Frequently asked questions

Visa extension takes not less than 45 calendar days. Please, submit documents 45 days prior to the expiration date of your current visa.

If your passport has expired or has been damaged, and a new one is issued by embassy, your old passport must be cancelled. Within 3 working days following the receipt of your new passport, you must apply the same set of documents as for visa extension in order to have your visa transferred into your new passport.  Within the same 3 working days you should also update your registration at the place of your stay.

The process will last 20 working days and cannot be expedited. Please ask the embassy to issue you a certificate proving the real date when you were issued your new passport by them - sometimes the issuance date on your new passport is much earlier than the real date when you apply for your visa transfer - in such case, if no proof from the embassy is provided, a visa transfer may be rejected.

Important: when you pay for visa transfer please provide your new passport at the bank.

You must first get appointment by filling this form, then come in person and submit the following documents to have your visa extended:

• your passport (original and copies of all pages)
• your registration slip (original + copy),
• your migration card (original + copy),
• copy of your contract certified by your Programme Office if you are studying on a fee - paying (contractual) basis,
• copy of a recommendation letter from the Russian Ministry of Education and Science certified by your Programme Office if you are studying under the Ministry’s quota,
• receipt confirming payment for visa extension (1,920 rubles, bank details will be sent to your email upon filling the appointment form,
• 2 photos (3 x 4 cm) in colour on the white background, face must take no less than 70-80% of the photo.

Please find further information about all the details of the process here.

These documents can be requested through your Programme Office.

An original certificate (‘spravka’) issued by your programme office must be only in Russian, printed on the HSE letterhead, the date of its issue must be not earlier than 2 months by the date you submit documents for extending.

There is an example of it 

 Example (DOCX, 15 Кб)

It will be valid for 2 months.

Unfortunately, the MIA of Russia which provides the visa extension service for foreign students in Russia, has very strict deadlines, the latest term to apply documents to our office to extend visa is 25 working days before your visa expiration date. If you are arriving later than this, we recommend you to apply for a new invitation and get a fresh visa in your country, so that upon arrival you'll have enough time to collect and apply your documents for visa extension to our office.

In case you have already bought non-refundable tickets and missing the latest deadline for visa extension application in Russia, please contact our office by email: visa-registration@hse.ru

 You are allowed to ask for post-diploma holidays until 13th of August at your study office, or using the online service (detailed instruction is here). After that, collect the required set of documents and apply for visa extension in our office. Read more on visa extension process here.

Note that if you order a certificate of attendance at Student Service Center for visa extension, you should write in a comment field to your order that you particularly need post-diploma holidays to be included in your period of course on the certificate.

No! While your documents are in MVD the isnpector will check their validity, and if you cross the border yoru migration card and registration will automatically be cancelled. The inspector has the right to reject your visa extensiona application on this basis. Expedition of the process is not possible and may take up to 20 working days - you have to stay in Russia and wait until your new extended visa is put into your passport, after which you may travel. Please organize your trips in accordance with the law.

Yes! All foreign students must get registered within 7 working days since the arrival date, regardless of their citizenship, if their purpose of travel is Education. You should get registered as soon as you arrive and get the registration slip - read here the instructions of how to do it - section 2 After when/if you get settled in the dorm, the passport officer of the dorm will request the previous registration from you, and re-register you at the address of the dorm. Previous registration will be cancelled automatically at the moment when the new one is made. Be aware that registration is made free of charge.

You must submit the following documents to the person in charge (owner of apartment or passport officer of the dormitory) to extend your registration:

• a copy of your passport,
• your registration slip (original + copy),
• a copy of your contract certified by your Study Office if you study on a fee-paying basis,
• a copy of a recommendation letter from the Russian Ministry of Education and Science certified by Programme Office if you study under the Ministry’s scholarship system,
• a certificate of enrollment issued by your Study Office and a copy of the directive on your enrollment (for first - year students), or an extract from the directive on transfer to the next year of study for senior students ( for 2^nd/3^rd/4^th year students);
• 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);
• an HSE registration application form (if required request here);
• a filled registration form.

The person in charge of your registration should fill in both sides and print them on one page.

These documents can be requested at Student service center. PhD students request documents from their PhD school office, Prep year students request documents at Prep year office.

It will be valid for 1 month from the issuance date.

You must submit the following documents to apply for the initial registration:

• copy of your passport (all pages),
• a copy of a migration card,
• copy of your visa (if applicable),
• an HSE migration application form (if necessary).

A registration slip covering 90 days will be issued approximately within 4 working days. It is free of charge. 
Please clarify at your place of stay wheather additional documents are required. If you live in a dormitory, ask your passport officer. If you live in a rented appartment, ask your landlord for registration and additional information about documents.

