Visa requirements: General information
The majority of the foreign nationals attending the Symposium must obtain a visa to enter the Russian Federation. (Exclusions are the sitizens of Israel and some former USSR republics).

In most countries, online application forms are mandatory to request a visa. However, procedures and fees may vary across different countries. Please, read the instructions carefully before submitting an application. Visa invitation is the main document required for the formal visa application at a Russian Consulate or Embassy. ISSW-27 organizers will supply all participants with the invitations in proper form. In addition to invitation, in most countries two passport photos, proof of purchase of a personal travel/health insurance and the details of return air ticket may be required at the time of application. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after the proposed date. We advise you to contact the Consulate to enquire if they need anything else.

Each person will have to apply for visa himself/herself in their country. In order to make the things easier (and cheaper) for both the organizers and participants, we suggest different types of visa support, and all participants who need a visa are requested to select one of the types recommended in a table below according to his/her local conditions. Please study our extended comments on each of the four suggested options.
Remember, the terms 'tourism' or 'business' in this context DO NOT HAVE any reasonable connection with the nature of your travel; they are indicating different sorts of formalities. Selecting one of the four options below, please don't base on a simple reason 'I'm going to the symposium, it's for business'!

Option 1. Monomax will provide participants a tourist visa invitation (voucher) and confirmation of the hotel reservation. This is the recommended option for the majority of the participants. But for a number of participants it may be not suitable, please see below.

A tourist visa invitation is provided for the dates of the Symposium, but no more than 20 days. It will allow participants to attend the main Symposium events, including pre or post conference tours and holidays.

Please, contact the Russian consulate in your country (you may find the contact data of the consulate in a table under this link) to confirm whether a fax copy of the invitation (electronic pdf document) is acceptable for the application or whether original documents are required. If the latter case is yours, that is you have to select Option 2, please contact Monomax manager Ekaterina Akimova at sw2009@onlinereg.ru to order the original tourist visa invitation.

Option 3. For the sitizens of the European Union countries, except the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark and Iceland, the simplified visa formalities are guaranteed by Sochi protocol signed between Russia and the EU. To obtain a visa free of charge and without any complication, an invitation from the Ioffe Institute is offered. Please remember, that in this case it will be not a tourist invitation but a proof that you participate in a scientific event. In other words, the type of visa will be BUSINESS, not TOURISM in this case.

If you are the bearer of the EU passport, please select the Option 3 and fill in the online form appropriately. The letter of invitation will be sent to you by post.

Unfortunately there is a number of countries where the procedure of issuing entry visa is more complicated. For the bearers of passports from such countries only the most formal invitation issued by Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs can be helpful. If you are from Iran, Iraq, Turkey, India, Brasil, Indonesia, Morocco, China, most probably the Option 4 is yours. But in any case we'd like to ask you to make an inquiry to your local Consulate and check it once more if a tourist voucher plus the proof of accommodation plus return tickets will be enough. If their last word is NO, then, please, select Option 4 and we shall prepare an appropriate invitation for you.
If you are NOT from Iran, Iraq, Turkey, India, Brasil, Indonesia, Morocco, China, please remember: this type of visa invitation not only takes long time and much effort to prepare. Business visa invitation will give you no preference when you apply to the embassy, but you will waste more time waiting for the invitation, and for visa issue too. Don't take this option 'just to be on the safe side'!

When requesting this type of business visa invitation, you should not only fill in the online form for business visa invitation, but also send it with passports’ first page electronic copy to sw2009@onlinereg.ru. As you see, the Option 4 considers long formalities, so we'd like to ask you to start the process well in advance if there is a probability that you can be in need of this type of invitation.

The request for business visa invitation form should be sent to sw2009@onlinereg.ru

The deadline to make request for tourist visa invitation is July 06, 2009.

The deadline to make request for business visa invitation is June 01, 2009.

Requesting a visa invitation
Use the online registration (Visa Support section) to submit a request for a tourist visa invitation. This request should be filled in at the time of the reservation for your hotel accommodation.
Visa support documents will be issued based on the personal information submitted by each participant and accompanying person during the registration.
Please, check the information is correct to avoid errors. Please, note that Monomax will issue the tourist visa invitation ONLY after the payment of hotel accommodation. 

