Here at beijingkids, we try to share with you lessons we’ve learned the hard way, about life in this crazy city. See, for example, my colleague Pauline’s wonderful post on the true costs of moving to Beijing.
This post very much falls under that category, because I wasted several days recently trying to obtain a visa for a brief visit to Russia. China and Russia share over 4000 kilometers of border, and the railway trip from Beijing to Europe is one of the most romantic and exciting ways of getting home for many of us. But information about getting a visa in Beijing as a citizen of a third country is sparse online. (And please note that while I’m sharing my experiences in the hope of being helpful, and all information is correct to the best of my knowledge at the time of writing, these things are subject to change at any time, so please be sure of what you’re doing before spending money or making long trips!)
To begin with, it is likely that you will need a visa, even for a very short visit, if you are a citizen of China, the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, or most European countries. Many former Soviet bloc countries are exempt from visa requirements, as is much of South America. For the full list see here.
The only exception is if you are transferring planes, and remain within the airport. (Many flights to Europe change in Moscow.) You can get a transit visa if you’re passing through, which will be valid for three days if you’re flying or ten days by train.
But be warned. I’m flying out on a Friday to avoid the Golden Week price hike, and need to be in Europe on the following Monday. Perfect, I thought, three days. I’ll get a transit visa and have a little look at Mòsīkè.
However, my application was rejected. Because, as I was told, “Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday – that’s four days.” When I protested that if I arrived at noon on Friday, then at noon on Saturday I would have been there for one day, I was told that there was no time recorded on the entry stamp. Whether that makes sense to you (and it didn’t to me), there’s no point in arguing. Believe me, I tried.
But that wasn’t my first mistake. My first mistake was to turn up at the Russian Embassy, clutching my paperwork. Not only was I in the wrong place, I didn’t even have the right form. As a starting point you need to visit the VFS Global website. Here’s the link if you’re a Brit, other nationalities will have to use a little google fu:
As the website makes clear, you need to first check which sort of visa you need, then fill in the online form. The VFS Global website is slick and modern, but the online form itself is dated and temperamental, and I had great difficulty with it on a Linux and an older Windows PC. (The drop down menus failed to drop down, making it impossible to move on.) In the end I had to do it on my phone. Prepare for much technical frustration.
Even when you can access the form, it’s immensely long and complex, requiring you to list all the other countries you’ve visited (your most recent arrival in China counts), the numbers of your expired passports, which social media accounts you hold, and a great deal of other information. For one heart-stopping moment in the visa office, I thought my application might fail because I hadn’t provided a current fax number.
When you have finally completed the form (you can save it and do it in more than one session, but be careful to note the application number!) you need to print it out, sign and date it. You’ll also need a passport sized photo (4cm by 3cm), and all the documentation for your trip: flights in and out, accommodation, and medical insurance.
There’s one other document you’ll need (apart of course from your passport.) The only real difference between a transit visa and a tourist visa is that for the latter you need a “supporting document.” This is in effect a letter inviting you to visit the Russian Federation. If you’re traveling with a tour company they should supply it, as can most hotels. Once again though, beware. It needs to be in a very specific format, and if the right information is not on the right line your application will be rejected.
In the end I found it easiest to get it supplied by an online company. I was emailed the documents within 15 minutes, and had no problem with them. At GBP 15 they seemed a bargain (around RMB 134 at the time of writing.)
If all this seems onerous, then at least if you’re applying in China you don’t have to provide biometric data. So look on the bright side.
Once you have all the information, you need to go, not to the Embassy, but to the VFS offices on the tenth floor of the Oriental Kenzo building, by Dongzhimen subway station. On arriving at the office you’ll need to show your passport, then you’ll be given a number. And you wait.
Of the three occasions I visited the office, the first time I realized after 15 minutes that I had the wrong paperwork, and left. The second time I was third in the queue, and waited about 45 minutes. The third time I was 20th, and waited for around four hours. I am able to offer no advice about how best to manage this, except not to go two weeks before Golden Week, when the turnaround time for a visa is ten working days. And go prepared for a long wait.
One of the more depressing aspects of the wait was that, of the six or seven counters, most are dealing with bulk applications from agents and only two are seeing walk-ups like you, so the queue moves painfully slowly. Another is that, when you finally get seen, the staff are bilingual in Chinese and Russian but most don’t speak much English. (And why should they?) And the third is that if you don’t have the right paperwork you’ll be sent away, and have to come back to do it all over again.
