Until the need to go abroad arises, no one thinks about the question of whether Russians need a foreign passport. But without it you can neither travel abroad nor enter the country back. The foreigner becomes the only identification document for a Russian citizen outside Russia.
Once you have issued a passport, you can travel abroad for several years without any problems. Sometimes you will also have to apply for a visa if you need to visit Canada, India or the USA. To travel around Europe you need to apply for a Schengen visa.
Russians also need a foreign passport when booking air or train tickets, as well as when exchanging currency. In these cases, the document is accepted instead of a regular internal passport.
Types of Russian foreign passports
On the territory of the Russian Federation, there are two types of foreigners for all citizens: old and new. They are both valid, they only differ in the number of pages and the way in which the owner’s personal data is indicated.
Old sample
This version of the foreigner is easily recognizable by the inscription on the cover only in Russian. It has 36 pages, has a hologram at the bottom right, a laminated photograph around which the ornament is placed. This version of the document is convenient for parents with children, since they can enter the children’s data into it. Valid for 5 years.
New sample
The new passport is equipped with an electronic chip that stores information about the owner plus his biometric data. It can be:
- fingerprints;
- DNA;
- voice;
- image of the iris of the eye.
The microchip, in addition to biometrics, contains information about the owner’s place and date of birth, full name, and photograph. The fact that the passport is biometric is indicated by the microchip shown on the cover.
The document remains valid for 10 years. It contains 46 pages, 10 more than in the old passport. On the cover, the inscriptions in Russian are duplicated in English. The photograph is applied using laser printing, but there is no hologram. It is not possible to enter children's data into this document. In this case, you will have to apply for each child’s own foreigner’s certificate.
Documents for obtaining a Russian passport
To purchase a travel identity card, you need to collect a package of documents. Here is the list:
- general internal passport;
- the foreign passport that needs to be changed (if available);
- documents on changes in personal data (last name, first name, patronymic);
- military ID (for men from 18 to 27 years old);
- document confirming payment of state duty;
- 3 photos.
A child under 14 years of age must present a birth certificate and a passport of the father or mother instead of a general passport. An official guardian may be presented abroad.
Children can be included in the parent's foreign document, provided that it is an old-style document. If the parents have a biometric passport, then a personal passport is issued for the little traveler.
Filling out the application form
The application form for obtaining a Russian foreign passport can be filled out by hand, on a computer, or issued on the State Services website in an electronic version. When filling out the form by hand, use only gel pens with black ink and write in block capitals.
The application form for the old document format can be downloaded on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.rf. The text of the questionnaire is placed on one sheet (on both sides) and in 2 copies.
If you are afraid of making mistakes in the application form, you can entrust this to specially trained people who are in every migration department. For a small amount, they will fill out all the fields without errors.
ATTENTION: You can download and print the application form from the official website of the Federal Migration Service.
Cost of a passport
The old format foreign passport costs significantly less than the new biometric passport. Therefore, despite the shorter validity period, old foreigners are issued much more often.
Price for the old version of the passport:
- for adults - 2000 rubles;
- for children under 14 years of age - 1000 rubles.
Entering data for children in the appropriate section costs 500 rubles.
Prices for a biometric passport have increased since August 2021; now you will need to pay:
- for adults - 5000 rubles;
- for children - 2500 rubles.
When applying through the State Services website, a 30% discount is provided when paying the fee.
What documents are needed for flights within the Russian Federation?
Once in any of the constituent entities of the federation, a Russian citizen remains in his native country, albeit far from home, given the gigantic territory of the state, where he can stay without registration for 90 days. This means that to travel within the country, a citizen will not need a passport, visas, or any other permits.
If one of the Russians is going to visit the Kaliningrad region, Sochi, the Altai Mountains or other recreational places in Russia, departing from Moscow or St. Petersburg, he will need the following documents for air travel:
- All citizens over 14 years of age will need an internal Russian passport.
- All minor children - nationals of the country - are required to have a birth certificate.
- Each citizen liable for military service must confirm the fact that he is not a draft dodger and present the appropriate document - a military ID. Otherwise, it is problematic to leave during the conscription period. Also, the person liable for military service must have a return ticket.
