How can I apply for a student visa?

• If you need an invitation to study in Russia (Bachelor's programme, Master's programme, preparatory programme), please contact the HSE International Admissions Office at inter@hse.ru;
• If you need an invitation to study under an exchange programme, please contact the HSE Centre for International Student Mobility at international.study@hse.ru;
• If you need an invitation to study under the  Semester in Moscow programme, please contact the HSE Centre for International Student Mobility at semester@hse.ru;
• If you need an invitation to study under the Russian as a Foreign Language programme, please contact the programme's head Olga.S. Eremina at oeremina@hse.ru;
• If you are already enrolled at HSE University and you need to receive an invitation, you need to request it in your study office from your manager.

You can apply for an invitation within 90 days before your arrival in Russia.

The invitation shall be valid for 90 days.

The invitation will allow you to obtain a single-entry student visa (i.e., with this visa, you will be able to enter and exit Russia only ONE TIME) Please find further information about the extension of the single-entry visa here.

When you get the invitation, please check:

• your personal data (name, surname, date of birth, sex);
• passport details (passport number, date of expiry);
• the dates and period of your visit to Russia (the dates must comply with the period of your stay in Russia).

Your passport must be valid for no less than 18 months after the visa is issued.

You should have at least 2 blank double pages in your passport, which will be reserved for the visa, as well as arrival and departure stamps.

If there are not enough pages in your passport, please obtain a new passport and, only after that, apply for your invitation.

Students with diplomatic visas can enter the Russian Federation and do not require a student visa. If you already have a diplomatic visa, please get in contact with the office of your educational programme at HSE.

Your single-entry student visa will allow you to arrive in Russia for study purposes only.

Student visas are issued by the Russian embassy/consulate in the country of your stay/permanent residence (Russian Consulates listed by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and shall be valid for 90 days.

If you apply for a Russian visa outside of the country of your permanent residence, you will need to present a residence permit. For further information and to avoid any problems in submitting your documents, please contact the relevant embassy/consulate and inform/put in cc of your e-mail the coordinator of your educational programme as well.

Please double check all details in your student visa carefully.

If you find any misprints or errors, immediately contact the relevant embassy/consulate, so that it can make the necessary corrections to your visa.

Please check the following in your visa:

• your personal data (name, surname, date of birth, sex);
• passport details (number of the passport);
• number of entries and the purpose of visit (study);
• dates of entry and stay in Russia (the dates must comply with the dates of your stay in Russia).

Please note that you cannot enter Russia earlier than the date when your visa starts to be valid.

If you have any questions, please contact the HSE Visa and Registration Centre by e-mail: visa-registration@hse.ru

Upon arrival in Russia, you will have your single-entry visa turned into a multiple-entry visa and extended for the period of your studies at HSE. However, a student visa may not be extended for more than 1 year at a time.

In order to extend your single-entry student visa, please make sure you submit the relevant documents 45 calendar days prior to the expiry date of your current visa (for more information see the visa extension page). Your single-entry student visa shall allow you to enter and leave Russia only once.