Students: visa
1. What do I need to know about visa extension?
1. If your studies at HSE University continue beyond the expiry date on your current visa, you will need to renew both your visa and migration registration.
2. You can apply for visa extension in person through the Student Service Centre as early as 90 days and as late as 45 days prior to your current visa expiration date. Fill in the online form to choose the appointment date and time. Visa extensions shall be made via the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. The processing time is 20 business days.
3. You can extend your visa for up to one calendar year at a time in line with the duration of your studies at HSE University. Please note that your visa will also lapse if your passport is due to expire in six months. If you wish to extend your stay once until the end of your entire course, consider the option of obtaining RVPO.
4. If you plan to leave Russia, we do not advise to book tickets until you receive your passport with an extended visa.
5. If you are getting enrolled in HSE after graduating from another university
And you are a Bachelor's, Master's, or Specialist's degree graduate
you will have to leave Russia and get a new study visa in your country of citizenship. Extending visa issued by another university without leaving Russia in such situation is impossible. To get assistance with new invitation for study visa contact the international admissions..
And you are an International Preparatory Year programme graduate
Your visa can be extended without leaving Russia.
6. In case you resume studies after the leave of absence and wish to extend your current valid visa, apart from the regular documents make sure you get: extract from the order of your leave of absence, extract from the order of your readmission from it, in case you are a fee-paying student an annex to your study contract explaining the shift in your study period due to the leave. Request these from your study office.
7. Important: When you apply for visa and registration extension your obligatory medical examination and fingerprinting certificates may be checked. In case you haven't passed the procedures within the allowed deadline, or the certificates have expired, you may be rejected the extension of visa and/or registration.
2. What should I do if I received a new passport?
If you receive a new passport in Russia, make sure to obtain along a certificate from the embassy of your country, indicating the date when you actually got the document. Submit the original of this certificate and of your new passport to the Visa Support Centre and copies of them to the passport officer of your dorm / the owner of your flat / your hotel receptionist, on the same date after obtaining them. You have only 3 days to apply for the new registration and visa. Please submit a scanned copy of your new passport within 1 (one) calendar day after receipt through the "Migration Registration" section in the HSEAppX mobile app. You need to update all your documents to match your new passport and upload them through the "Migration Registration" section in the HSEAppX mobile app. Also apply to the Student Service Centre to change your personal data in HSE electronic systems. Attention: When paying the visa fee, please present your new passport at the bank.
3. What documents do I need to submit to extend my visa?
I am a fee-paying student
1) your passport + copies of all pages containing stamps and visas;
2) receipt confirming the payment of the visa fee;
Please, do not use Sberbank online or the terminal for the fee payment. Pay the fee at the checkout window in the bank by giving the requisites to the bank cashier. Carefully check the payment details
3) migration card and its copy
4) registration slip and its copy - both sides (when renting an apartment it's also necessary to provide a copy of the owner's passport, his/her phone number and email);
5) your photo 3x4 cm on the white background, the face must take no less than 70-80% of the photo;
6) copy of your tuition agreement verified by your study office.
I have a tuition waiver (government scholarship)
1) your passport + copies of all pages containing stamps and visas;
2) receipt confirming the payment of the visa fee;
Please, do not use Sberbank online or the terminal for the fee payment. Pay the fee at the checkout window in the bank by giving the requisites to the bank cashier. Carefully check the payment details
3) migration card and its copy
4) registration slip and its copy- both sides (when renting an apartment it's also necessary to provide a copy of the owner's passport, his/her phone number and email)
5) your photo 3x4 cm on the white background, the face must take 70-80% of the photo.
4. What should I do if it is too late to submit my documents for visa extension?
Contact the Visa Support Centre immediately. Most likely, you will have to leave Russia and get a new visa invitation. Contact your programme manager to find out the procedure and follow this link for more details about getting a new Russian visa.
5. Where can I get the documents required for extending my visa?
Your passport
It must be valid for at least 18 months. It must also contain minimum 2 consecutive blank visa designated pages for your Russian visa stamp and entry/exit stamps. If you do not have enough blank pages in your passport, you must apply for a new one. If you want to use a copy of your passport that you made earlier, please make sure to add a copy of the page containing the most recent stamps made when crossing the Russian border.
Receipt confirming payment of the visa fee
The payment requisites will be sent to you automatically as soon as you have filled in the form for appointment (the visa fee is 1,920 roubles). Use them to go and pay in the bank the visa extension fee.
Please, do not use Sberbank online or the terminal for the fee payment. Pay the fee at the checkout window in the bank by giving the requisites to the bank cashier. Carefully check the payment details.
Please note that the University will not be held responsible in case of any mistakes related to the payment of the visa fee, as well as in case of any changes in the place of submission and payment details on behalf of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, or if the Ministry of Internal Affairs refuses to issue a visa.
If you find an error in your receipt, contact a bank staff member. If the error cannot be fixed, please keep the receipt with the error and make the payment again. If you want to learn more about getting a refund for incorrect payments, please follow this link.
Copies of documents
There are a few photocopy centres on the premises of HSE University. You can make copies on one side of the sheet only, with one or two pages of your passport - two-sided copying is not acceptable.
