Exit visa: what is it and who needs it

What is an exit visa?

During the Soviet era, travel abroad was available to an extremely small percentage of the population. The lucky ones who had the honor to represent their homeland abroad, issued an entry visa at the consulate of the country they were going to visit, and an exit visa.

An exit visa is a document that legally confirms permission to leave the country.

Exit visas for citizens of their country, like those that were in the USSR, still exist in some countries, for example, in Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Iran, North Korea, Uzbekistan.

If you are a citizen of Russia, then you can be calm: no one will restrict your movement abroad and require an exit visa. But it is quite possible that you have foreign friends with whom you are going to spend a vacation, or you take on a trip a nanny who is not a citizen of Russia (quite a real story). To ensure that your journey is not overshadowed by the delay of part of your company at passport control, please forward this article to them.

Who needs an exit visa?

An exit visa will have to be issued to foreigners who have received a temporary residence permit (RVP), as well as to those who, for some reason, have not returned to their homeland after three months in Russia. The requirement is valid from June 7, 2017.

So, for example, citizens of Ukraine or Kazakhstan are not required to issue an exit visa even if they have a TRP, and a British citizen, if they have a TRP, will need an exit visa.

Exit visas must be issued to citizens of those countries with which we have established a visa regime for visiting.

Exit visas are not required for citizens of Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan. Also, intergovernmental agreements were signed exempting citizens of Germany, Italy, Poland, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey from an exit visa.

Where can this be done?

You can issue a temporary residence permit both on the territory of your country, by contacting the consulate of the Russian Federation, and already on the spot, by submitting documents to the FMS.

If the documents are made on the territory of their country, then together with the RVP, a one-time exit permit is issued, which can be used within the first four months after receiving the permit.

If the documents are drawn up through the FMS, then a multiple exit permit will be valid immediately from the moment of obtaining the status of a temporary resident.

What documents need to be prepared?

To obtain an exit permit you will need:

Application of the established form.
Identity document.
Photo on matte paper, 30 × 40 mm.
Certificate confirming the existence of registration.
RVP.

How long will the visa wait?

Not more than 20 days from the date of application.

What happens if you try to leave without an exit permit?

You face a fine under article 18.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation for violating the state border in the amount of 2,000 to 5,000 rubles with or without expulsion from the territory of the Russian Federation.