Entry Requirements

A consular visa is essential for all British passport holders – all foreign nationals entering Russia must fill in a Migration card. The card is in two sections – part “A” and part “B”.

Part A must be presented to the Immigration Officer on arrival. Part B must be retained with your passport and shown to police should they stop you at any time for an identity check. On leaving Russia, part B should be presented to the Immigration Officer. Should you lose part B, you will be fined and your departure from Russia could be seriously delayed.

You must complete a new migration form each time you enter Russia, even if you have a multiple entry visa.

If you are staying in Russia more than three days, you need to register your visa – your hotel should be able to do this for you. Make sure you do this, as failing to can cause problems and delays as you leave the country.

If you are staying less than three days, these requirements are waived.

During periods of high demand, for example during the summer holidays, you should apply for your visa well in advance. If you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland you should apply to the Russian Embassy in London. If you live in Scotland, you should apply to the Russian Consulate General in Edinburgh.

The Embassy in London can normally process visas in 15 working days, and you can submit an application by post or in person. If you want to get a visa more quickly it is possible to queue in person and pay an extra fee, though the numbers processed in this way per day are limited.

Most entry visas include an exit visa. However, some entry visas including certain types of student visas, do not include an exit visa. If this is the case your sponsor, not the Embassy or Consulates, will need to obtain the exit visa for you before you can leave the country. Before you travel to Russia ensure that you are aware of the terms and conditions attached to your visa and check that the dates and details which have been entered on your visa are correct. Presenting documentation which contains incorrect information to immigration officials can lead to severe inconvenience and in some cases could result in refusal of entry.

You must register your visa with UVIR (department of visas and registration) within 72 hrs of arrival. Hotels deal with this for their guests but visitors in private accommodation should see to it themselves. UVIR’s office in Moscow is at Ulitsa Pokrova 42. (Metro: Kurskaya, Krasnie Vorota) Tel: 095 207 0239.

Health Information

Your travel insurance policy should give good cover for medical treatment - please check the terms and conditions before you depart, and ensure you have adequate coverage. Russian hospitals are grim, and foreign-staffed clinics are often expensive.

Travellers are advised to bring their own prescribed medications, preferably in original packaging denoting what they are, what condition they are being taken for, and where they are from.

No inoculations are mandatory before arrival, though some doctors advise diphtheria and hepatitis inoculations.

Emergency Numbers

To summon help from the emergency services, use the numbers below from a landline:

Fire or пожар (pazhar) 01

Police or милиция (militshya) 02

Ambulance or скорая помощь (skoraya pomash) 03

Currency

Official currency in Russia is the Ruble – banknotes in denominations of 5,10, 50,100,500 and 1,000 are in circulation. There are 1, 2 and 5 Rouble coins and 1, 5 , 10 and 50 Kopeks, of which there are 100 to the Ruble.

It is theoretically illegal to use any other currency in Russia – though cab drivers and members of the oldest profession generally prefer US Dollars or Euros.

Sterling can be very difficult to exchange, and we recommend taking Euros or US Dollars for this very reason. DON'T change money on the street – it's illegal, and, anyway, you're begging to be ripped off. That excellent rate you were offered won't seem such a good deal when you're lumbered with a load of Rubles with CCCP and Lenin's portrait on them, which are worth substantially less then the paper they're printed on.

The most reliable ATM’s are those inside metro stations and branches of Sberbank, Alfa Bank and Bank Moskvy. Most big hotels have a 24hr bank or money-changing facility.

Electricity

Most of Russia runs on 220v and uses continental European-style 2 pin plugs.

Tipping

With the exception of taxi drivers, who invariably charge double for foreigners, tip as you would anywhere else in the world.

Time Difference

Moscow is 3 hours ahead of GMT.

A Bit of the Lingo

It's handy to have some idea of the Cyrillic alphabet before travelling to Russia, as English is not widely spoken, and there is very little signage in English either.

A brief guide is below:

* denotes no equivalent English sound