“They refused me a visa!” This is what foreigners say when in fact their documents were simply not accepted. These are two completely different things.
Refusal to accept documents
This means something is missing or something is prepared incorrectly. The officer must tell you so, so that you can fix it and come back. Nothing is lost: you just need to finish the job.
Refusal to issue a visa
The documents were accepted and examined, but the visa was not issued. The consulate is not obliged to explain the reasons. Apart from the passport, the documents stay with the consulate.
Why documents are most often not accepted from foreigners
- There is no ground for the visa. A mere letter from a Russian acquaintance or relative is not a ground. You need an invitation issued in the established way (clause 2.1 of the MFA Consular Department’s Methodological Manual on visas). We will cover this separately in the following articles.
- The passport. At least two blank pages, and as a rule it must not expire earlier than 6 months after the end of the visa (for student and work visas, 1.5 years). If the lamination is peeling, a page is torn or there are unexplained corrections, the visa will not be issued.
- The application form. The most common problem. It is filled in on the website visa.kdmid.ru, printed and signed by the applicant personally. The answers must be exhaustive. In practice few people manage it the first time. Citizens of the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom fill in an extended form.
- The photo. 3.5 × 4.5 cm, taken no earlier than six months before submission, full face, without dark glasses or headwear.
- Insurance. It is not needed by everyone, only by citizens of certain countries: Israel, Ireland, Iran, the Schengen states, and for tourist visas also China.
- Applying outside your own country. If a person applies not in the country of his or her citizenship, he or she needs a residence permit in that country for more than 180 days (at the time of applying).
If you are invited by a Russian citizen who is your close relative
Close relatives are: spouse, parents, children, brothers and sisters, grandparents and grandchildren. The ground for the visa can be the written statement of the Russian citizen (notarized or made at the consulate). But only the head of the consulate (the ambassador or the consul general) takes the decision on it. Without his or her resolution the visa is not issued (clause 2.4 of the Methodological Manual).
Processing time
The processing time is, as a rule, no more than 20 working days (it differs by type of visa and number of entries). But it is counted not from your first visit, but from the day all documents have been submitted, correctly prepared. If you brought half of them, the clock has not started.
Tip
Do not apply until you have collected everything. First check your passport, application form and ground against the list above. This will save you time and money. Plan your trip well in advance, and you will be able to avoid the stress and buy your tickets with the visa already in your hands.