Start here
Do you need one at all?
Depends on your passport and route
What the document is
Contents, issuers and legal basis
Invitation or e-visa
Two separate routes compared
Check a letter is genuine
Registry and confirmation numbers
At a glance
- Required for
- Consular tourist and business visas
- Not required for
- The unified electronic visa
- Issued by
- Registered operators, companies and migration offices
- Issued per
- One traveller, one passport, one travel window
- Guarantees a visa
- No — consular officers decide
Important
An invitation letter is a supporting document. It does not guarantee a visa: consular officers decide every application.
Which document applies to your trip
Tourist
Confirmation and voucher for holiday travel
Business
Company letterhead, migration invitation or TELEX
Private visit
Filed by your host at the migration office
Hotel invitation
When a hotel can issue visa support itself
Processing time
Same day, working days or weeks by type
Multiple entry
Two entries, multiple entries and long validity
Terminology
LOI, voucher, priglashenie: the same document
Sample
What the page looks like, field by field
Instructions by country
How each country's Russian missions handle the invitation, and what local applicants get wrong.
Common questions
Do I need an invitation letter to visit Russia?
For a consular tourist or business visa, yes. For the unified e-visa, no. Nationals who cannot use the e-visa, including United States, United Kingdom, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passport holders, have no alternative route.
What is a Russia invitation letter?
An official document from a registered Russian host stating that you are expected on given dates. It carries a registry reference and a unique confirmation number, and the consulate will not process the application without it.
How much does an invitation letter cost?
Tourist invitations are the cheapest category and are priced per traveller; business invitations cost more because a company and often a state authority are involved. The consular fee is separate and paid to the mission.
How long does it take to get one?
A tourist invitation is normally issued the same day once your details are confirmed. Business invitations take working days to weeks, and private invitations take weeks because a migration office is involved.
Can I check that an invitation is genuine?
Verify it with the issuing organisation using the confirmation number on the document, and make sure the operator's registry number is present. A letter that cannot be traced to a registered issuer should not be filed.
Is a hotel booking enough instead?
No. A reservation from an online travel site is not visa support. It may be attached as proof of accommodation, but it does not replace the invitation.