There is no visa-free entry to Russia for Indian passport holders. An Indian traveller needs either the unified electronic visa, which costs about USD 52 (roughly INR 4,962) and is decided in no more than four calendar days, or a consular sticker visa applied for through a Russian visa application centre in India (Russian MFA unified e-visa portal, accessed 2026-08-27; the fee is stated by the Consular Section of the Russian Embassy, accessed 2026-08-27; INR at 1 USD = INR 95.376, ECB reference rate published 2026-08-26).
This guide is maintained by Zurich Kotak General Insurance, an IRDAI-registered general insurer in India and part of the Zurich Insurance Group.
How Zurich Kotak fits in: Russia’s own e-visa rules require a foreign national to hold medical insurance valid in Russia for the entire stay, and that is the Russian authority’s condition, applying whoever you buy the policy from. Zurich Kotak’s Smart Travel plans cover emergency medical treatment abroad and medical evacuation up to the limits of the plan you buy, with claims handled by Europ Assistance India on a 24x7 assistance line. The policy is issued online once your dates are fixed, so the certificate can be in hand before the application goes in rather than chased in the last week.
Last verified: 2026-08-27.
Is Russia visa-free for Indians?
No. As of 2026 there is no visa-free entry to Russia for Indian passport holders, and every headline suggesting otherwise is describing a scheme that has not launched.
The two governments have been negotiating a visa-free group tourist scheme since 2024. The first target was Indian tour groups arriving in Moscow by spring 2025, which did not happen. By late 2025 they were still settling details, and as of December 2025 the position remained that Indians require a visa to enter the country (Business Standard, 2025-12-05).
Group sizes and stay lengths have been reported in conflicting versions while the scheme is unsigned. This page prints none of them, because a traveller cannot plan against a number that is not settled.
One announcement causes most of the confusion, and it runs the other way. India is reported to have agreed at the December 2025 summit to offer Russian citizens a free 30-day e-Tourist Visa. That is India granting entry to Russians, and it does nothing for an Indian traveller. For destinations that genuinely need no visa in advance, see our list of visa-free countries for Indians . Russia is not on it.
The only official places to apply
The unified e-visa is issued by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs through two of its own domains, and nothing else is an official channel.
· evisa.kdmid.ru holds the personal account and the application form. Full address: https://evisa.kdmid.ru
· electronic-visa.kdmid.ru is the information site and payment entry point, and carries the FAQ and the checkpoint list. Full address: https://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru
· The Russian Foreign Ministry mobile app takes the same application.
Compare your browser bar against those two before entering passport or card details. The consular sticker visa is different: you submit your passport in person at a Russian visa application centre in India.
The unified e-visa at a glance
The unified e-visa is single entry, valid 120 days from issue, allows a stay of up to 30 days, is decided in no more than four calendar days, and needs no invitation letter (Russian MFA e-visa portal, accessed 2026-08-27).
Item | What applies to an Indian passport holder |
Eligibility | India is on the approved nationality list |
Cost | About USD 52 (roughly INR 4,962), all charges combined |
Children under 6 | About USD 2 (roughly INR 191), separate application |
Validity | 120 days from the date of issue |
Permitted stay | Up to 30 days from entry, inside those 120 days |
Entries | Single entry only |
Processing | No more than 4 calendar days from submission, weekends included |
When to apply | No earlier than 86 days, no later than 4 days before entry |
Purposes allowed | Tourism, private and business visits, and cultural, scientific and sporting events |
Payment | Bank card, non-refundable whatever the outcome |
Two details catch people out. The 30-day stay is counted in calendar days, not hours: arrival day and departure day each count as a whole day, so it is not 720 hours of clock time. The four-day clock also excludes the day you submit.
What the e-visa will not do
It covers tourism and visits, and nothing beyond that.
· It is not a transit visa. Transit cannot be selected as a purpose, so a connection through Russia to a third country needs a visa from a Russian diplomatic mission.
· It is not for work or study. Neither is on the permitted list, and both need a regular visa.
· It works only at approved border crossings. Entry and exit are valid only through checkpoints on the Ministry’s list, roughly 50 airports including Moscow Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, St Petersburg Pulkovo, Kazan, Sochi, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok, plus named land, rail, sea and river points. Check your point of entry on the official checkpoint list before booking.
· It cannot normally be extended. Extension happens only where leaving is impossible because of emergency medical treatment, force majeure or natural disaster.
· It cannot be corrected once issued. A mistyped passport number means a fresh application and a fresh fee.
If you already hold a valid regular Russian visa you do not need an e-visa, and you travel without these restrictions.
What it costs, in USD and INR
The government charge is one combined amount of about USD 52. Anything above that in an agent quote is a service fee.
What you pay | Local currency | INR (approx.) |
Unified e-visa, one adult | USD 52 | 4,962 |
Unified e-visa, child under 6 | USD 2 | 191 |
Consular tourist visa | INR 6,000 to 7,500 | 6,000 to 7,500 |
Card foreign-currency markup | 1% to 3.5% plus GST | 50 to 200 |
Conversions use 1 USD = INR 95.376, the ECB reference rate published 2026-08-26, and are indicative. The fee is charged in dollars, so the rupee amount debited depends on your card network’s rate and markup. The consular figures are the softest numbers here: they come from reporting that attributes the schedule to the Russian Embassy in India (Business Standard, 2025-12-05), so treat them as a planning band.
