Before Arrival

ENTERING RUSSIA

The entry of foreign citizens into the Russian Federation is regulated by the legislation of the Russian Federation. In accordance with the current entry rules, enshrined in the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation N 635-p, all students who plan to come to the Lomonosov MSU must be mentioned in a specific register. This register is checked at the border control. Please contact the coordinator of your faculty in advance and provide information on the date of entry and the checkpoint so that they could put you in this register. Follow the algorithm of entry.

VISA

How do I get an entry visa?

STEP 1.

Check if you need a visa to enter Russia and determine the type of visa that suits your needs.

Do I need a visa?

The majority of foreign students enter Russia with a foreign passport and a study visa. An educational visa is not required for students coming to Russian universities from the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Abkhazia, the Republic of South Ossetia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Moldova, the Republic of Tajikistan, Ukraine, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Uzbekistan.
With internal (national) passports, only citizens of the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Kyrgyz Republic can enter Russia. Students from other countries can enter Russia only with international passports.

What type of visa is right for me?

For undergraduate, specialist and graduate students — the purpose of the trip is "Study"
For students coming on exchange programs — the purpose of the trip is "Study"
For graduate students — the purpose of the trip is "Postgraduate Study"
For students of general education programs of additional education — the purpose of the trip is "Study"
For students of retraining/advanced training programs — the purpose of the trip is "Study"
For students of advanced training programs in the form of an internship according to an individual curriculum — the purpose of the trip is "Study" or "Internship".

STEP 2.

Check your passport:

The validity of the passport must be at least 18 months (1.5 years) from the date of visa issue.
The passport must have a minimum of 4 pages (2 consecutive pages) for pasting the visa and entry and exit stamps. If there are not enough blank pages, you may need to order more pages from your national passport service, or get a new passport.

STEP 3.

To receive an official visa invitation, please send the following documents to the email address of the International office of your faculty/department:

Application form for a visa to enter the Russian Federation with all fields filled in.
Completed and signed consent to the processing of personal data.
Scanned copy of the first two pages of the passport.

Issuing an invitation usually takes from 25 to 45 calendar days, depending on the country of departure. Faculties will start issuing invitations as soon as Russian borders are opened for the entry of foreign students.

STEP 4.

Wait until you receive an email from the International office of your faculty with an electronic invitation attached. Print the invitation before contacting the Visa Application Center or the Consulate of the Russian Federation.

STEP 5.

Contact the visa center or the Embassy/Consulate of the Russian Federation in your country, in the city you specified in the application form, and apply for a visa (a list of consular offices can be found here). The visa issue period is up to 2 weeks.

STEP 6.

Having received a passport with a visa, be sure to check that all the information in the visa is correct. If you find an error, please immediately contact the employee of the Visa Application Center or the Consulate of the Russian Federation where you received your visa. After the error is corrected, you should make sure once again that there are no more remaining errors in the data.

STEP 7.

Send a scanned copy of the visa you received to the email address of the International office of your faculty.

Congratulations! Your visa has been issued, now you can plan your visit to Moscow.

BUDDY HELP

A Student Support system (Buddy system) is working at Moscow University.

A buddy is usually a senior year volunteer student from your faculty/department at MSU. The buddy will be able to give you some useful information when you are preparing for departure and provide assistance upon your arrival in Moscow (if necessary).

A buddy can:

Help you to learn how to use the distance learning platform (if you are starting to study online)

Explain to you how the class schedule works

Help you to find the study materials you need

Tell you how to get to the dormitory, or, if necessary, meet you at the Aeroexpress train station in Moscow

Give you some useful information and lifehacks about the MSU campus, student life and life in Moscow

Suggest whom to contact to solve organizational and household issues

Apply to get a buddy here.

PREPARING FOR DEPARTURE

Before leaving for Moscow, be sure to do the following:

1

Inform your faculty/department of the date of your planned arrival and buy a ticket.

2

Apply for a voluntary medical insurance policy that will be valid for the entire period of your stay in Russia for the purpose of study. Click here for information on health insurance requirements.

3

Send an email to the International office of your faculty with the following information:

Your full name (in English and Russian);
Date of arrival
Airport of arrival
Flight number
Time of arrival
The number of the voluntary medical insurance policy and the name of the insurance company
Your contact number (Mobile, WhatsApp).

4

Take a PCR* test for COVID-19 no earlier than 2 calendar days before arriving in Russia. You will be asked to present a certificate confirming a negative PCR test result for COVID-19 at the border control when entering Russia.

* PCR (polymerase chain reaction) is a test method that allows you to detect the presence of a virus in the body. For the analysis, a swab is taken from the nose and throat.

5

Send an email to the International department of your faculty with the information about where you plan to live:

If you plan to stay in a rented apartment/hostel/with relatives during your studies, please provide the address of your accommodation;
If you have been granted a place in the dormitory, please write about the estimated time of your arrival. In a reply email, you will receive a Confirmation letter issued by your faculty. Before departure, be sure to print out (and save on your phone) a scan of the confirmation letter with directions for checking in to the dormitory.

6

If you have a buddy from MSU, please send them an e-mail and let them know when you arrive.

HOW TO USE THE 'COVID-19 FREE TRAVEL' APP?

The app is available for free download in the following app stores:

Download on the AppStore

Download on the GooglePlay

Download on the AppGallery

STEP 1.

Download the application:

STEP 2.

Open the application:

STEP 3.

Choose the country of departure:

STEP 4.

Choose the country of arrival:

STEP 5.

Then you will see a list of sample taking points and laboratories that have joined the digital platform. There you can take a PCR-test by prior appointment.

STEP 6.

At the reception desk of the laboratory, say that you would like to receive the results in the application 'COVID-19 Free Travel'

STEP 7.

While in the laboratory, please provide information for the questionnaire. Sign the agreement and scan the QR-code on it with the mobile application.

STEP 8.

If your test result for COVID-19 is negative, a green QR-code will appear in the application. This means that now you can cross the border.

STEP 9.

Before the departure, make sure that the test result information is available in the mobile app and pay attention to the expiration date of the test results before submitting

STEP 10.

When crossing the border, open the "Travel COVID-19 Free" app on the mobile phone screen and show the green QR-code to the authorized inspection officer

Learn more about the
'COVID-19 Free Travel'
mobile application

Lomonosov Moscow State University Department for Internationalisation
Address: Leninskie Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation
Тел: + 7 (495) 939-22-64
E-mail: studentin@rector.msu.ru

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