Important Documents

Foreign citizens and stateless persons must adhere fully to the migration laws of Russian Federation. The legal status of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation is defined by the following laws and regulations:

• Federal law No. 144-FZ “On the Procedure for Exit from the Russian Federation and Entry Into the Russian Federation”, dated 15.08.1996;
• Federal law No. 115-FZ “On the Legal Position of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation”, dated 25.07.2002;
• Federal law No. 109-FZ “On Migration Registration of Foreign Nationals and Stateless Persons in the Russian Federation”, dated 18.07.2006;
• Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 9 “On the Procedure of Migration Registration of Foreign Nationals and Stateless Persons in the Russian Federation”, dated 15.01.2007;
• Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 335 “On Approval of the Regulations on Establishment of Form of the Visa, Procedure and Conditions of its Registration and Issue, Prolongation of Term of its Action, its Recovery in Case of Loss, and also Procedure for Cancellation of the Visa" and others.

List of documents required to have on person when present on the territory of the Russian Federation

Foreign citizens (students) may only be present and move freely on the territory of the Russian Federation when in possession of the following documents:

1. National passport (with a valid visa, for visa nationals);
2. Migration card with a border crossing stamp;
3. A detachable section of the notice of arrival of a foreign citizen/stateless person to the Russian Federation in the area of your temporary stay (residence).

ATTENTION! Your migration card must state EDUCATION as the purpose of your visit. If that is not the case, you will have to exit the territory of the Russian Federation in order to acquire a new migration card.

ATTENTION! Foreign citizens who arrive to Russian Federation with educational purposes must arrive using a student visa issued based on an invitation from ITMO University or the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

Citizens of Uzbekistan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Ukraine and Azerbaijan do not require a visa.

Registration

Obtaining a migration registration is a mandatory procedure for foreign citizens.

During their initial visit to the Russian Federation, a foreign citizen must obtain a new registration form (a document that confirms the legality of your presence in Russia). In order to do that, submit the documents from the list below to the Migration Services Office within 3 business days from the day of your arrival.

1. Passport;
2. Valid visa (for visa nationals);
3. Migration card;
4. Contract for provision of paid educational services (if enrolled in a fee-based position).

ATTENTION! The Migration Services Office can only provide migration registration for foreign citizens who choose to reside in ITMO University’s dormitories. If the foreign citizen lodges at a private residence, their registration must be obtained by the residence’s owner (landlord) at a local office of the Russian Ministry of the Interior by request of ITMO University.

The Migration Services Office obtains the migration registration within seven days after the foreign citizen’s arrival to the Russian Federation.

Extension of registration

The maximum length of an initial registration is 90 days (for dormitories or private residences).

20 days before the expiration date of their registration, the student must come to the Migration Services Office to extend their registration.

Bring the following documents:

1. Original copy of your passport;
2. Migration card;
3. Current registration (original copy of the detachable section of the notice of arrival of a foreign citizen/stateless person to area of temporary stay);
4. Contract for provision of paid educational services (if enrolled in a fee-based position).

For purposes of extension of registration, the old registration form is submitted to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior, and a new copy is given in exchange. A stamp indicating that the registration has been extended is put on the reverse side of the migration card.

If you have:

• crossed the border of the Russian Federation;
• checked in at a hospital or hotel;
• moved to a different ITMO dormitory or a private residence;
• obtained a new passport/citizenship.

you must contact the Migration Services Office within one business day to request a new registration.

ATTENTION! Before travelling, foreign citizens must notify in advance the staff of Migration Services Office of their departure from St. Petersburg (or Russian Federation).

Visa extension

Foreign citizens entering the Russian Federation for educational purposes are issued a regular student visa. A single-entry visa for a duration of 90 days must be obtained at a Russian Embassy or Consulate through an invitation from ITMO University or the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

The length of a foreign citizen or stateless person’s temporary stay on the territory of the Russian Federation is extended by way of issuing a new multiple-entry student visa for a length of up to 1 year.

In order to extend and acquire a multi-entry student visa, the foreign citizen must contact the Migration Services Offices 1.5 months prior to the expiration date of their current visa. Please bring the following:

1. Passport
2. Migration card
3. Migration registration
4. One photo (3cm by 4cm)
5. Receipt confirming the payment of state duty for a multiple-entry visa (1,600 rubles). Request the payment details from the Migration Services Office.
6. Contract for provision of paid educational services (if enrolled in a fee-based position).

ATTENTION! If the foreign citizen’s passport expiration date is approaching, they must, at least 6 months prior to the expiration date, extend it or acquire a new passport at their home country’s Embassy or Consulate.

Foreign citizens/stateless persons who do not reside at a dormitory must obtain a migration registration for the duration of their multi-entry visa using the address of their temporary residence at a local office of the Ministry of Interior (to which their address of residence is assigned) within 3 business days (See: federal law No. 109-FZ “On Migration Registration of Foreign Nationals and Stateless Persons in the Russian Federation”, dated 18.07.2006)

ATTENTION! Visa nationals/stateless persons who have not submitted documents required for obtaining a new residence visa to ITMO University’s Migration Services Office must leave the territory of the Russian Federation within the term of their current visa and return to their studies using a new invitation.

Read more about migration documents extension during the pandemic in the CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 section