International students outside CIS countries, wishing to come to Russia to study need a “Study Visa” – an entry visa that states “education” as the purpose of entry and specifies the institution of study.
As soon as UNECON coordinators receive all the documents they start an Invitation application procedure. This may take up to 5 weeks. When Invitations are issued by the Federal Migration Service of Russia, students will be sent a scanned copy via e-mail. Upon receiving it, students may start visa application process. Please consult the local Russian Embassy (Consulate) for the documents needed.
NB! Students should apply for a study visa in the Russian Embassy (Consulates) or authorized visa centers only. Thus, to apply for a visa it’s necessary to find the nearest city with one of these institutions and make an appointment there.
Visa extension
Invitations are going to be issued for a single entry visa. During 2 months after the beginning of the semester UNECON coordinators will collect the necessary documents to apply for a multiple entry visa valid till the end of the students’ study period. Thus, after arriving to SPb students won’t have an opportunity to leave the country until they receive a multiple visa, i.e. if students leave when having a one-entry visa they won’t be able to come back. Multiple visa issuing may take up to 5-6 weeks to process.
To apply for a multiple visa students have to submit the following documents:
1. Passport
3. Registration
4. 2 photos 3*4cm
5. 2000 RUR
6. Insurance certificate
Each student must have an insurance covering the whole study period (translation into Russian is not required).
Registration rules
Registration is obligatory in Russia for every person. Coordinators of the UNECON International Department assist students with registration.
1. Foreign citizens who arrive in the Russian Federation are required to submit their national passports and migration cards with Border Control stamps to the International Department within 24 hours for registration (excluding holidays and weekends).
2. If it is necessary to travel abroad or travel within the territory of Russia, foreign citizens are required to inform the International Department about their travel plans no later than 3 days before the expected departure date.
3. In case a foreign citizen stays at a hotel/hostel for at least one night, they must ask for a copy of the registration made at this hotel/hostel and bring it with them to the International Department within 24 hours upon return (excluding holidays and weekends).
4. When returning from abroad/other cities in Russia, foreign citizens are required to bring their passport and migration card to the International Department within 24 hours for re-registration (excluding holidays and weekends).
5. In case of a change of residence on the territory of St. Petersburg, a foreign citizen is obliged to notify the International Department within 24 hours.
6. After completion of the international program, foreign citizens are required to leave the territory of the Russian Federation before the visa expiration date.
In the event of loss of national documents, foreign citizens are required to immediately contact the police department closest to the place where the documents were lost or where the loss was discovered and report to the International Department.
Foreign citizens who have committed a criminal, administrative or other offense are responsible for their actions and are held accountable in accordance with the procedure established by law.