Russian visa

• Please note that a visa type and an official purpose of your visit must match. For example, in case of visiting Russia on a tourist visa an official purpose of visit must be TOURISM, and in case of visiting Russia on a business visa an official purpose of visit must be BUSINESS.
• Don’t forget to get your visa registered in case of staying in Russia more than 7 days. If you stay in a hotel, administrators will do it by themselves. In case of staying in another place, an owner of an apartment/house you’re going to stay in or an inviting company must be in charge of it. To register a visa by yourself you’ll have to apply to the local Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Failure to register your visa can lead to a fine, detention by police and restrict the right for taking some legal actions.
• Take a copy of your voucher with you (you’ll have to show it at the customs and sometimes at a hotel).

Citizens of some countries are allowed to visit Russia through the free port of Vladivostok or the Vladivostok International Airport (VVO) on the e-visa. To get full information and fill in the application form, please, follow the link.
If you’re a citizen of a country that needs a visa to enter Russia, click VISA SUPPORT.
How to get to Vladivostok BY PLANE There are direct international flights to Vladivostok from Japan (Tokyo, Osaka), China (Shanghai, Beijing, Changchun, Harbin, Hong Kong), South Korea (Seoul, Busan, Daegu), Thailand (Bangkok) and domestic direct flights from Moscow, St- Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Blagoveshchensk, Chita, Dalnegorsk, Dalnerechensk and some other cities. To get full information on flights and operating airline companies click SEE MORE.
BY TRAIN To explore Russia you can choose a journey along the Trans-Siberia Railway that connects Vladivostok with such cities as Ussuriysk, Khabarovsk, Chita, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Ekaterinburg, Moscow. To get full information on available trips click SEE MORE.
BY FERRY DBS Cruise Ferries connect Vladivostok with Donghae (South Korea) and Sakaiminato (Japan). To get more information click SEE MORE.
BY BUS There are several available bus routes connecting China with Vladivostok. To get more information on routes click SEE MORE
DocumentsWe recommend you to take several copies of all documents prior to a trip in case of losing the originals and leave some of them in a hotel (a place of stay). Keep your passport and one set of copies with you during the whole period of stay in Russia. Be sure that your passport is valid during at least 6 months since the visa expiry date!
MoneyRussian currency is ruble. We recommend you to exchange your currency to USD, Euro or Yuan before a trip because you can easily exchange these currencies to rubles in some banks and hotels of Vladivostok. Don’t exchange money from people in the street! Such action is considered to be illegal in Russia. Please note that traveler’s cheques are not common in Russia and most of banks refuse to exchange them. Usually banks are open till 6 or 7 pm. Round-the-clock exchange offices are available in some hotels. 
Credit cardsAlmost all shops, hotels and restaurants accept VISA and MASTER CARD. Some of them also accept UNION PAY. You can cash you card in one of the city ATMs.
Seasons and climateIn winter air in Vladivostok is usually dry which causes freezing weather. Temperature differs from -25 to +3C?. Strong winds are possible. Usually winter period starts approximately in the middle of November and lasts till the middle of March. If you’re going to visit Vladivostok in winter don’t forget to take warm clothes.
Since the middle of March to the end of April the temperature comes up to 5-10C?. Warm and cold days usually change each other during this period. May is usually sunny and quite warm. The number of sunny and rainy days in June is almost equal. 
July is normally cloudy and foggy. Because of warm and sunny weather August and September are considered to be the best months for visiting Vladivostok. However, summer months are the rainiest in Vladivostok.
The average temperature in October and the first part of November differs from -5 to 10C?. 
Autumn in Vladivostok is usually clear and dry but rather short.
PhotographyBe careful because taking photos of some places of interest and in some museums is either prohibited or requires extra payment. Signs indicating it are sometimes absent. This is why ask the staff for permission in case you wish to take photographs. 
Telephone connectionYou can buy a sim-card of one of Russian network providers (Beeline, MTC, MegaFon etc.). It is also possible to make paid phone calls from your hotel. 
For calls in your city press +7 or 8 and a phone number. To call to another Russian city press +7 or 8, a city phone code and a phone number. To find a code follow the link
Phone numbers of round-the-clock information center: 063, 516
Please note that LINE is not active in Russia. You can use What’s Up, Vkontakte, Viber, Facebook Messenger or Telegram.

Some useful phone numbers (from stationary and mobile phones):

• Fire service and the Ministry of emergency situations:  101
• Police station: 102
• Medical ambulance: 103
• Unified rescue service: 112 – in Russian and English (it’s possible to make a call with a zero mobile phone account, sim-card blocked or with no sim-card)

Phone calls to emergency services are FREE.   Internet accessThere are several internet-cafes in the city. Free wi-fi is available almost in all public places, such as the airport, hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, railway and marine stations, etc.
What to eatRestaurants of Vladivostok and Russian cuisine
There is a wide choice of Russian, Italian, Indian, Japanese and other cuisine restaurants in Vladivostok. You can also try cuisines of former Soviet republics, such as Uzbekistan, Armenia etc. Pelmeni (dumplings with minced meat), bliny (pancakes), borscht (red soup), pirozhki (baked or fried buns with different fillings) etc. are considered to be traditional Russian meal. Meat dishes and a tradition of cooking shashlik (barbecue) at a dacha are also popular among Russian people.    
Drinking waterPlease note that piped water in Russia is not clean. It is safe to drink only boiled water. You can buy drinking water, both sparkling and still, in any supermarket. Hotels provide water free of cost. 
TipsTipping is not considered to be a strict rule in Russia. You can do it if you wish to thank for good service, but it’s totally up to you. Usual rate of tips is 5-10% of the order price.
Safety measuresWe recommend you to follow common safety measures applicable to any trip abroad:

• Before a trip inform your relatives about the route and places of stay;
• Write down a phone number of your embassy and keep it with you;
• Avoid dark solitary places;
• Don’t leave your staff unattended;
• Keep valuable things about yourself or leave them in a hotel strongbox;
• Always take the address of your place of?stay and your embassy written down in Russian with you;
• Don’t purchase food of questionable quality and from street vendors;
• Don’t talk to suspicious people and don’t take part in questionable lotteries, quizzes etc. 

ElectricityPlugs used in Russia are European with or without grounding (type C and F, with two round pins).
Voltage is 220V, alternating current frequency is 50Hz. If you are going to take some electronic devices with you don’t forget to take an adapter.


LanguageThe official language is Russian. However all hotel administrators can speak English. Many restaurants provide menus in English and even Korean, Chinese and Japanese. There are many people speaking English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese among citizens of Vladivostok. However, not all of them can speak foreign languages. For example, most taxi drivers speak Russian only.

National HolidaysPlease note that most organizations in Russia don’t operate on National Holidays. Here we provide a list of official National Holidays of Russia.
 

Holiday	Date
New Year Holiday	January 01 – January 08 (can change a little from year to year)
Orthodox Christmas Day	January 07
Defender of the Fatherland Day	February 23
International Women’s Day	March 08
International Workers’ Day	May 01
Victory Day	May 09
Russia Day	June 12
National Unity Day	November 04

InsuranceWe recommend you to take out insurance before a trip. Our company can also insure tourists in advance. In case of some insurable event all expenses for medical services and medicines will be compensated by your insurance company after coming back home. Familiarize yourself with requirements of your insurance company before a trip.