Travelling to Russia
As of April 5, 2021, the borders of the Russian Federation remain closed for the entry of most foreign citizens in accordance with the Order of the Government of the Russian Federation of March 16, 2020 No. 635-r.
At the moment, only foreign citizens with citizenship or residence permits of the following countries can enter the territory of the Russian Federation in the status of international students:
List of countries
The list will also be updated on the HSE visa page: https://ivisa.hse.ru/news/437443684.html
To enter, one has to have a visa and be on lists for arrival, which will be sent by HSE after the student declares the intent to come to Russia and provides information to the study office.
Even if a student was included in the arrival lists, this does not exempt them from getting a visa. If a student obtains two passports, they should use a Russian one upon arrival.
I decided to come to Russia. What should I do?
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No later than 10 days before the arrival date you should fill the form (information is only available for study office)
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Study office will send your information to the visa department and other responsible department and you will be contacted in case any other info is needed or there will be updates.
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You do not need a study visa if you are from the following countries:
- Azerbaijan
- Abkhazia
- South Ossetia
- Belarus
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyz Republic
- Moldova
- Tajikistan
- Ukraine
- Armenia
- Uzbekistan
- Holders of diplomatic visas:
Nationals of other countries should prepare a visa in Russian Embassy using an electronic invitation (you can learn more information at the HSE VISA office. To get an invitation, fill the form above and contact the study office.
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If a student already has such visa, they should check whether the documents are still valid. Student visas are issued for 12 months therefore most of them are invalid due to the pandemic. Passport should be valid for at least 18 months after arrival to Russia and containing at least 2 blank pages. Usually, first-time visas are issued for 2,5 - 3 months so the student could come to Russia, apply for the documents, and take a COVID test, seld-isolate, etc. Students can apply for an extension of the visa no later than 20 days before the old one expires.
It is not allowed to travel to Russia with an expired visa.
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No later than 72 hours before arrival, student should take a COVID PCR test and obtaint its results in Russian or English.
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During passport control and customs, a person should list "studying" as their aim of travel in their migration card and sign it. If any other aim was written, the student should immediately contact authorities to solve this issue. Otherwise, it will be counted as an offense, the student won't be admitted to the dorm or be able to issue documents in RF.
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72 hours after arrival, students have to take another COVID PCR test and self-isolate until they get their results. Education will take place online for that period of time. Without those results, students won't be allowed to study on-campus.
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During 7 working days after arrival, student should prepare registration (up to 90 days). In case of staying in the dormitory, a person should contact the local responsible person. In case of renting an apartment, they should contact their host. Registration is obligatory and can cause deportation, fees etc.