- If a child is traveling unaccompanied, written consent may be required from a parent or legal guardian. Or it must be provided with control by airport or airline employees. Such requirements depend on the rules of the Federal Aviation Service (FAS) and the carrier’s own internal regulations, so a single child may be completely refused to fly.
- In some cases, Russians, when purchasing tickets or registering for an air flight, may present a Russian passport.
Important! In some cases, other documents may be required - health certificates for people with limited mobility, permission from a judge, law enforcement agencies, if the person is under recognizance or serving a suspended sentence, and other official papers.
Read more What is due to a single mother with two children?
Photo requirements for a Russian passport
When traveling abroad for the first time, a citizen sometimes not only does not know whether Russians need a foreign passport to a particular country, but when taking photographs they completely rely on the professionalism and competence of the photo studio workers.
But it is better to know the requirements for photographs in order to immediately evaluate them upon receipt and, if necessary, redo them.
Photos must have the following parameters:
- size 45x35 mm on matte paper;
- with a full face. In this case, it should occupy 80% of the image area. The gaze is strictly directed towards the camera;
- the owner's choice - black and white or color;
- at the top of the photo there is 5 mm of empty space;
- head 18-25 mm wide, 32-36 mm high;
- the oval of the face is clear;
- eyes are clearly visible;
- clothes are simple, calm colors, but not white.
Head coverings are allowed only if required by the religion of the passport holder, provided that the face is not obscured. Clear glasses are acceptable if the person's medical problems require it.
List of visa-free and transit countries for Ukrainians in 2021
The need to obtain a visa - for Ukrainians today this is not just a formality, but also a rather voluminous package of documents, which includes certificates about the balance of the account and the flow of funds, official salary and employment. At the same time, not every Ukrainian today works for a white salary and gets a job in accordance with all the rules.
Over the past 2021, the list of visa-free countries for Ukrainians has expanded. This happened due to the abolition of the visa regime with the European Union from June 11, 2017. Currently, Ukrainians have the opportunity to visit 34 European countries without having to worry about obtaining a visa. All these countries can be visited if you have a biometric passport of a citizen of Ukraine for traveling abroad . Free entry into those states will also remain, where previously every resident of Ukraine had the right to travel only with a foreign passport.
2018 opens a new stage of travel for everyone. If you look at the calendar of holidays and weekends, you can add a few more days of rest provided by the state to the traditional vacation. All that remains is to decide on a place where you can go without a visa from Ukraine. To plan your trips, check out the list of countries that do not require a passport or a pre-issued visa.
Countries you can travel to with an internal Ukrainian passport
| Belarus | up to 90 days within 180 days from the date of first entry | Having exceeded this period in the Russian Federation, a citizen of Ukraine must register with the migration authorities. |
| Russia | up to 90 days within 180 days from the date of first entry | Having exceeded this period in the Russian Federation, a citizen of Ukraine must register with the migration authorities. |
Visa-free countries for Russians in 2021
| Austria | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Azerbaijan | up to 90 days | |
| Albania | up to 90 days | |
| Antigua and Barbuda | up to 30 days | |
| Argentina | up to 90 days | |
| Armenia | ||
| Belgium | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Bulgaria | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | up to 30 days | Return tickets, invitation, host or travel voucher may be required |
| Brazil | up to 90 days | Return tickets may be required |
| Brunei | up to 30 days | Be sure to have return tickets with you |
| Vanuatu | up to 30 days | Citizens of Ukraine entering Vanuatu for a period of no more than 30 days do not need a visa; the visa stamp is placed directly at the border crossing point. You need to have return tickets, a hotel reservation, and a document confirming your solvency. |
| Hungary | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Guatemala | up to 90 days | Round trip tickets required |
| Germany | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Hong Kong | up to 14 days | Return tickets will be required |
| Grenada | up to 90 days | Only available with travel vouchers |
| Greece | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Georgia | up to 365 days | |
| Denmark | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Israel | up to 90 days | |
| Spain | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Italy | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Kazakhstan | up to 90 days | |
| Cyprus | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Kyrgyzstan | up to 90 days | |