If you enter Russia without a Russian visa (visa - free entry), you should apply for registration extension 25 days before its expiration date.

If you enter Russia with a Russian visa, you are required to have your registration extended after you receive the extended visa within 3 working days. You must apply for visa extension not later than 45 days before its expiration. The process will last 20 working days, after which you get a new visa and extend your registration by contacting the passport officer of your dormitory, or the owner of your rented apartment. 

If you stay longer than 7 working days in any other Russian city, you must get a local registration. Upon returning to Moscow, you need to re-register again by submitting registration slips from the cities you visited and other reuired documents to the person in charge. To learn more please visit this page.

Your purpose of travel is always Education!

A foreign citizen who has lost his/her migration card cannot stay in Russia longer than 3 days. A migration card must be restored.

Please note that the process can take from 5 to 14 days.

Step 1

Apply for a certificate of loss (“spravka ob utere dokumenta”/ «справка об утере документа» in Russian) at any nearest police station.

Step 2

Get the certificate of loss.

Step 3

Submit all required documents (passport, registration and certificate of loss from the police) to the regional Migration Office where your registration was made.

Step 4

Get a duplicate of your migration card - make sure the officer indicates it's a duplicate with the special stamp, or simply writing in pen the word "Duplicate" on it.

Step 1

You will need your passport, a copy of your passport, your migration card and its copy for restoring your registration slip.

Step 2

Please submit these documents to the place where you were registered (to the passport officer, if you are staying in a dormitory/HSE guesthouse or to the local territorial body of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, if you are staying in a rented apartment).

Step 3

Collect a duplicate of your registration slip (from the passport officer in your dormitory or at the local territorial body of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, if you staying in a rented apartment).

If you have a temporary /permanent residence permit issued in Moscow, and the corresponding permanent registration in the same region you don’t need to register again.

If you have a temporary/ permanent residence permit issued in the Moscow Region or another Russian city, you still need to register! Temporary registration can cover up to one year.

1. If you don’t have a Russian visa (visa - free entry), there will be a stamp in your migration card.

2. Visa students do not receive a stamp in their migration card, as they already have  valid visas.

Yes, you do! This is a standard procedure – once you have a new migration card, you must get a new registration at place of residence within 3 days.

If you discover that the Migration Office has no information on your registration on their database:

 Please prepare a scanned copy of your registration slip and a request to enter information on your registration through the migration department of MVD at - the passort officer in your dormitory; owner of your rented apartment.

Graduates must request to be granted post-diploma holidays from their study office. Based on certificate of attendance indicating their course period including post-diploma holidays, they can extend their regstration until the end of these holidays.

Please note that Russian law stipulates a 7,000 - ruble fine for violations of migration laws. Also, a foreign national may also be deported from Russia based on a court decision and denied further entrance to the country.

No, HSE cannot do this.

Visa - free students must renew their passports. You will receive your new registration once you have a new passport.

Visa students must get a new passport and apply both for new registration, and for visa transfer into it within 7 working days after they receive the new passport. The set of documents for visa transfer and the enrire procedure is the same as visa extension. 

Make sure you buy your tickets in advance because you will have to leave Russia as soon as your dismissal order has been issued, regardless of your visa validity. On the day when your dismissal order is issued, you should appear in person at HSE Visa and registration center (Pokrovsky blvd 11 office D006). We will instruct on where and how to inform migration authorities about your dimissal and which documents to have with you. The inspector of the Ministry of internal affairs of Russia will enter your details on the system and issue you an official order to depart from Russia within 3 calendar days. IMPORTANT: If you fail to inform the authorities on your dimissal and to depart from Russia within 3 calendar days, it will be considered as an administration violation of the federal law of the Russian Federation.

Police officers have the right for routine checks of identity and legal documents of immigrants. You should duly provide:

- passport

- migration card

- registation

- medical examination/ fingerprinting certificate

Have the documents with you, or at least carry the copies. If you fail to explain you are a student, or to provide the requested documents proving your legal stay in Russia, you may be detained. In case of an emergency with the police, you can give our contacts or call us/write in telegram: +7(985)-800-56-93; @HSE_Visa_and_Registration_Centre

No, you will not lose the existing scholarship. You should inform both the study office and HSE Visa Center if you receive the citizenship of the Russian Federation

After the order on academic leave is issued the student is not obliged to leave the territory of the Russian Federation. But the students living in a dormitory are obliged to leave the dormitory and within 3 working days to get registered at the new place of residence. Students from visa countries can stay in the Russian Federation until the visa expiration. The extension of visa in Russia is possible 45 days prior to the visa expiration date and only if there is an order on return from academic leave.

