Taking advantage of the fact that Russian regulations have changed in recent years, I have completely modified the article on the registration of foreigners in Russia, especially so that people do not waste their time (or their money) with procedures that do not correspond to them.
If you find any error or aspect that is not clear, write it below.
@Irena as far as I know you need to be the owner of an apartment/house in order to register someone. This is what Russians say.
@Bowman Yes, as said in the article, the regulations state that the registration must be done by the inviting party, which can be:
If your trip is for private reasons to visit friends or family in Russia, then your friends or family should register you.
Hi Irena,
Happy New Year!
I spend my new year hopping hostels and even police stations.
I was at a hostel for 4 nights in Moscow from the 28th to the 1st ( arrived from Irtukus but stayed in Moscow earlier at a different hostel from the 18th November to the 8th Dec - on the 8th I left Moscow for a Siberia visit ). On the 1st I asked my hostel to extend my stay, and they said it was full. So I had no option but to checkout. I asked for a registration certificate ( I usually ask for it during checkout ) but the hostel said they couldn’t give the certificate as it was a holiday.
I already had booked another hostel online with advance payment, but upon arriving at the new hostel they insisted on the registration certificate for my earleir hostel. I explained the situation but they didn’t check me in and didn’t refund as well as it was booked through OTA. Anyway, after this, I visited 3 more nearby hostels and all insisted on my latest registration certificate and all the explanation was of no use.
I even visited a nearby police station, where only a security guy was there. He also said we have holidays till 10th January, so we can’t help.
I had to call a friend to stay. So I am staying on private property. Now, I don’t know how to register, where to go, its holidays, offices are closed? I intend to travel to Saint Petersburg on 5th January, but what if they ask for a registration certificate from Moscow, what if they don’t give me room, where will I stay?
My holidays are spoiled, I am worrying about my stay and registration instead of exploring places and enjoy my holidays.
Your advice please.
@NeoRuski What you can do is contact the hotel or apartment by email beforehand to know that they will not give you any problems. Normally apartments do not usually ask for registration. You can book with free cancellation with Zenhotels and then ask the host by email.
Hello Irena,
I’ve been staying in Russia for the last week with my wife at her apartment, which she rents. We intend to stay one more week. We tried to do online registration, but it would not work because she does not own the apartment. We did already stay for one night in a hotel and they registered us for that night. Do you think it’s still necessary to try to register the remainder of my stay in my wife’s rented apartment? Or is one evening at the hotel enough to have me in the system?
@Irena Hi Irena, thank you for the great Article. However, I need to clarify.
Under „4. Who is not obliged to register?“ you write that no registration is needed, if the stay in Russia is less then 7 working days.
Can I ask you where this information comes from?
I had a look at the Federal Law of July 18, 2006. N 109-FZ
Article 20 Paragraph 6 Nr. 5 - at least in the English translation - gives the exemption only for foreigners not staying longer than 7 days. It doesn’t say working days, though this law uses the term in different contexts.
Can you please clarify ?
I’m thinking of traveling to Saint Petersburg to visit and stay with a friend under a tourist visa, and possibly going to other cities. Regarding registration, will I be okay if my friend in Saint Petersburg does the registration, even though I have a tourist visa? Or is it expected that I have a private visa for registration?
If a hotel does not register a foreigner, is that a problem for a foreigner? Meaning, can it cause a fine, imprisonment, or deportation for the foreigner?
@Lotto No, because the responsibility is the hotel’s, not yours.
My situation is the following, I‘m visiting a friend in russia this summer, we are both students and money is scarse, since she lives in a city where she studies in a flat not registered to her name nor is she registered as a resident in the city(she commutes back and forth between home town and uni every couple months), the question arised how I will get a visa and register once I arrive, I would like to stay at her place since hotels and hostels are still fairly expensive for me. As far as I know she cannot invite me on a private visa since this is not her registered adress, so the tourist visa would be my only option but how will my stay be registered? Could I technically book a hostel for a night every 7 days to stay registerd? Or is there any better way?
@Irena
Hello Irena, thank you for this blog, it’s a valuable resource for those of us planning on travelling to Russia.
My question is, if I arrive in the evening of Wednesday 29th May 2024, and depart on Saturday 8th June, am I obligated to register my Russian e-visa with the migration authorities? It is my understanding that this period counts as seven working days.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thank you and kind regards,
Chris.
I have a tourist visa but am planning on staying with a friend as soon as I land. Are they obligated to register me with migration authorities as i am there fore 7 days or not? Will there be issues for me if my friend registers me as staying with her even though i have a tourist visa?
@Chris1972 This period counts as 8 working days