Invitations, Visas, and Registration

As of June 16, 2020, several changes to Russian migration law have taken effect. Below are answers to some of the frequently asked questions about visas and registration for international students who are continuing or completing their studies at HSE University.

Information on visas for newly enrolled international students will be available later. If you've applied to HSE University for 2020/21 school year, please contact International Admissions Office for updates.

I am already a student of HSE and will be starting my next year of study or the next stage of my education, but my visa and registration will expire soon. What do I do?

If you are continuing your studies at HSE University, you need to do the following:

Prepare the necessary documents for visa extension (the list of which is available here) and pay a fee of 1,600 roubles (bank details are provided upon request via visa-registration@hse.ru);

• If you live in a dormitory in Moscow, submit your documents (excluding your original passport) and your fee payment receipt to your dormitory’s passport officer;
• If you live and are registered in the Moscow Region – in the Odintsovo dormitory or at an apartment – you must everything in person: your documents, your passport, and your fee payment receipt to the HSE Visa and Registration Centre;
• If you live and are registered in an apartment in Moscow, come in person and submit your documents (excluding your passport) and your fee payment receipt to the HSE Visa and Registration Centre.

HSE Visa and Registration Centre is located at 11 Pokrovsky Boulevard, Moscow, Entrance 3, (from Durasovsky Pereulok). To submit the documents, please book your visit in advance by writing to visa-registration@hse.ru.

After you receive your new visa, you must get registered at your place of residence within three working days of receiving the visa. We recommend contacting your dormitory’s passport officer or your landlord the next working day after you receive your visa, since they will have to register in advance in order to submit the documents at the Multi-Functional Centre (MFC). More information on how to receive your migration registration is available here.

I am completing my studies at HSE University (I am an HSE graduate; I have been dismissed from HSE University), and my visa and/or registration expires soon. What do I do?

After completing your studies at HSE University, foreign citizens must leave the Russian Federation. According to Russian migration law, HSE University must inform the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) about the dismissal of its international students within three days of the enrolment termination order. Foreign citizens dismissed due to graduation must leave the Russian Federation within three days after the university informs the MIA.

In in the event of a delayed departure from the Russian Federation, the foreign citizen is responsible for their stay in the Russian Federation. Violation of migration law is punishable under administrative law (which may result in a fine or administrative expulsion possibly followed by a ban on entering the Russian Federation).

Due to the current limitations on international travel, foreign citizens are advised to:

• Contact their embassy/consulate to clarify information on possible options for departure from the Russian Federation;
• Check the websites of air companies that offer flights to the destination country for information.

How do I register in the dorm if I have been absent from the dorm (for over 48 hours) or am going to move into the dorm from another place of residence (apartment/hotel/hostel)? Do I have to complete the period of self-isolation that is currently required?

To follow the necessary requirements and the procedure of checking in the dorm, students need to contact their dorm passport officer with their documents (passport, visa [if available], migration card, and registration) to become registered at the dormitory.

In accordance with a directive from the HSE Coronavirus Prevention Task Force, if you have been absent from the dorm for longer than 48 hours and are going to return to the dorm soon, you must complete a period of self-isolation at the Voronovo Centre.

Attention! You can also get your blood checked for IgG coronavirus antibodies in advance. In case your test is positive, you can check into your dorm without completing the compulsory isolation at the Voronovo Centre.

The list of clinics offering the test is available on Mosgorzdrav website.

Before arriving and checking into the dorm, it is highly recommended to contact the dorm administration in advance and confirm the requirements that are in effect at the time, since the situation can change: for example, additional medical certificates may be required etc.

If I have completed my studies at HSE University, and my visa and registration expire at the end of the academic period, can I continue living in the dorm and stay in Russia?

You can live in the dorm only during your studies at HSE University. After completing your studies, you must check out of the dorm and leave the Russian Federation.

Due to the current limitations on international travel, foreign citizens are advised to contact their embassy/consulate to clarify information on possible options of departure from the Russian Federation. It is also recommended to check the websites of airline companies that offer flights to the destination country for information.

I’m continuing my studies at HSE University and my study visa expires soon. I have left the Russian Federation, and I’m currently abroad. What do I do?

You need to contact the HSE Visa and Registration Centre (visa-registration@hse.ru) and the manager of your programme, attaching a scanned copy of your passport and visa.

Attention! Please check your passport expiration date. The passport should be valid for at least 18 months after the start date of the new visa, and the passport should contain at least two free two-page spreads for visas and entrance/exit stamps. If your passport does not conform to these requirements, please obtain a new passport and send a scanned copy of it to your programme manager via email.

If your study visa expires before the date of your scheduled entrance in the Russian Federation:

• The university must process an invitation for you at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Moscow (the minimum processing time is 25 working days);
• You must get a study visa at a Russian Federation Consulate abroad (processing time is about 14 working days, but terms may differ at different consulates)

Unfortunately, as of today, processing of invitations and study visas has been suspended. We are tracking all the changes and will provide additional notifications when visa and invitation application processing is resumed. You can get the most recent information at the HSE Visa and Registration Centre or from your programme manager.

If the limitations on invitation- and visa-processing and entry into Russia are not lifted and you cannot get a visa or enter Russia in time, HSE University will provide international students with full-credit distance learning options until they are able to come to the university.

In the current situation, it is highly recommended to buy refundable tickets with flexible dates.

July 09, 2020