| Costa Rica | up to 90 days | Since December 2021, a visa-free regime has been introduced for citizens of Ukraine. A necessary requirement for entry into the country is the possession of a passport document, which must be valid for at least 90 days at the time of intended departure from Costa Rica. When leaving the state, a fee of $29 must be paid, regardless of the type of traveler's passport document |
| Latvia | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Lithuania | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Luxembourg | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Macedonia | up to 90 days | You will need an insurance policy Buy travel insurance |
| Malaysia | up to 30 days | Have return tickets with you |
| Malta | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Micronesia | Only for tourists with vouchers | |
| Moldova | ||
| Mongolia | up to 90 days | An invitation from the host is required |
| Namibia | up to 90 days | You need a migration card filled out in English |
| Nevis | up to 90 days | On June 24, the Ukrainian government adopted a draft agreement on the mutual abolition of the visa regime with Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| Netherlands | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| UAE | up to 30 days | Visa-free visits to the UAE are only available to citizens with biometric passports valid for at least 6 months. |
| Cook Islands | up to 31 days | |
| Panama | up to 90 days | |
| Paraguay | up to 90 days | Return tickets required |
| Peru | up to 90 days | Up to 183 days, subject to availability of documents confirming the tourist purpose of travel |
| Pitcairn | for 14 days | In case of arrival and departure on the same ship |
| Poland | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Portugal | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Romania | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Samoa | up to 60 days | |
| Swaziland | up to 30 days | |
| Seychelles | up to 30 days | Return tickets and travel voucher required |
| Serbia | up to 30 days | |
| Slovakia | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Slovenia | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Tajikistan | up to 90 days | |
| Tunisia | up to 30 days | You must have a travel voucher with you |
| Türkiye | up to 90 days within 180 days starting from the date of entry | Return tickets and travel voucher may be required upon request. Ukrainians can visit Turkey using an ID card. |
| Uzbekistan | ||
| Finland | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| France | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Croatia | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Montenegro | up to 90 days | |
| Czech | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Chile | up to 90 days | |
| Sweden | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Ecuador | up to 90 days | |
| Estonia | up to 90 days every six months | Only for citizens with biometric passports, in the absence of a biometric passport, a visa is issued. |
| Jamaica | up to 30 days | You will need return tickets and proof of solvency. |
Countries with a conditional visa-free regime in 2021 for Ukrainians
(the tourist will be stamped at the airport upon arrival or upon crossing the border)
| Barbados | up to 28 days | |
| Bahrain | Permission from the Bahrain Ministry of Internal Affairs will be required. It is issued with the direct participation of the receiving party, which can be a Bahraini citizen, a hotel, a government organization or a travel company | |
| Benin | up to 30 days | If your stay is two days - at the airport. For a 10-30 day stay - at the immigration police station. |
| Bolivia | in an Aeroport | |
| Burundi | it is advisable to open at the embassy | |
| Botswana | up to 15 days | It can be obtained at the airport if it is issued with permission from the Botswana Immigration Service, which should be taken care of in advance. |
| Butane | up to 15 days | A visa to Bhutan is issued at Paro Airport. The visa fee is payable locally in the amount of $20. A visa to Bhutan is opened only if an organized group enters the country with mandatory approval of the route for visiting tourist sites and hotels under the program with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bhutan. A visa to Bhutan is one of the most difficult visas; to obtain it, you first need to obtain a “visa permit”; the processing time for this document is about 30 days. Royal Bhutanese Druk Air issues air tickets to Bhutan on the basis of a “visa permit”. |
| East Timor | up to 30 days | |
| Vietnam | up to 90 days | A visa can be obtained at any airport, but you must have an invitation letter. |
| Haiti | up to 90 days | |
| Gambia | ||
| Djibouti | up to 30 days | |
| Dominica | up to 21 days | |
| Dominican Republic | up to 30 days | |
| Zambia | up to 30 days | |
| Jordan | up to 30 days | |
| India | 34 days | To visit India, Ukrainian citizens must obtain a visa in advance. From November 27, 2014, an electronic visa e-TOURIST VISA (e-TV) is available for citizens of Ukraine |
| Cambodia | Can be obtained directly upon arrival at the airports of Phnom Penh, Siam Reap, and at any border checkpoint with neighboring countries | Excluding the border with Laos, where visas are not issued at the entrance, through the Royal Consulate in Moscow, or via the Internet. |
| Qatar | A visa to Qatar can be issued upon arrival at the country’s airport, based on previously obtained permission from the Qatari Ministry of Internal Affairs. The receiving party must complete this document and fax it to the applicant | |
