English 
Русский Dear exchange and freemover students!
Saint Petersburg University is happy to welcome you for your exchange semester!
On this page you can find all the information you could need when arriving for the exchange semester in St Petersburg.
Below you can find information about:
1. Invitation and visa necessary to arrive to the Russian Federation
2. Migration registration necessary for all foreign citizens arriving to SPbU
3. Semester dates and proposed dates of arrival
4. Accommodation options for exchange and freemover students
5. Expenses that you can expect while living in Saint Petersburg
6. Orientation Activities and Buddy Programme organized for all exchange and freemover students to ease their adaptation
Invitation document
Holders of Russian passports must enter the Russian Federation with Russian passports.
International citizens must enter the Russian Federation with a Russian visa issued for the purpose of their stay in the country and via official invitation.
| Invitation Format | Electronic (no original needed, will be sent to you by e-mail) |
| Issued by | Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, MIA RF (out of SPbU control) |
| Prepared within | Around 5 weeks since SPbU application to MIA RF (i.e. usually ready by late July for autumn semester, or late December for spring semester) |
| Special Requirement | Passport valid for at least 18 months after the date of planned arrival to Russia (25 August for autumn semester students and 1 February for spring semester students). |
| Contact Person | Departmental coordinator |
Electronic invitation will be sent to you by e-mail on the same day when it’s received by us from the MIA.
NB! Please note that you will have to apply for the visa in the city which you indicated in the application form - once we apply for your invitation, this will be impossible to change. New city will mean a new invitation = > another month(or more) to prepare it.
**Remember to immediately apply for a new passport if yours expires earlier than stated in the requirement and send us the scan once it is ready (invitation letter prepared with the old passport data is invalid).
Once you have the invitation, you need to apply for a STUDENT SINGLE ENTRY visa valid for 90 days in the city indicated by you in the application form.
As long as the applications requirements vary greatly from country to country, to find out about the full visa application procedure and list of the required documents, please contact the embassy/consulate/visa center to which you plan to apply.
After receiving your visa:
- immediately check it to make sure that Purpose of Entry is “УЧЕБА” (Education/Study). If this is not the case, request that the consulate corrects this, as this is the status which the letter of invitation has specified for you;
- send the scanned copy of your visa to your departmental coordinator: we will double check the information & make sure you are invited for the visa extension sooner.
STUDENT MULTIPLE-ENTRY visa
According to Russian Legislation it is impossible to issue a multiple-entry visa covering the period of the whole semester from the start.
After you arrive and SPbU registers you as a student, we will help you to apply for a multiple-entry visa.
In short, the process is the following:
| Before arrival | application for single-entry student visa (visa type is not negotiable) |
| Upon arrival | registration of the arrival in SPbU, official enrollment |
| 3 weeks after arrival – 1 month before the previous visa expires | application for visa extension (via SPbU, takes at least 4 weeks) |
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NB: It means that until the visa extended it is impossible Always inform in advance our office about your traveling plans. |
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Application for the multiple-entry visa valid for the whole semester:
| When | Not earlier than 20 days after arrival – not later than 1 month before the expiration of the single-entry (or previous multi-entry) visa. |
| How | SPbU prepares your application and then invites you to submit the passport (with 1 photo and visa fee of 1600 rubles) |
| How long | 5 weeks since passport submission with no possibility to travel outside of Leningradskaya oblast’ region |
Please do not make any travel plans both to other Russian cities and especially outside of the country (the latter will be simply impossible) for the period of time dedicated to your registration and visa extension (at least 2 weeks to register + 5 weeks to extend visa). Always inform in advance our office about your traveling plans.
Official semester dates: 01.09 – 31.01 for autumn semester, 10.02 – 30.06 for spring semester
Booking tickets: the earliest possible entry date of Fall 2023 semester: 25.08 for autumn semester, 01.02 for spring semester
→ To avoid any possible uncertainties connected to recently unstable travel regulations, we recommend you either to book tickets with flexible dates or book them after you receive your invitation.
