Visa requirements for Russian citizens
Visa requirements for Russian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Russia. As of 2 October 2019, Russian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 117 countries and territories, ranking the Russian passport 48th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.
History
Visa requirements for Russian citizens were lifted as the Soviet Union by Micronesia ; as the Russian Federation by Dominica, Cuba, Antigua and Barbuda, Malaysia, Namibia, Morocco, Botswana, Thailand, Swaziland, Laos, Philippines, Ecuador, Israel, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Venezuela, El Salvador and Honduras, Bahamas, Guatemala, Colombia, Argentina, Hong Kong, Brazil, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Chile, Turkey, Saint Lucia, Uruguay, Georgia, Macau, Mauritius, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, South Korea, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay, Mongolia, Tunisia, Turks and Caicos, Nauru, Indonesia, Bolivia, Senegal, South Africa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Qatar, Brunei, Taiwan, Palau, United Arab Emirates, Suriname, Cabo Verde.Mexico has introduced Electronic Authorization for Russian citizens from 1 November 2010.
Visas on arrival were introduced by Iran, Zimbabwe, Bahrain, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Gabon, Rwanda, Benin, Sierra Leone, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar.
Russian citizens were made eligible for eVisas by Singapore, Sri Lanka, Montserrat, São Tomé and Príncipe, Myanmar, India made Russian citizens eligible for the e-Visa, Kenya, Gabon, Australia, Lesotho, Saint Helena, Djibouti, Oman, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Guinea and Malawi.
The following countries/territories have reinstated visa requirements for Russian citizens: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Slovenia,* Czech Republic,* Slovakia,* Hungary,* Bulgaria,* Poland,* Cyprus,* Romania,* Croatia,* Kosovo, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The provision of visas on arrival to Russian citizens were discontinued by Mali.
Visa requirements map
Visa requirements
Visa requirements for holders of normal passports traveling for tourist purposes:Dependent, disputed, or restricted territories
;Unrecognized or partially recognized countries| Territory | Conditions of access | Notes |
| 90 days; internal passport can be used. | ||
| ||
 Nagorno-Karabakh | Travelers with Artsakh visa or evidence of travel to Artsakh will be permanently denied entry to Azerbaijan. | |
| Crossing from Ukraine requires visit purpose to be explained to Ukrainian passport control on exit and those who entered from Russia are not allowed to proceed further into Ukraine. | ||
| Arrival by sea to Gaza Strip not allowed. | ||
| Undefined visa regime in the Western Sahara controlled territory. | ||
| 30 days for 30 US dollars, payable on arrival. | ||
| Internal passport can be used. | ||
| 21 days; effective from September 6, 2018, to July 31, 2021 | ||
| Registration required after 24 hours. |
;Other territories
- . Ashmore and Cartier Islands – Special authorisation required.
- . Hainan – Visa on arrival for 15 days. Available at Haikou Meilan International Airport and Sanya Phoenix International Airport. Visa not required for 21 days for traveling as part of a tourist group
- . Tibet Autonomous Region – Tibet Travel Permit required.
- . San Andrés and Leticia – Visitors arriving at Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport and Alfredo Vásquez Cobo International Airport must buy tourist cards on arrival.
- . Galápagos – Online pre-registration is required. Transit Control Card must also be obtained at the airport prior to departure.
- outside Asmara – To travel in the rest of the country, a Travel Permit for Foreigners is required.
- . Lau Province – Special permission required.
- Mount Athos – Special permit required. There is a visitors' quota: maximum 100 Orthodox and 10 non-Orthodox per day and women are not allowed.
- . Protected Area Permit required for whole states of Nagaland and Sikkim and parts of states Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh. Restricted Area Permit required for all of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and parts of Sikkim. Some of these requirements are occasionally lifted for a year.
- . Kish Island – Visa not required.
- . Closed cities – Special permission required for the town of Baikonur and surrounding areas in Kyzylorda Oblast, and the town of Gvardeyskiy near Almaty.
- outside Pyongyang – Special permit required. People are not allowed to leave the capital city, tourists can only leave the capital with a governmental tourist guide.
- . Sabah and Sarawak – Visa not required. These states have their own immigration authorities and passport is required to travel to them, however the same visa applies.
- outside Malé – Permission required. Tourists are generally prohibited from visiting non-resort islands without the express permission of the Government of Maldives.
- Mecca and Medina – Special access required. Non-Muslims and those following the Ahmadiyya religious movement are strictly prohibited from entry.
- . Darfur – Separate travel permit is required.
- outside Khartoum – All foreigners traveling more than 25 kilometers outside of Khartoum must obtain a travel permit.
- . Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province – OIVR permit required and another special permit is required for Lake Sarez.
- . Closed cities – A special permit, issued prior to arrival by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is required if visiting the following places: Atamurat, Cheleken, Dashoguz, Serakhs and Serhetabat.
- . Closed city of Mercury, Nevada, United States – Special authorization is required for entry into Mercury.
- . United States Minor Outlying Islands – Special permits required for Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll and Wake Island.
- . Margarita Island – Visa not required. All visitors are fingerprinted.
- . Phú Quốc – Visa not required for 30 days.
- outside Sana'a or Aden – Special permission needed for travel outside Sana'a or Aden.
- UN Buffer Zone in Cyprus – Access Permit is required for travelling inside the zone, except Civil Use Areas.
- Korean Demilitarized Zone – Restricted area.
- UNDOF Zone and Ghajar – Restricted area.
Visa replacement
- ,,,,,, – Visa exempt for holders of a visa issued by a Schengen Member State.
- – holders of valid visa for the United Kingdom do not require a visa.
- – Permanent residents of Canada, EU or USA; or holders of a valid USA visa do not require a visa.
Non-ordinary passports
| Type of passport | Visa-free access |
| Diplomatic passports only | Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritania, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Vatican City |
| Diplomatic and service passports | Abkhazia, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Island, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niue, North Korea, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, South Ossetia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Syria, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tajikistan, Thailand, East Timor, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
Longer period of stay or more beneficial terms than that for ordinary passport holders is provided by Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, South Korea, Montenegro, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, El Salvador, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, Venezuela.
Holders of diplomatic and service Russian passports do not have visa-free access to Israel.
APEC Business Travel Card
Holders of an APEC Business Travel Card travelling on business do not require a visa to the following countries:1 – up to 90 days
2 – up to 60 days
3 – up to 59 days
The card must be used in conjunction with a passport and has the following advantages:
- no need to apply for a visa or entry permit to APEC countries, as the card is treated as such
- undertake legitimate business in participating economies
- expedited border crossing in all member economies, including transitional members
- expedited scheduling of visa interview
Limitations on passport use
- : As a result of the Arab League boycott of Israel, many Arab League countries refuse entry to travelers whose passport shows evidence of entry into Israel or hold an unused Israeli visa.
- * Iran: Admission is refused for holders of passports containing an Israeli visa/stamp in the last 12 months
- : As a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh War between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Azerbaijan refuses entry to individuals of Armenian descent who hold Russian Federation or other passports. It also strictly refuses entry to foreigners in general whose passport shows evidence of entry into the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, declaring them a so-called personae non gratae.
Vaccination