All is not entirely lost: errors on your form (and there will be errors) can be corrected, for a small fee. Otherwise you can look forward to half an hour or so of your application being scrutinized line by line, by someone who looks as though your efforts have displeased them greatly. Apart from the fax farrago, there was a crisis moment when I was asked for the visa for my onward destination, and the fact that I claimed not to need one caused much consternation.
Once your form has been approved, you will be given four sheets of paper, which you take to desk number one. Here you need to pay for your visa, in cash, in RMB. No other payment method is accepted; make sure you have enough. When you have paid, you will be given two of the four pieces of paper, which you need to guard with your life, then bring back after ten working days, between 2 and 3 in the afternoon.
Easy, right? Well, I hope so. Because I still have to go back and collect my passport with visa, on the day before I fly. Wish me luck…
24 Comments
Hi Andrew,
Was wondering how you went with the application? I am from Australia, looking to get a Russian 30 day tourist visa and have run out of time to do it at home before I leave.
If you successfully received a Russian tourist visa in China that gives me a lot of hope for getting one myself (either in Beijing or elsewhere).
Cheers!
Xav
Hi Xav, thanks for your comment! I got my visa, and had a memorable few days in Moscow, which is an amazing city. I hope to go back to see more of it. It’s a bit of a pain as a process, but if you have all your paperwork in order then they’re entirely reasonable and fair, and you will get there in the end. I wrote this post in the hope that I could save people from some of the daft mistakes I made, so I hope you find it helpful, and that you have great trip to Beijing and on to Russia!
Yeah here’s hoping. Just wondering; did you apply for a 10 day transit or a 30 day tourist visa?
Thanks for the reply, too.
I had to apply for the tourist visa in the end. The 10 day transit is for arriving overland, but it’s only 3 days if you’re flying- and confusingly they count the day you arrive as day 1. The only difference is that you need the letter of invitation, but they’re easy and inexpensive to get online. If you make sure you have everything you need when you go into the visa office you should be able to do it in a single day. Good luck! (and when you’re visiting Beijing, check out our sister publication thebeijinger.com for all the top tips on what to do and see, and where to eat and drink.)
Will do, thanks again Andrew.
Hi Andrew. Your post seems to be literally the only account of a foreigner (non-Chinese) resident applying for a Russian visa in Beijing. I’m gonna be there in a couple of weeks and need to apply both for a Mongolian and Russian visa in order to take transiberian back home to Warsaw. How long did you wait for your tourist visa? Do you remember if there was an express/ rush visa options available? The Mongolian visa takes 3 days so if i need to wait another 3 for the Russian one that means that I need to prepare myself to stay in Beijing for a while… Thanks a lot in advance.
Hi Marta, we’re happy to help everyone in Beijing, even if you’re just passing through! For a normal tourist visa it takes ten working days, but you can pay for an express service- I THINK it takes 3 days, but you should check with the VFS Global website. You probably need to allow a day for making each application, so you’re realistically looking at a week in Beijing (day 1 apply for Mongolian visa, day 2 apply for Russian visa, day 4 collect Mongolian visa, day 5 collect Russian…) But there’s plenty to do here! The most important thing is to make sure you have all your paperwork in order, and don’t forget you’ll need an invitation letter for a Russian tourist visa. Also you have to pay in cash, in Renminbi! Good luck, and let us know if we can help further.
Thank you so much for such a quick and detailed reply. Are you saying that I can apply for a Russian visa without my passport? I thought: day 1: apply for Mongolian visa, day 3: collect Mongolian visa, day 4: apply for Russian visa, day 7: collect Russian visa.
Ah, yes, sorry, hadn’t thought that through, had I? Of course you need to leave your passport, so you won’t be able to apply for both simultaneously. Don’t forget too these are working days, or they certainly are at the Russian visa office anyway. So with weekends, you’re probably looking at two weeks in Beijing, rather than one. But you could look at that as a positive- plenty of time to explore one of the world’s great, historic cities! Check out our site and our sister publication, thebeijinger.com, for loads of ideas for things to do and see here.
Hi Andrew!
I’m an Australian currently on X2 visa in Beijing and hoping to apply for a 30 day tourist visa for Russia via the VFS centre in Beijing. I see that you successfully obtained a Russian tourist visa, well done! When you applied for this Russian visa, what visa were you using in China? Did you have a residence permit? Cheers
Hi Max, thanks for commenting and sorry for the delay in responding! I’ve been traveling.
