Guidance note 17
About VisaInvitation
We arrange Russian visa invitation letters and publish the reference material around them. This page sets out who is accountable for that material, how it is checked, and the limits of what we can do for you.
Section 1What this organisation is
VisaInvitation is a private visa support provider. We are not a government body, an embassy, a consulate or an authorised agent of one, and nothing we issue grants you the right to enter Russia. That decision belongs to a consular officer.
Our role is narrower than it might look. We arrange the invitation document a Russian consulate requires before it will assess a visa application, and we explain what the consulate expects to see. We do not lodge the visa application for you, we do not attend the appointment, and we cannot influence the outcome.
Saying so plainly matters, because a great deal of material about Russian visas is written to blur that line. If a provider implies it can guarantee a visa, that is the point to stop reading.
Section 2How the guidance is researched
Every rule, fee and timescale we publish is traced back to a primary source: the Consular Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the official visa portal, or the published tariff of the consulate concerned. Secondary commentary is not used as a basis for a claim.
Where the sources are silent or contradictory, we say so on the page rather than filling the gap with an assumption. Consular practice varies by post, and a rule that holds in London may not hold in Delhi; where we know that to be the case, the country guide says which post it applies to.
Figures that move — consular tariffs above all — are published as the amount in force at the review date shown at the foot of each page, not as a permanent price.
Section 3Review and correction
Each page carries the month it was last reviewed and a reference number. We re-check the whole set on a rolling basis and immediately after any change to the e-visa scheme or the consular tariff.
If you find something on this site that is wrong or out of date, write to support@visainvitation.com with the page reference and we will correct it. Corrections to substantive facts are made on the page itself and the review date is moved forward; we do not quietly delete pages that turn out to be mistaken.
Section 4What we will not do
We will not supply an invitation for a trip whose stated purpose does not match the visa category, and we will not issue documents naming a host that will not in fact receive you. Both are grounds for refusal and for a future entry ban.
- No guarantees of a visa outcome — no honest provider can offer one.
- No invitations backdated or altered after issue.
- No advice on circumventing a refusal, an entry ban or a migration record.
- No payment is taken when you send an application; we quote first and only then invoice.
Section 5Contacting us
Written enquiries go to support@visainvitation.com and are answered in English, Russian, German, Spanish, French or Italian. We reply to substantive questions about a case whether or not you order anything.
If your question is covered by one of the reference pages, we will point you at it rather than repeat it by email — the pages are more precise than a reply written in a hurry.
Important
An invitation letter is a supporting document. It does not guarantee a visa: consular officers decide every application.
Questions
Are you affiliated with the Russian government?
No. We are a private company. We are not an embassy, a consulate or an authorised representative of one, and we have no role in the decision on your visa.
Can you guarantee my visa will be issued?
No, and neither can anyone else. The decision rests with the consular officer. What we can do is make sure the invitation is valid, correctly registered and consistent with the rest of your application, which removes the most common avoidable grounds for refusal.
How do I report an error on this site?
Email support@visainvitation.com with the page reference shown at the foot of the page. We correct substantive errors on the page and move the review date forward.
Sources
Rules and fees on this page are checked against the primary authorities below. Where they disagree with us, they are correct.