HSE tuition agreement
Get your verified agreement from your program manager;
Photo
You can use one of the photos you have or make a new one. Requirements: a colored photo 3x4 cm, the face must take 70-80% of the photo;
6. What should I do while I wait for my visa?
The standard visa processing time is 20 working days, within which time you must remain in Russia! You can use this time to collect the documents required for extending your migration registration. Once you get your new visa, you will only have three business days to apply for the extension of your migration registration. You may want to ask your dormitory passport officer or owner of your flat in advance about the list of documents required to extend your migration registration.
Which documents required for extending my migration registration can I get from my programme office?
If you are an Exchange program student
Please check the list of documents below, select the ones you need, and ask the staff at HSE Student International Mobility Office to get them for you. In order to extend your migration registration, you may need:
1) a HSE Certificate of Attendance;
2) an extract from your HSE Enrolment Directive;
3) a copy of your tuition agreement.
If you are a Bachelor's, Master's, or Specialist's degree program student
Please check the list of documents below, select the ones you need. You may request the following documents to extend your migration registration in advance:
At Student Service Centre get:
1) an original certificate of attendance (‘spravka’) issued by your study office or by Student Service Center (only in Russian, printed on the HSE letterhead, valid only 1 month after issuance date);
2) an extract from the order on enrolment (for first - year students) or transfer to the next academic year (for 2nd/3d/4th - year students);
From your program manager get:
3) a copy of your tuition agreement;
4) a copy of the recommendation letter issued by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science.
If you are a Doctoral program student
Please check the list of documents below, select the ones you need. You may request the following to extend your migration registration in advance:
At Doctoral school get:
1) a HSE Certificate of Attendance;
2) an extract from your HSE Enrolment Directive;
3) a copy of your tuition agreement if you stay on a fee-paying basis;
4) a copy of the recommendation letter issued by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science if ou receive scholarship.
If you are an International Preparatory Year programme student
Please check the list of documents below, select the ones you need, and ask the International Preparatory Programmes team to get them for you. In order to extend your migration registration, you may need the following:
1) a HSE Certificate of Attendance;
2) an extract from your HSE Enrolment Directive;
3) a copy of your tuition agreement verified by the preparatory faculty manager;
4) a copy of the recommendation letter issued by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science.
How do I know when my visa is ready?
A notification will be sent to your HSE email account. If you specified a different email address, please also check the spam folder. If you want to know the status of your visa, you can also send a request to visa-registration@hse.ru. Please make sure to include your full name, citizenship and visa extension application date in your email.
What should I do when I get a notification that my visa is ready?
Please bring your passport to the Student Service Centre during its office hours mentioned in the notification. The centre will keep your passport for up to three business days to get your visa. You will be notified when you can come to pick up your passport. Please make sure to collect it on the appointed day. Until you get your passport back, please always have its copy with you (a copy of the first page and the page with your current visa).
7. I got a new visa, What should I do next?
Please carefully check your personal details, for example, by comparing the new and old visa, or refering to the guide. If you find an error in your visa, contact the Visa Support Centre immediately.
You must apply for an extension of your migration registration within three days from the date of issue of your new visa. The extension procedure may vary depending on your place of stay. The procedure depends on your place of staying and has no fee.
I am staying in a dormitory
Bring all required documents (a copy of your passport with the new visa, a copy of your migration card, active registration slip and other documents you received from your programme office) to the dormitory passport officer.
Ask the dormitory passport officer when your extended registration will be ready. Please refer to our guide to check your registration slip when you get it. If you find an error in your registration slip, contact your dormitory passport officer. You will receive a new registration slip within a few days. Until you do, please keep the registration slip with the error.
I am staying in a private flat
Please bring all required documents (a copy of your passport with the new visa, a copy of your migration card, active registration slip and other documents you received from your programme office) to the owner of your flat. The owner of the flat can refer to our guide.
You may need a registration application form on HSE University letterhead. To obtain the form, send a request and collect it after you get the confirmation on its readiness. It usually takes 3 working days to process your application for the form.
Ask the owner of your flat when your registration will be ready. Please refer to our guide to check your registration slip when you get it. If you find an error in your registration slip, contact the owner of your flat. You will receive a new registration slip within a few days. Until you do, please keep the registration slip with the error.
I am staying in a hotel/hostel
Please bring your new visa to your hotel receptionist and ask him/her to extend your migration registration. You can ask him/her when your extended migration registration will be ready. When you get your new registration slip on the appointed day, please make sure to carefully check your personal details.
Please refer to our guide to check your registration slip when you get it. If you find an error in your registration slip, contact your hotel receptionist. You will receive a new registration slip within a few days. Until you do, please keep the registration slip with the error.
Important: When you apply for visa and registration extension your obligatory medical examination and fingerprinting certificates may be checked. In case you haven't passed the procedures within the allowed deadline, or the certificates have expired, you may be rejected the extension of visa and/or registration.
Please upload a scanned copy of your extended visa and registration slip within 1 (one) calendar day after receiving them via the "Migration Registration" section in the HSEAppX mobile application.
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