Yes, I have a residence permit for China. The factor that they took into consideration is whether you have a visa for the next place you’re going after Russia- i.e., they don’t want you stuck there because you have no right to go to your destination! I was traveling from Russia on to Latvia, and as a UK citizen I currently don’t need a visa for any EU state… this worried them a little and they had to check that was correct. So if you’re coming back to China after Russia, make sure you have the appropriate permission to return. If you’re traveling elsewhere, then it doesn’t matter what visa you have here.
Hope that helps!
hello
Which company did you use for the invitation letter. Made my first attempt at applying for the visa today and everything else is fine except the invitation letter.
Hi Nick, sorry for not answering sooner! I used realrussia.co.uk (it was easier for me to pay in GBP.)
Hello,
Great help, thank you for sharing!!
Do you remember how much was your tourist visa?
Happy Travel!!
Hi Yann! I can’t remember now, but all the current prices are available at vfsglobal.com
Hi Andrew,
My application went through today. They do really check every single details and every line of all documents you provide. You really have to see to believe it.
Don’t go if you don’t have ALL the documents. Some embassy of other countries would close their eyes on some details. Not the Russians!!!
Make sure your travel insurance as all the amount of your medical cover (minimum cover of 30k€). Mine didn’t so I had to print a page of the booklet provided with it. They made me pay 8rmb per page!
It cost me a little more than 500rmb for a tourist visa. Process time 5 working days.
Your blog was a great help for me to make sure we had all the correct document!
Spasiba so much!!!
Hi Andrew! Did you need the original document of the tourist visa support (The one you have to obtain from an agency), or a printed copy is valid? I read that in Beijing they need the original, but this seems to much trouble to get it via courier.
Hi Lorenzo! I got my invitation letter by email and printed it off. That was accepted. I wonder if the rules have changed? I suggest you contact realrussia and ask them. Any problem with the paperwork and they’ll send you away again… but as you say, sending it by courier seems an expensive way of going about it.
Hi Andrew et al.
We were at the Russian Visa Application Centre in Beijing today (12/10/2018). I am happy to share our experience.
Firstly, everybody was very helpful and attentive. They found us a Chinese Official who spoke English, who was joined by a Russian Official who also spoke English.
We were told categorically that UK passport holders will not be granted a Tourist Visa to Russia in China, unless they have at least a ninety (90) day valid visa for China. A thirty (30) day tourist visa for China is not sufficient. However, Australian passport holders will be considered for a Russian Tourist Visa (assuming they have fulfilled all the other requirements), even with a 30 day tourist visa, but the application processing time is longer than normal (although it wasn’t clear what normal processing time was). It seems he processing time and requirements vary depending on the Nationality of the applicant.
However, UK and AU passport holders could apply for a 3 day (if traveling by air) or 10 day (if traveling by train) transit visa, as long as they held any type of valid China visa, at satisfied the other requirements of course (Entry & Exit tickets, etc).
One final think to note: Those with Dual Nationality can only use the passport that contains their valid China Visa. It is not possible to arrive in China on one passport, and apply for a Russian Visa on the other passport.
Do you need to provide them with insurance for the transit visa?
Hi mate.
Planning to do the trans-Siberian journey from Vladivostok (LOL) to Moscow and then go home to Poland. Need to apply for the visa, obviously.
Went to the Russian embassy website today and it said this:
No.5 need a covering letter detailing the purpose of the visit
No.6 need an insurance policy for a period of stay in Russia
What’s up with that? Do I need that for transit visa?
Hi Greg, thanks for your comment! As far as I’m aware, you do need travel insurance, and you do need a letter. The travel insurance is because they need to know if you have an accident in Russia that you’ll be able to pay for your care. The letter- who knows? Just write a letter saying what you’re doing and where you’re going. Sometimes with bureaucracy it’s best just to tick the boxes and not worry about it too much.
Hello, did you have to make an online appointment to be able to apply for the visa in Beijing, or is it a walk in set up?
I’ve tried to make an online appointment through the Beijing.krmid.ru website but it doesn’t work very well and I’m not even sure if it is the correct website to use!
Thanks for your post, it has been very helpful!
Hi Charlotte! It’s a walk in office, but you need to have the form, which you have to complete online. That link doesn’t look right, their visa applications are handled by VFS Global. If you’re a UK citizen this is the link you need:
http://ru.vfsglobal.co.uk/
If you’re of a different nationality you’ll need to google it, I’m afraid. But it’s likely to be a VFS Global website.
One more word of caution… I went in October 2017 (and had a fabulous 3 days in Moscow). But I can’t be 100 percent sure this information is still up to date.
Please do ask again if I can help any more!