Important notice: Make sure all information shown in the invitation is correct immediately upon receipt. Contact a Monomax representative if you find any mistake.

If you want to stay at student campus, no reservation and online advance payment can be done. You should contact with the ISSW-27 organizers by email in order to settle all the details of your accommodation and visa support individually.

Participants who decide to make their own travel arrangements (e.g., those who have made their own hotel reservation) still require a tourist visa invitation. According to the Russian laws the hotel should provide with visa support documents. In case of any problems please send the copy of hotel confirmation by email (sw2009@onlinereg.ru) to be provided with visa support. Please inform the ISSW-27 organizers if you are going to stay at friends. Participants who plan to stay at friends, should be provided with private invitation by their friends (according to the Russian laws). But if you need assistance, we shall try to help you with the invitation even in this case.

Please study some details that differ depending on what type of visa invitation do you select.

Filling in your visa application form online or at the Russian Consulate in the case of tourist invitation (options 1 and 2):

1. Formal invitation sender (organization): Monomax PCO.
2. MFA reference number of  Monomax: 0343
     Address: 2, Sestroretskaya str., St. Petersburg 197183 Russia
     Major Office Address: 2, Sestroretskaya str., St. Petersburg 197183 Russia
     Tel: +7 812 335-2055
3. Reason for visit to Russia: Tourism
    Please, do not state any other purpose of visit as you are applying for a tourist visa.
    If you have already applied for a previous tourist visa, we remind you that tourist visa cannot be extended. You must apply for a new one.
4. Russian department or organisation to be visited: NO ORGANISATIONS TO BE VISITED
5. Name and reference number of the tourist group: Individual trip
6. Hotel: please, indicate the hotel name that is provided in the tourist visa voucher from Monomax.

Do not hesitate to contact Monomax by email (sw2009@onlinereg.ru) if you have any queries when filling in your form.

Filling in your visa application form online or at the Russian Consulate in the case of business invitation (option 3):

1. Formal invitation sender (organization): Ioffe Institute.
2. Address: 26 Polytekhnicheskaya, St Petersburg 194021, Russian Federation
     Major Office Address: 26 Polytekhnicheskaya, St Petersburg 194021, Russian Federation
     Tel: +7 812 2974224
3. Reason for visit to Russia: Business (participation in a symposium)
    Please, do not state tourism as the purpose of visit in this case.
4. Russian department or organisation to be visited: Ioffe Institute
5. Name and reference number of the tourist group: -
6. Hotel: please, indicate the hotel name that you have booked.

Do not hesitate to contact A.Podlaskin by email (issw27@mail.ioffe.ru) if you have any queries when filling in your form.

IF YOU NEED AN INVITATION UNDER OPTION 4 CONDITIONS, YOU SHOULD FILL IN AN ADDITIONAL QUESTIONNAIRE, WHICH IS DOUNLOADABLE UNDER THIS LINK (it also may be requested by email sw2009@onlinereg.ru). Please send the filled-in questionnaire together with the scan of your passport’s front page to sw2009@onlinereg.ru.

All foreign citizens arriving in Russia have to complete a migration card while passing through customs. Migration card will be given to foreigners before crossing the boarder (in airplane, train etc). Please, fill in it carefully and keep safe until you leave the country.

Registration upon arrival in the Russian Federation
Russian law requires foreign nationals staying more than 3 days on the territory of Russian Federation to register within first 3 working days from crossing the border. Your hotel takes all responsibilities for the registration. A fee of RUR 150 per person is charge for the period of stay. This amount is to be paid by the guest directly at the hotel check in desk upon arrival. You are liable to an additional fee of RUR 150 if you extend your stay at the hotel, beyond the period you have indicated during your registration online.

If you have any questions or need our assistance please do not hesitate to contact us at sw2009@onlinereg.ru. Please, do not forget to provide your login ID number (not password!) in all correspondence.