No, the university has no right to provide educational services to students of online program when they are in Russia, only when they are outside of Russia. When entering Russia such students should not indicate "Education" as their purpose of travel, moreover, the university does not provide them with any migration support.

The service of enetring information on your passing the obligatory procedures of medical examination is provided only by the OVM OMVD (migration office of Ministry of internal affairs of Russia). Contact the office of OVM OMVD in your district to get this done, if they refuse to enter your medical certificates on the database you may get this service for a fee of around 1500 rubles at the Migration office at Bakhrushina, 18 Moscow. Show them your student ID or any other student document to get this discounted price.

If your passport has expired or is damaged, and a new one is ssued by your embassy, your old passport must be cancelled. Within 30 days following the receipt of your new passport, you must submit the same documents as required for visa extension in order to have your visa transferred into the new passport.

Within 2 days following the receipt of your new passport, you must send a scanned copy of it to the HSE’s HR Office (please contact HSE’s HR Office ) . Russian law stipulates fines for violations of registration laws. Please note that a foreign national may also be deported from Russia based on a court decision.

You must visit our centre during 1 month after the new passport was issued. Please bring:

- the original of the old passport,

- the original of new passport,

- a photo (3,5 X 4,5 cm),

- a fee receipt for 1600 rub.  (you can receive the requisites after mailing to visa-registration@hse.ru).

You need the original of your new passport only when you submit it for getting your visa from the main police office in Moscow.

Please note that this process takes some time and can't be done immediately after the submission.

The HR office can make an invitation only for the close members of the family (wife/husband, children). For making an invitation for parents/other relatives a specialist can submit a request personally in the police office of the Basmanniy district.

The international specialists with sci-tech. and work visas request invitations for their family when obtaining visa invitations (please note that additional documents are required).

Visa extension takes not less than 14 working days. Please, submit documents 25 days prior to the expiry date of your current visa.

The registration upon arrival will be ready approximately in 3 working days.

If you stay for more than 7 working days in any other Russian city, you must get a local registration. Upon returning to Moscow, you need to register again by submitting the local registration slip from the city you visited. To learn more please visit this page.

If you have a temporary residence permit/residence permit issued in Moscow, you don’t need to register again.

If you have a temporary residence permit/residence permit issued in the Moscow Region or another Russian city, you still need to register! Registration can cover up to one year.

Yes, you do! This is a standard procedure – once you have a new migration card, you must get a new registration at place of residence within 3 days.

Please note that Russian law stipulates a 7,000 - ruble fine for violations of migration laws. Also, a foreign national may also be deported from Russia based on a court decision.

Visa - free citizens must renew their passports. You will receive your new registration once you have a new passport.

Visa citizens must renew their passports and submit the documents required for visa extension again in order to have their visa reissued for new passport. This must be done within 30 days after you get your new passport.

A foreign citizen who has lost his/her migration card cannot stay in Russia longer than 3 days. A migration card must be restored.

Please note that the process can take from 5 to 14 days.

Step 1

Apply for a certificate of loss (“spravka ob utere dokumenta”/ «справка об утере документа» in Russian) at any nearest police station.

Step 2

Get a certificate of loss.

Step 3

Submit all required documents (passport, registration and certificate of loss from the police) to the regional Migration Office where your registration was made.

Step 4

Get a duplicate of your migration card.

Step 1

You will need your passport, a copy of your passport, your migration card and its copy for restoring your registration slip.

Step 2

Please submit these documents to the place where you were registered (to the passport officer, if you are staying in a dormitory/HSE guesthouse or to the local territorial body of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, if you are staying in a rented apartment).

Step 3

Collect a duplicate of your registration slip (from the passport officer in your dormitory or at the local territorial body of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, if you staying in a rented apartment).

When a newborn child of foreign parents must leave the Russian Federation, or if a foreign citizen’s visa has expired, a transit visa must be issued for immediate departure. Please note that residing illegally in the Russian Federation without a valid visa shall result in the issue of a fine for a foreign citizen, as well as the risk of deportation from the country along with a ban on subsequent entries for a period of 3 years or more.

The following documents are required for a transit visa:

1. a passport ;
2. a completed visa application;
3. 2 photographs (3.5 x 4.5cm, colour);
4. a payment slip for the state fee (may be requested through the Centre);
5. travel tickets indicating departure from Russia;
6. a visa for entry to a country bordering with the Russian Federation, if indicated on the travel itinerary, or visa for entry to the destination country, or passport of this country;
7. a birth certificate (for the departure of children of foreign citizens).

