How to check an invitation to enter the Russian Federation

If a foreign citizen wants to legally stay in Russia for more than 90 days, he needs a work visa. The ground for its issuance is invitation to enter the country from Russian side. This is a document on an official letterhead, which is issued by the Department of the Ministry of internal Affairs and sent to a foreign citizen.

No more than 30 days should pass from the moment of submitting an application and issuing the invitation, however, it could be issued even earlier. What are the ways to check the invitation to enter the Russian Federation:

• personal visit to the Consulate or migration service where you applied;
• checking the official website of the migration Department of the Ministry of internal Affairs;
• written request to state authority;
• phone call.

How to check an invitation to enter the Russian Federation while personal visit

This is a rather time-consuming method, and it is better to resort to it when you are sure that the officials have already made a decision on your application. It is due to the fact that it is possible to get an appointment with the migration service inspector only at specifically designated time. However, this is the most reliable way to get information about whether the application for an invitation has already been considered or not.

How to send a written request

It is possible to check the invitation to enter Russia by written request to the Migration Department. To do so it is necessary to fill in an application specifying the date of documents’ submission and ask for the result of the review. However, this method of verification has a big drawback: it takes time. Officials have the full right to consider your written request within 30 days from the moment of its registration. Most likely, the request will be processed faster, but there are no guarantees.

How to check an invitation to enter the Russian Federation by phone 

It is possible to call the Migration Department, but first specify the date of application’s receipt. This will be necessary asked, and it is impossible to find out whether a decision has been made on your request or not without this information. Nevertheless, such method has a disadvantage: you can only be told whether the request was reviewed or not. The officials are not entitled to say on the phone whether the application is approved or not.

How to check an invitation to enter the Russian Federation online 

Official information about readiness of invitation to enter the Russian Federation can be found on the website of the Migration Department of the Ministry of internal Affairs. To do so, you will need to fill in the citizen’s full name, date of birth and invitation number on the site. However, the site will only show the review status, not the decision itself. You can find out whether the request was approved or rejected only in person.

Issuance of invitation for visa purposes

Invitations to come to Russia are issued not only to the applicant, but also to authorized representatives of a legal entity or a branch of a foreign company. In any case, you will have to present your ID card and a receipt for payment of the state fee for issuing the invitation. The amount of the fee may vary, so it is better to check the amount immediately before the visit to the migration authority: by phone or via the official website.The person who obtains the invitation should check that all the details are correct. If a mistake is found, the form will be canceled by putting a stamp. This procedure is mandatory, since each form has an individual number, and corrections cannot be made to the document. Nevertheless, do not worry that the issue of paperwork will be delayed: you will receive a new invitation within an hour. It will be valid for the period specified in the document which cannot be extended.