By country
Russia invitation letter from France
Not for unified e-visa. Required at the consulate for a regular visa.
- E-visa open to this passport
- Yes, within the scheme's limits
- Invitation required
- For consular visas only
- Consular fee
- Consular tariff of the Russian missions in France; the invitation fee is separate.
- Processing
- E-visa: up to 4 calendar days on the MFA portal. Consular visa: appointment in Paris, Marseille or Strasbourg plus several working days.
Section 1How the invitation is used in France
Copy names as in the passport, including particles (de, d’).
Do not confuse this invitation with a French “lettre d’invitation” for Schengen. It is a Russian tour-operator document.
Section 2Where to file
Russian missions in France accept the invitation as part of the consular file. Check which post covers your place of residence before booking, because jurisdiction is by address and not by convenience.
| City | Post | Notes on the invitation |
|---|---|---|
| Paris | Embassy | Regular visa + invitation. |
| Marseille | Consulate General | South of France. |
| Strasbourg | Consulate General | East. |
Section 3What to copy into the application form
Four fields move from the invitation to the application form. Transcribe them character for character; mismatches here are the most common reason a file is returned before it is assessed.
| Field on the application form | Where it sits on the invitation |
|---|---|
| Organisation invitante | Host |
| Numéro de référence | PTO |
| Numéro de confirmation | ID |
Section 4Mistakes that recur here
- Uploading an OFII or prefecture invitation by mistake.
Section 5Which route applies to you
Holders of this passport have two routes into Russia, and only one of them needs an invitation.
- Before you commission anything, compare the two routes on invitation versus the unified e-visa — for short stays the e-visa removes the invitation entirely.
- Choose the category that matches your trip: tourist confirmation and voucher for leisure travel, or a business invitation for meetings and contracts.
- Budget with the breakdown of invitation and consular fees and plan around current issuing times.
- When the document arrives, verify its registry number before you book a consular appointment.
Section 6Countries in the same position
These passports also qualify for the unified e-visa, so the same choice between routes applies.
Important
An invitation letter is a supporting document. It does not guarantee a visa: consular officers decide every application.
Questions
Is the tourist invitation the same as a “prise en charge”?
No. It is issued in Russia by a registered tour operator, not by a private host in France.
Sources
Rules and fees on this page are checked against the primary authorities below. Where they disagree with us, they are correct.