| Cape Verde | up to 30 days | |
| Kuwait | It is quite possible to obtain a visa with a validity period of up to one month directly at the airport upon arrival in Kuwait | An invitation from the host party will be required. |
| Laos | ||
| Lebanon | up to 30 days | |
| Mauritius | up to 60 days | |
| Mauritania | visa can be obtained at the border with Morocco, and at Nouakchott airport for 1 month, 3 months and 1 year | |
| Madagascar | up to 90 days | Return tickets required. |
| Maldives | up to 30 days | |
| Nepal | up to 90 days | Required return tickets and documents confirming solvency |
| Pakistan | at Karachi airport | |
| Salvador | up to 90 days | The visa is issued upon arrival for 90 days. Cost $10. Be sure to have a return ticket with you. |
| Sao Tome and Principe | The visa is issued at the airport, but must first be agreed with the immigration service | |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | up to 30 days | |
| Tanzania | up to 90 days | |
| Thailand | tourist visa for 15 days is issued at the border | |
| Sri Lanka | up to 30 days | A visa is issued at the border and only as part of tourist groups. You can also apply for an electronic tourist permit. Required documents: international passport valid for at least 6 months at the time of entry; return tickets; migration card (filled out in English); confirmation of hotel reservation or documents confirming solvency. |
For example, you decided to go on vacation to Thailand and noticed that you can purchase air tickets with transit through China. It turns out that you fly to one country, and you will visit (at least for a few hours) another one. Such visa-free transits (overflights) are often cheaper than direct ones.
But don't relax. There are some subtleties, or rather rules. Each such transit country has its own laws. In China, it is necessary for a transit flight: air tickets are in English, and calculate the time of stay - this is very important.
List of transit countries for Ukrainians in 2021
Lebanon - 48 hours China - different times depending on the airport. When transiting in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou 72 hours, during normal transit - 24 hours. Curacao - 2 days free Singapore - 4 days free (does not work when flying with low cost airlines). UK - 24 hours. From December 1, the conditions for visa-free transit have been greatly tightened. You can stay in the transit zone during a transfer until 23:59 of the current day. That is, if you arrived, say, at 21:00, then no more than 3 hours. Travelers flying to Ireland who hold a valid biometric Irish visa can also apply for visa-free transit. However, this point is not relevant for Ukrainians.
As new rules change and are introduced, this list of visa-free countries for Ukrainians will be expanded and, if possible, changed.
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Where is the best place to get a passport?
You can apply for a foreign passport at the Main Department of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the MFC during a personal visit or on the State Services portal, where you will need to fill out the fields in the electronic form and pay by bank transfer.
The algorithm for registering a foreigner through the Main Department of Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the MFC comes down to the following steps:
- find a nearby branch of the Main Department of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the MFC;
- download a receipt for payment of state duty on the Internet and pay;
- bring the completed application form and accompanying documents;
- for a new format exit passport, submit biometric data;
- receive notification of the consideration of the application;
- obtain a foreign document.
Registration on the State Services website is as follows:
- register on the State Services website;
- fill out the form electronically;
- send it, wait for confirmation of acceptance for consideration;
- pay the fee online or at the bank;
- wait for an invitation to the Main Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to arrive in your personal account;
- present to the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs the originals of the documents listed in the online application form;
- if you receive a passport of a new format, submit biometric data;
- wait for the foreigner to be produced and receive the document.
It is better to start applying for a passport long before your travel date. By contacting the appropriate institution at the place of registration, you can significantly reduce the time required to receive the document and purchase it within a month.
You can find out about the readiness of a foreign identity card on the website of guvm.mvd.rf. In this case, you will need to enter the details of your internal Russian passport. But the employee who accepted the documents from the citizen usually informs himself that the passport is ready.
Benefits for relocation
Due to the current conditions, many citizens of Ukraine who can qualify for relocation under the program for compatriots are moving to permanent residence in some Russian regions. For such people, certain support measures are provided:
- payment of lifting allowances;
- compensation for moving costs;
- equal rights to employment and health care.
