The entry of foreign citizens into the Russian Federation is regulated by the legislation of the Russian Federation. In accordance with the current entry rules, enshrined in the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation N 635-p, all students who plan to come to the Lomonosov MSU must be mentioned in a specific register.
Please, check entry procedure on MSU Online portal for international students.
How to receive invitation for entry visa
STEP 1.
Check if you need a visa to enter Russia and determine the type of visa that suits your needs. The majority of foreign students enter Russia with a foreign passport and a study visa.
STEP 2.
Make sure that your passport will remain valid for a sufficient time. The passport must have enough blank pages for pasting visa and entry and exit stamps. If there are not enough blank pages, you may need to get a new passport.
STEP 3.
To receive an official visa invitation, please send required documents to the email address of the International office of your faculty. Issuing an invitation usually takes from 25 to 45 calendar days, depending on the country of departure.
STEP 4.
Wait until you receive an email from the International office of your faculty with an electronic invitation attached. Print the invitation before contacting the Visa Application Center or the Consulate of the Russian Federation.
STEP 5.
Contact the visa center or the Embassy/Consulate of the Russian Federation in your country, in the city you specified in the application form, and apply for a visa. The visa issue period is up to 2 weeks.
STEP 6.
Having received a passport with a visa, be sure to check that all the information in the visa is correct. If you find an error, please immediately contact the employee of the Visa Application Center or the Consulate of the Russian Federation where you received your visa. After the error is corrected, you should make sure once again that there are no more remaining errors in the data.
STEP 7.
Send a scanned copy of the visa you received to the email address of the International office of your faculty.
For more information about invitation and visa please visit MSU Online portal for international students http://studentin.msu.ru/before-eng.
Migration card
When entering the Russian Federation, all foreign citizens (except the citizens of the Republic of Belarus) are provided with free migration cards.
All fields of the migration card should be filled out in Russian language. If you do not speak Russian, it is permitted to fill in the data with the letters of the Latin alphabet in accordance with the data indicated in the passport.
Important: In the "Purpose of visit" field, the option "Учеба/Education" must be specified. No other options should be underlined.
The completed form must be presented at the checkpoint across the state border of the Russian Federation.
Important: Make a copy of your migration card (for example, take a picture on your phone) so that you always have this document with you. Be sure to keep your migration card in your passport throughout your stay in Russia. The migration card is handed over to the border control officer when leaving the Russian Federation.
More information on entry to Russia can be found on MSU Online portal.
Initial migration registration
Within 7 (SEVEN) working days after entering Russia, you must be registered at the migration service at the place of your accomodation (i.e., at the address of actual residence). This law applies regardless of whether you entered Russia with the visa issued in accordance with MSU invitation, or on a visa-free basis. The consequences of violating this law are extremely serious, up to expulsion from Russia, the imposition of a fine of up to 7,000 rubles and a ban on entry into the Russian Federation for up to 3 years.
For the migration registration of a foreign citizen arriving in Russia, the state duty is not charged.
Further information on migration registration can be found on http://studentin.msu.ru/after-eng.
Important: Please save the registration form on your phone. After completing the isolation period, be sure to visit the foreign department of your faculty and collect the original of this document.
Attention: Always carry with you (until you exit the border of Russia) a registration form and a migration card. These documents confirm that you are legally staying in Russia and are registered with the migration authorities.
Medical examination and fingerprint registration
According to Federal Law №274-ФЗ dated July 1, 2021 "On Amending the Federal Law "On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation" and the Federal Law "On State Fingerprint Registration in the Russian Federation" foreign students, professors and researchers who arrived in the Russian Federation after December 29, 2021 are required to undergo a medical examination and fingerprint registration.
More information about medical examination, fingerprint registration and photography procedure can be found on the website.
Categories of citizens who are not subject to the requirements of 274-ФЗ on mandatory medical procedures. examination, fingerprinting and photography:
Fingerprint registration and photography are carried out by the internal affairs agencies once, regardless of the number of entries / exits to the Russian Federation.
With regard to foreign citizens who have not fulfilled the obligation to undergo mandatory state fingerprint registration, photography and (or) medical examination within the specified period, the reducing the period of temporary stay in the Russian Federation will be considered.