How much does a Russian visa cost in 2026? Every passport, all-in
Here's the number everyone quotes, and it's wrong: $198. That figure is copy-pasted across forums and old blog posts, and it hasn't been accurate for a while. The real cost depends entirely on which passport you're holding — it ranges from $0 to $550 — and the route that used to be cheap got a lot more expensive. Below is the whole picture, one table, sourced against official fee schedules.
Every route, one table
| Passport / route | Total cost | Processing |
|---|---|---|
| US — consulate, in person | $185 + ~$30 invitation | 4–10 days |
| US — by mail (NY visa centre) | $550 + ~$30 invitation | 10+ business days + shipping |
| UK — standard | ≈$206 total, incl. invitation | up to 20 business days |
| UK — expedited | ≈$314 total, incl. invitation | 4 business days |
| EU + ~64 other nationalities — e-visa | $52 flat, no invitation | 4 calendar days |
| CA / AU — consulate | ~$180–250 + ~$30 invitation | ~3–4 weeks |
| 60+ nationalities — visa-free | $0 (RuID registration required) | n/a |
CA/AU figure is a medium-confidence range, not yet narrowed to an exact per-country fee — treat it as a planning range, not a quote.
Why the old $198 number is wrong now
For US citizens, the consular fee itself hasn't moved — it's still $185. What changed is the visa-centre service fee, which jumped from roughly $38 to $365 across 2025–2026 as US–Russia relations deteriorated further. That's the whole story behind the outdated $198 figure: it was $185 consular + a small service charge that no longer exists at that price. Filing in person at a consulate is still ~$185 flat (no service fee at all), but filing by mail through the New York visa centre — the route most people without consulate access actually use — is now $550 total. Full breakdown of both routes for US citizens →
The one price hack: same fee, three years
Cheapest legal routes
If cost is the only variable, skip the consulate entirely. Visa-free entry ($0) covers 60+ nationalities — Brazil, Argentina, Serbia, South Africa, most of Latin America and the CIS — but requires pre-registering in the Gosuslugi RuID app at least 72 hours before entry. What that registration actually involves →. Next cheapest is the e-visa: a flat $52, no invitation letter needed, for EU passports and roughly 64 other nationalities — 4-day processing, apply directly at evisa.kdmid.ru and don't pay a third-party "agency" 2–3x the price for the same form. Full e-visa eligibility and process →
US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand passports are excluded from the e-visa — that's the consulate table above. US route · UK route · Visa-free route.
None of the figures above include insurance — every route requires it, and cost varies by insurer, not by passport. See what actually gets accepted and what it costs →
What trips people up
- Budgeting off a remembered "$198" or "$150" figure instead of checking the current fee — the visa-centre service charge alone has grown roughly tenfold since that number was accurate.
- Assuming the e-visa's $52 applies to a US, UK, Canadian or Australian passport. It doesn't — those five nationalities are excluded and go through the consulate route.
- Buying a single-entry visa "to save money" when the 3-year multi costs the US applicant the exact same $185.
- Forgetting the invitation letter (~$30) and insurance in the total — both are required, not optional add-ons.