A transit visa may be issued for a period of up to 10 days. After a transit visa is granted to a foreign citizen, they must immediately leave the Russian Federation according to the dates indicated in the tickets for departure which were presented to apply for a transit visa. To ensure future entry into the Russian Federation, a new invitation must be requested. Further information about invitations can be found here.

All foreign citizens arriving in Russia must be officially registered.

Landlords (owners of places of residence) must register foreign citizens at their actual place of residence.

In order to register a foreign citizen at a place of residence, a landlord must file an application with the local office of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) for the area (district) where the foreign citizen resides. If the foreign citizen has just arrived in Russia, he/she must register within 7 working days of their arrival. If the foreign citizen changes his/her place of residence, he/she must re-register within 3 working days after their move.

The same procedure may be done online through the personal account of the owner of apartment at gosuslugi.ru website. Please note, if the online application takes longer than 7 working days, ask the owner of apartment to contact the local territorial MVD office and get the registration through them, to avoid any penalties for missing the registration deadline.

In order to get registered or extend one’s registration, the following documents must be presented:

• the foreign person’s passport + copies of all pages (with marks, stamps,visas) therein;
• migration card and its copy;
• copy of Russian residency or temporary registration (if available);
• notice of arrival form*.

* The notice of arrival form shall be filled in legibly by hand or typed (in Russian). Corrections and abbreviations are not allowed on notice on arrival forms.

In certain situations, the official public authority (e.g., MVD) carrying out the registration process may require additional documents (e.g., academic certificate, a copy of a HSE University’s enrolment directive, a statement from HSE University, etc).

A full list of necessary documents may be provided at the office where registration is carried out.

If an application on behalf of HSE University is required, please refer to this section.

The foreign citizen or his/her host (landlord) should indicate the following on the registration form:
а) details of the person subject to registration:
- last name, first name, middle name/patronymic;
- citizenship (nationality);
- date and place of birth;
- gender;
- type and requisites (series, number, date of issue, period of validity) of document, confirming the identify of a foreign citizen;
- type and requisites of documents, confirming the right to stay (visa/residence) in the Russian Federation if he/she has any;
- purpose of visit as in the migration card;
- date of entry to the Russian Federation;
- series and number of migration card;
- stated period of visit;
- address of place of stay;
- address of previous residence in the Russian Federation (if moving to another place of residence) .

b) details of the person acting as a host (landlord):
- last name, first name, middle name/patronymic;
- type and requisites (series, number, date of issue, period of validity) of the document, confirming identity;
- address of place of residence.

In the following cases, it is necessary to renew one’s registration:

a) if a foreign citizen has extended their Russian visa, he/she must register the new visa (he/she must re-register within 3 working days from the date of the start of the new visa);

b) If a foreign citizen temporarily resided in a hotel /apartment in another city and later returned to Moscow/Moscow Region within 3 working days after returning to the place of stay;

c) if a foreign citizen has departed from Russia and then returned (he/she must be registered within 7 working days after their return);

d) If a foreign citizen has changed his/her place of residence in Moscow/Moscow Region.

Foreign citizens who are in violation of migration rules (timeframe for registration), as foreseen in the legislation of the Russian Federation, may be subject to court-ordered deportation, a fine of up to 7,000 RUB and a ban on entry to Russia for up to 3 years.

Step-by-step instructions are provided for the inviting faculty staff in Russian in the section ‘How to Invite a Foreign Citizen’.

The requirement to submit an original of an invitation depends on the actual consulate/visa centre, where the invitation will be processed. Please confirm, prior to applying documents, whether the applicant needs to present the original of the invitation.

An invitation on an HSE University’s letterhead can be drawn up in 7 to 20 working days. Applications processed through the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (MVD) may be drawn up in 20 to 45 working days.

If a mistake is found in the application made by the inviting subdivision, they should send a corrected version of the application, and the incorrect version should be destroyed. The time to draw up a new invitation shall be the same as the previous one.

For an invitation on an HSE University’s letterhead, once it is ready, the manager from the Centre shall send you a letter with scan of the invitation. Then, if necessary, the original of the invitation may be collected from the Centre.

If an electronic invitation processed by MVD was requested, the applicant shall receive a notification when it is ready. In such a case, it doesn’t need to be picked up.

If the applicant is applying for a work or study visa.

Payment slips for state fees may be requested by contacting: visa-registration@hse.ru .

If an invitation for a work or humanitarian visa has been requested through the MVD, a state fee must be paid for this. An invitation for a student visa with the purpose of the visit stated as ‘study’, ‘internship’ or ‘graduate studies’ may be drawn up free of charge.