E-visa or consular visa: which one you need
Take the e-visa unless something on your trip breaks its limits.
| Unified e-visa | Consular tourist visa |
Entries | Single only | Single or double |
Invitation | Not required | Tourist confirmation letter from a Russian hotel or tour operator registered with the MFA |
Entry points | Approved checkpoints only | No checkpoint restriction |
Where you apply | Online, Ministry site or app | Visa application centre in India, in person |
Cost | About USD 52 | About INR 6,000 to 7,500 |
Decision time | Up to 4 calendar days | About 4 to 10 working days |
The consular route is for four cases: two entries, a checkpoint that is not on the approved list, transiting rather than visiting, or work and study.
Travelling to Russia? Get covered before you fly. Russia requires visitors on an e-visa to hold medical cover valid there for the whole stay, and international travel insurance from Zurich Kotak issues instantly with a certificate you can carry.
Documents for the unified e-visa
Four things, and no invitation letter among them.
· Passport, machine-readable, valid at least 6 months from the date you apply, with blank pages for stamps.
· A JPEG scan of the passport data page.
· A JPEG facial photograph, 35x45 proportions, taken within the last 6 months, clear and in focus.
· A bank card enabled for international payments.
No hotel booking and no proof of purpose is required. Every child needs a separate application and a separate e-visa, even one endorsed on a parent’s passport.
How to apply, step by step
The whole application is online, and the order matters.
1. Check that your point of entry is on the approved checkpoint list, before anything else. This is the most common trip-breaking mistake.
2. Create an account on https://evisa.kdmid.ru and open an application, no earlier than 86 days and no later than 4 days before your entry date.
3. Complete the form, upload the two images, and check every character against your passport. Nothing can be corrected after issue.
4. Pay by card. The payment is not refunded whatever the decision.
5. Watch the status in your personal account: Draft saved, Payment required, Application is being processed, Correction required, Processing completed. A correction request arrives within two calendar days and restarts the four-day clock.
6. Print the e-visa notification when processing completes and carry it with your passport.
Our guide to checking a visa status with a passport number explains what the Russian tracking tools accept, which is not a passport number on its own.
The medical insurance rule, stated accurately
Russia’s e-visa rules require foreign nationals on a unified e-visa to hold medical insurance valid in Russia for the entire duration of the stay (Russian MFA e-visa portal, accessed 2026-08-27). A named list of countries is exempt on the basis of reciprocity. That list sits inside an interactive panel on the Ministry’s page and could not be read when this page was researched, so we claim no exemption for Indian travellers. Assume the requirement applies.
Two things are often run together here and should not be. The obligation to hold cover sits in the rules. The insurance field inside the application form is separate, and the Ministry’s FAQ says missing data in it is not a ground for refusal. So the e-visa is not issued on proof of a policy, and holding one does not improve your chances of approval.
Zurich Kotak’s Smart Travel policy covers emergency medical treatment abroad up to plan limits, with claims handled by Europ Assistance India and a 24x7 line on +91 22 6734 7863. The certificate issues instantly, so it is available before you fly.
Where this sits in your trip planning
Two pages carry the rest of the decision.
· Compare Russia against destinations needing no advance visa on our list of visa-free countries for Indians .
· Once the visa is decided, international travel insurance carries the rest of the trip, covering medical emergencies, baggage and trip disruption up to plan limits.
Common mistakes on a Russian e-visa
Five errors account for most refused entries and wasted fees.
· Booking into an airport that is not on the approved checkpoint list. Entry is refused there, and the ticket is the expensive part.
· Applying outside the 86-day to 4-day window. The system will not take the application.
· Treating 30 days as 720 hours. Arrival day and departure day each burn a full day.
· Assuming the e-visa covers a connection. Transit is not a permitted purpose.
· Typing passport details from memory. An issued e-visa cannot be amended, so an error costs the fee again.
Frequently asked questions
Is Russia visa-free for Indians? No. As of 2026 there is no visa-free entry to Russia for Indian passport holders. The two governments have been negotiating a visa-free group tourist scheme since 2024, but it has not launched, so an Indian traveller needs either the unified e-visa or a consular visa.
How much does a Russia e-visa cost for Indians? About USD 52 in total, roughly INR 4,962 at 1 USD = INR 95.376 on 2026-08-26. That single amount covers the consular fee, the bank commission, the payment-system charges and the preliminary document check. Children under 6 pay about USD 2, and the payment is not refunded if the application is refused.
How long does a Russian e-visa take, and how long can I stay? No more than four calendar days from the date of submission, counting weekends and public holidays, with the submission day excluded. The visa is valid 120 days from issue and allows a single entry and a stay of up to 30 calendar days.
Do I need travel insurance for a Russian e-visa? Russia’s e-visa rules require you to hold medical insurance valid in Russia for the whole of your stay, with an exemption for certain nationalities on the basis of reciprocity. We could not read that exemption list, so assume the requirement applies. The insurance field in the application form is not a ground for refusal, so cover is something you must hold while you are there rather than something that wins you the visa.
Can I transit through Russia on an e-visa? No. Transit is not a permitted purpose and cannot be selected on the form. A connection through Russia to a third country needs a visa from a Russian diplomatic mission or consular post instead.