Applicants for resettlement can be those who are already 18 years old. They must also be fluent in the state language of the Russian Federation and choose certain regions to move to (listed on the GUVM website).
In what cases is a passport changed?
The document must be replaced in several cases:
- the expiration date of the travel passport has arrived;
- damage to a document;
- loss of a foreigner;
- there are not enough blank pages left in the passport;
- change of personal data.
A foreigner's certificate becomes invalid when the last name, first name or patronymic name is changed. To be able to obtain a new foreigner, they first receive a new internal general passport with changed data.
Only after this can you go to the appropriate organization for a new foreign identity card. Only now, in addition to the standard set of documents, you will have to attach the form “Information on changes in personal data.”
If a foreign passport is lost abroad, a citizen must obtain a “Certificate of Return to the Russian Federation.” It will replace a lost foreigner until the end of his stay in this country and will provide an opportunity to return to Russian territory.
To obtain a certificate, you need to go to the Russian consulate and present a general Russian passport there. Another option involves visiting the consulate with two Russian citizens who present valid passports and are able to confirm the identity of the citizen who lost the foreigner.
Methods of purchasing an air ticket within Russia using a foreign passport
For those who are interested in whether it is possible to buy an air ticket using a foreign passport for a domestic flight, let us clarify once again: yes, it is possible.
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Most Russian airlines require information about your passport when purchasing tickets online: Aeroflot, Airlines, Ural Airlines, Transaero, Utair and others. At the same time, on some websites, for example, the website of Ticket Aero or Pobeda Airlines, it is possible to issue a ticket via the Internet without passport data. It is also possible to book a ticket indicating, instead of the current data of the series and passport number, four zeros (0000) or the numbers 1234. This is done in cases where the document is being reissued, and tickets need to be purchased in advance.
At the same time, the citizen will subsequently be able to safely move around Russia using a foreign passport if he provides the airline with his full passport data in a timely manner, for example, at automatic check-in kiosks. To do this, you need to independently enter your passport details, flight information and ticket booking code. You must complete this procedure at least 45 minutes before the end of registration. Upon completion of the manipulations, the kiosk will issue a boarding pass.
If a flight to another country involves a transfer on the territory of the Russian Federation, it is more convenient to issue both tickets on a foreign passport - then you will not have to keep both a general civil and a foreign identity card at hand.
If you need a passport urgently
You can obtain a document urgently when there are compelling reasons for this and documentary evidence of the seriousness of the situation.
- Certificate from a medical institution confirming the need for urgent treatment abroad.
- Letters with stamps from Russian and foreign medical institutions about the need for emergency treatment.
- Duly certified notification from abroad of a serious illness or death of a relative.
- If it is necessary to transport the body of a foreign citizen or a relative of an accompanying person who died in Russia.
If you present the necessary documents in such situations, the wait for receiving a passport will be limited to three days.
It is better to apply for urgent production of a foreign passport by calling 8-499-322-47-16 or 8-800-333-47-16. “Kastur” is the official agent of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Passport and Visa Service” of the Federal Migration Service of Russia. The company has been helping citizens and legal entities obtain new and old international passports for more than 10 years.
When traveling abroad, Russians need a foreign passport. It is better to receive or replace it in advance so that the trip is not disrupted due to the lengthy preparation of the document.
Actions to take if you lose your passport
There are situations in the lives of citizens when a foreign passport can be lost. In this case, you need to go to the Federal Migration Service, write a statement, pay a fine, fill out a form and wait for a new passport. However, if the document is lost, and you need to fly in a few days, you will no longer be able to fly abroad. But for a flight within the Russian Federation, a citizen has the right to use alternative documents:
- General passport (if you have one on hand).
- A police certificate certifying that the person is indeed a citizen of the Russian Federation and has an identity card. However, not all airlines will be able to accept this document.
check-in
In conclusion, it should be said that for an airline carrying out domestic transportation, it does not matter at all what document the passenger presents - a general passport or a foreign passport. It is important that it is authentic and that it is active at the time of the trip. Citizens of the Russian Federation enjoy a similar privilege, and flying within Russia using a foreign passport is not in doubt.
Tell me, what documents do Ukrainians need for domestic flights within Russia?
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