Please always request new payment details, as information may change over time.

You are invited by the inviting subdivision (e.g., your Programme Office), so you should send it an application. Please visit the section “How to Invite a Foreign Citizen” for further information.

If an application is being drawn up for a citizen of Japan, or a person who currently is not working and studying.

In order to draw up an invitation on an HSE University’s letterhead for a citizen of the USA, China or Japan, so that they may be issued a humanitarian visa.

This is impossible. One purpose of the visit must be indicated.

This is possible, but not for all countries and only on the condition that the applicant has previously received a multiple entry visa (for 1 to 2 years). Citizens of the EU, Japan, the USA and China may apply for such visas.

TIN – the tax number of the organization.

The consulate’s application usually asks for an invitation number from the MVD. If your invitation is on an HSE University’s letterhead, please put in “xxx” or leave this space blank (if the system allows this). The number of an invitation on an HSE University’s letterhead should not be inputted.

After receiving the invitation, advise the foreign citizen to submit documents to process his/her visa immediately.

Students apply for RVPO based on the legal address of the university where they study (Moscow) at the authorized organ, which is MC Sakharovo - http://mc.mos.ru/

If the inspector of MC Sakharovo rejects your application based on your own registration in Moscow region, you should explain that the type of residence permit you apply for is for Education purpose, and the university is registered in Moscow., so you are eligible to apply at MC Sakharovo. You can also request a cover letter from HSE Visa center (Pokrovsky blvd 11, office D006), explaining you are an HSE Moscow campus student, residing in Moscow region.

RVPO can only be applied for and received in person at MC Sakharovo. Read more on how to start the process here.

HSE can provide you with the documents proving your student status. Pre-order and collect the documents using the HSE Student Service Center - you can request a certificate of attendance, an extract from enrollment order, accreditation and license of the university. Also for an additional document apply in person at our Visa and registration center (office D006 Pokrovsky blvd ,11).

After you get RVPO you must update your registration within 7 days after obtaining the permit. It is possible to get extended registration for the whole duration of RVPO, however the owner of your rented apartment must be willing to help you with that. If you stay in HSE dorm you will only be able to obtain temporary 1 year registrations for each academic year. After you graduate you will have to leave the dorm despite the valid RVPO and find another place where to get registered.

Apart from RVPO stamp, visa students also receive a Russian visa sticker in their passport, with purpose of stay indicated as "Residence Permit". It will allow them to travel to and from Russia during the validity of your residence permit. Visa-free students only get a stamp. 

There is also a list of visa countries, whose citizens can travel to and from Russia only providing RVPO stamp on the border, without any additional visa:

- Bosinia and Herzegovina;

- Italy;

- Germany;

- Serbia;

- Turkey; 

- Poland;

- Macedonia;

- Montenegro;

- Croatia.

When you apply for RVPO you have to pay the standard state fee for the service - it's 1600 rubles as of 18/04/2024

Additional costs may include:

- fee for the obligatory procedures of medical examination and fingerprinting taken at MC Sakharovo - the cost is around 8000 rubles for two procedures,

- translation of your foreign documents into Russian with the notarized verification of translation - fees as charged by the chosen translation agency,

- ticket cost to and from MC Sakharovo (minimum two visits are required to submit documents, and to get the RVPO stamped into passport, but many students report having applied only on their third visit).

No, if you hold RVP/RVPO in another region you ought to stay in that region, you cannot study in Moscow campus. If you got enrolled to a Moscow campus, you should:

- if you are a visa-free student: leave Russia and re-enter with the new migration card, get registered in Moscow based on this migration card as a student of Moscow campus;

- if you are a visa student: leave Russia, get a new invitation from the Moscow campus of HSE, get a new study visa with it in your country of citizenship, and return to Rusia showing this visa at border control, then get registered based on this visa.

You may stay legally in Russia even in such situation with expired visa based on the document, issued to you in Sakharovo, on the acceptance of your application for RVPO. Most important is to extend your regitsration based on the same paper before the current registration expires at the address of your stay. After/ if you get RVPO, you'll need to update registration again and keep on staying in Russia according to the duration dates of your RVPO

First thing is to update your registration at the place of stay within 3 days after obtaining RVPO. Also, don't forget to send us photos of new documents to isdocuments@hse.ru. Then you may consider applying for permanent permit (ВНЖ) after you get your diploma of graduation + RVPO. Study the information of permanent permit in advance on the website of mc.mos.ru It's also issued through MC Sakharovo.

Consultations are held at the branch office of MC Sakharovo at the address Bakhrusina, 18. Don't forget to carry some document proving your student status to get the discount.