Bachelor's, Master's and Specialist students: visa

1. How do I get a student visa to study at HSE University?

1. Before applying for a Russian visa, you must be admitted to HSE University (please follow this link for more information).

2. Carefully check your passport: its expiry date must be at least 18 months away from your planned date of entry into Russia. It must also contain at least 4 blank pages for your Russian visa and entry/exit stamps. If you do not have enough blank pages in your passport, you must apply for a new one.

3. You need an invitation in order to get an initial single-entry student visa, which will allow you to enter Russia only once and will last for 90 days. A multiple-entry study visa will be issued upon your arrival to Russia.

 *Important: Visa and registration support is only provided to students of full-time programs.

2. How can I get an invitation for a student visa?

Your invitation will be available in your HSE Personal Account within 30 days from the date when all required documents have been successfully uploaded. Please refer to our guide to check your visa invitation. We do not advise to book tickets until you receive a visa invitation.

If you are a student in senior years of studies, you should request a visa invitation from the coordinator/manager of your degree programme, by sending them an application and a copy of your passport’s bio-page

If you are a first-year student and are studying under a quote, you can confirm your visa invitation’s status by writing at inter@hse.ru.  

3. Where can I apply for a student visa?

Visit a website of the Russian Embassy or Consulate where you plan to get your visa, and check the list of required documents and the procedure. You can book an appointment in advance, but please keep in mind the visa invitation processing time - minimum 30 calendar days.

Please refer to our guide to check your visa. If you find an error in your visa, contact the Russian Embassy or Consulate, which issued your visa.

4. Where can I stay ?

Figure out where you will stay beforehand

If you are planning to stay in HSE dorm, you should get an accommodation referral.

If you are a 1st year student, the accommodation referral can be obtained through your personal account. You should indicate the date of your arrival to Russia in https://lk.hse.ru/, and 3 days before your arrival to Russia the accommodation referral will appear in your personal account. 

If you are a senior student, to be accommodated in the dorm you will need to send a request Barminova Lubov - lubovb@hse.ru. Indicate your name, faculty, year of study and arrival date in the email. 

If you are not planning to stay in the dormitory, you may use the assistance of Student housing office to find some alternative accommodation options. 

Read more details about staying in Moscow here.