or visa on arrival travel for Russian citizens

Africa

Country	Acceptable passport types
	Internal	For travel abroad	Service	Diplomatic
Angola	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	?	?
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)	?	?
Swaziland	No	30 days	same?	same?
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?
Zimbabwe	No	Visa on arrival ($20)	?	?

Americas

Country	Acceptable passport types
	Internal	For travel abroad	Service	Diplomatic
Antigua and Barbuda	No	1 month (with return ticket)	same?	same?
Argentina	No	90 days[1]	3 months	3 months
Aruba	No	30 days	same?	same?
Bahamas	No	3 months	same?	same?
Barbados	No	28 days (with return ticket, proof of sufficient monetary means)	same?	same?
Belize	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	?	?
Bolivia	No	No	?	?
Brazil	No	Agreement about visa-free travel reached, but not yet in force.	90 days	90 days
Chile	No	Agreement for visa-free travel has been signed, but not yet ratified.[2]	90 days	90 days
Colombia	No	90days	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 day tourist card issued on arrival for US$ 10	?	?
Ecuador	No	90 days	90 days	90 days
El Salvador	No	90 days	90 days	90 days
Grenada	No	3 months	same?	same?
Guatemala	No	3 months for tourists	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
Mexico	No	No	90 days	90 days
Nicaragua	No	Tourists need to purchase a Tourist Card upon arrival, no visa required	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	90 days	90 days	90 days

Asia

Dual: due to concessions, its legal to show the combo of internal passports to cross the border.

Country	Acceptable passport types
	Internal	For travel abroad	Service	Diplomatic
Abkhazia	Yes	This country can't be used in Russia-Georgia transfer because Georgia refuses the visa	Yes	Yes
Armenia	dual*	Yes	Yes	Yes
Azerbaijan	No	90 days	same?	same?
Bahrain	No	14 day visa available on arrival for BHD 5	same	same
Bangladesh	No	90 day 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, except for Russians from the regions bordering with China and Sakhalin	same	Yes
East Timor	No	30 day visa on arrival ($25)	?	?
Georgia	No	360 day visa on arrival in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, and Batumi airports and at some land and sea border crossings; 100 GEL [3]	required	required
Hong Kong	No	14 days [4]	Yes	90 days
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	14-day tourist visa issued upon arrival at any international airport. Fee 60 EUR	30 days	30 days
Jordan	No	1 month visa issued on arrival for 10 Jordanian Dinar, can be extended for up to 6 month	same?	same?
Kazakhstan	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Kyrgyzstan	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Laos	No	Tourism: no visa required up to 15 days	Yes	Yes
Lebanon	No	1 month visa on arrival, free at the airport, USD 17 at the land crossings with Syria	?	?
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
South Ossetia	Yes	This country can't be used in Russia-Georgia transfer because Georgia refuses the visa	Yes	Yes
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	dual*	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	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vietnam	No	Yes (Visa free regime for up to 15 days introduced on 01/01/2009)	15 days	15 days
Yemen	No	1 month visa on arrival (10 500 Yemeni rial)	same	same

Europe

Country/Territory	Acceptable passport types
	Internal	For travel abroad	Service	Diplomatic
Albania	No	Yes, from 20 June to 31 October.	90 days	90 days
Austria	No	Must apply for a visa in advance	No	90 days
Belarus	Common Customs Space (Russian and Belarus have significant rights of residence and free on movement, in other cases a common visa is valid in another counrtry but may be exeptions)
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 from 1 May to 31 October (at other time original letter of invitation or tourist voucher required)	Yes	Yes
Cyprus	No	Must apply for a visa in advance (online e-ProVisa 90 days)	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
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
Kosovo	No	90 days	90 days	90 days
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	30 days	90 days	90 days
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
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
	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)	?	?

See also

• Passport system in the Soviet Union
• Propiska
• Wolf ticket (Russia)
• 101st kilometre
• Closed cities

External links

• Statute on the Russian federation citizen's passport (in Russian).
• Federal Law On the Entry in the Russian Federation and Departure from the Russian Federation (.doc in Russian).
• Federal Law On the State Border of the Russian Federation (.doc in Russian).
• Countries that citizens of Russia can enter easily or without a visa (in Russian, appears to be current, tourist-oriented)
• List of countries with simplified entry procedures (in Russian, dated 15 July 2005)
• Information for those going abroad from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in Russian, dates unknown; some information is outdated)
• Continental Airlines. Passport, Health and Visa Requirements (a web page with access to official information maintained and used by IATA)