Please send TDS your current valid and signed passport. It must not expire within 6 months of your departure from Russia and must have at least Two blank visa pages. If your passport expires within 6 months of your departure from Russia, you must renew your passport and then we will secure your visa with the new passport.
Travel Document Systems can process Official Passport Renewals and Official Passport Pages: Click Here

Please send 1 recent professional passport-type photograph.
Digital and non-passport photographs are not acceptable.
Passport Photo Guide - Click Here

Please do not attach the Photo to the visa application, TDS will do this for you.

Official Letter of Support from the US Department of State.

Please send a copy of your round trip airline tickets, or itinerary or e-ticket, or letter of confirmation from a travel agent. The itinerary must show the applicant's name, date of arrival and departure from the country, and flight information. The Embassy does not recommend purchasing your ticket prior to a visa being issued.

An official letter of invitation from your hosting organization registered with the Russian Ministry of the Interior.
A scan or legible copy of your official letter of invitation is required. Please note that the Embassy reserves the right to request the original invitation at any point of your visa processing time.

Completed Cover Letter form (This form prints in ADOBE PDF format, on TDS letterhead and addressed to the "Embassy of the Russian Federation).

Note: All consular fees above include a $5 check writing fee.

Note: The processing times above are estimates only and may be extended by the Embassy without notice during busy periods.

Complete and Sign One application form.

As part of the visa application process you will be asked to create a Application ID and answer a Security Question, you MUST save the Application ID and Security Question as you will need it should you need to access your application again online to make any changes or corrections your online visa application.

Please print and send the Application ID and Security Question Answer and your completed and signed Russian visa application to Travel Document Systems.

A Common Error to Avoid

At the end of the online Russian visa application, you will be asked to select the visa issuing office. You MUST select "ILS WASHINGTON", "ILS NEW YORK", ILS SAN FRANCISCO", or "ILS HOUSTON" depending on which Travel Document Systems location will process your visa. If you select the city without "ILS" the application will not be accepted.

For a guide to completing the Russian Application please Click Here

You must complete the Online Order Form.

The order form gives TDS your name, address, shipping information and payment method. Multiple applicants can be entered using one order form. You only need to complete one TDS order form per request. Please print two copies of the confirmation page. Include one copy with the documents you ship to TDS and keep one copy for your records.

While completing the online order form in this step, you will be asked how you want to pay TDS fees. You may pay our fees online with a credit card or enclose a personal or business check or money order.

Please forward the completed requirements detailed above to:

TRAVEL DOCUMENT SYSTEMS, INC.,
925 Fifteenth Street N.W. Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20005

Urgent applications should be shipped to TDS using only the FedEx Company.
Please use FedEx Priority Overnight. Do NOT ship "First Overnight." This will delay the delivery of your package.

Your Hosting company or organization in Russian must request your letter of invitation through the Russian Ministry of Interior or Authorized Russian issuing agency appointed by the Russian Government.
Your visa will reflect the dates as well as number of entries specified on your letter of invitation.
The invitation must bear an official signed seal of the authorized issuing Ministry of the Russian Government.

The invitation must be from a Russian company or organization and not from a representation office of a foreign company there. Please make sure that your inviting company is duly registered in Russia and is not a 100% foreign investment company. Travelers name and the name of the inviting organization must be clearly stated on the invitation as well as the dates of your visit and cities to be visited. Handwritten invitations or those which appear to have been altered in any way are not accepted.

If the visa support/invitation has been sent by the Ministry of Interior   directly to the Russian Consular office in Washington DC by Telex, please note that no processing begins on the application until the Embassy confirms receipt.

It is recommended that you carry copies of your visa support with you to Russia.

You must register your visa at a local OVIR or Police Station within 72 hours of arrival in Russia.

Embassy requirements and fees are subject to change without prior notice.