→ RESTRAIN FROM booking your return ticket until you know the exact dates of the exams (as a rule announced 2 weeks before exam session start). Otherwise you risk being forced to change tickets.
If you plan to stay in Russia until the very end of the semester regardless of when your exams are over, feel free to get the return ticket by the date of your visa expiry (mist usually 31.01 for autumn semester and 30.06 for spring semester).
Accommodation for exchange and freemover students
| DORMS | PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION |
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Accommodation in the SPbU dormitory is guaranteed for all exchange students and a place in it is reserved for them automatically. You do not need to apply for it individually. Most exchange students live in the dormitory at Kapitanskaya street 3. However, please, be sure to check your e-mail several days before departure to Saint Petersburg for information on any possible changes in your dormitory address. SPbU student accommodation is very basic: there are usually 2-3 students sharing a bedroom with joint kitchen and bathroom facilities. Note that once you move in to the SPbU Dorms, you will be responsible for the payment until you officially check-out from the place => in order not to accumulate unnecessary bills, don’t forget to cancel your place by informing us as soon as the private housing option is settled. |
The university is not able to (and is not entitled to) provide any information regarding renting private accommodation. You will have to search for this option individually as well as you can ask your Buddy for assistance. If you choose to find a private flat-share, it is recommended to keep the dormitory reservation open until the contract is signed: while dorms reservation is open, students can change their mind any time; but once it is dropped, the process of getting a place back takes around 2 weeks. We strongly advice you NOT to make any private place bookings until you make sure the landlord is ready to register you at the address (see below). |
Registration in SPb
An international citizen entering Russia must be registered at the address of his actual stay.
- The proof of the completed registration procedure is a strip of A4 paper with the data about you, the address of your stay and the stamp of the registering office.
- The registration paper is one of the required documents in the visa extension application.
| Staying in the Dorms | Staying in a private place |
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The university by default proceeds with registrations of those who stay in the Dorms. We recommend you to stick to this option at least until your visa is extended as you will not be involved in extra paperwork and stress. |
Students have to deal with the registration procedure by themselves together with the owner of the place they rent*. |
*Choosing to stay in a private place, make 100% sure that the owner agrees to proceed with your MIGRATION REGISTRATION no later than 6 days since your arrival - any delay will automatically lead to a delay with visa extension and to extra expenses and in the worst cases to fines and deportation.
Mandatory Expenses during your stay at SPbU
The following are the mandatory expenses that that you will need to consider during your stay in St. Petersburg:
- Dormitory fee: the monthly cost for the dormitory is approximately 5000 rubles. Please note that additional expenses for internet access, laundry, and other supplements are paid separately and are not included in this amount.
- PCR-Test for dormitory: as part of the dormitory's requirements, a PCR-test is necessary for all students, it costs around 1500 rubles.
- Lung x-ray: it is also obligatory to present a lung x-ray while checking in to the dormitory. A lung x-ray costs approximately 500-1000 rubles. We recommend taking the lung x-ray in Russia since the Russian lung x-ray will be required from you later during the medical examination.
- Visa fee: the prolongation of your visa costs 1600 rubles and is mandatory for all students who wish to prolong a visa.
- Medical insurance: medical insurance is essential for your time in St. Petersburg. The cost is around 5000 rubles, but please keep in mind that it may vary based on individual circumstances.
- Medical examination and dactyloscopy: all international citizens staying for longer than 90 days are required to undergo a medical examination and provide their fingerprints to the authorities. All the necessary procedures cost approximately 7500 rubles.
Please be aware that these expenses cover the essential requirements for your stay in St. Petersburg. However, it's important to note that this does not include the cost of day-to-day living in the city. The lifestyle and living expenses for things like dining at restaurants, shopping, and other personal choices may vary from person to person.
If you are interested in knowing more about the cost of living in the city, we recommend reaching out to your assigned buddy. They will be happy to provide you with insights and helpful tips based on their own experiences. Also, you can use the open online services for combining the cost of living in different countries, for example https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Saint-Petersburg (the service is an external one having no connection to SPbU and is given as a reference. Please, note that SPbU can’t guarantee that the information provided by online services is always updated and full).
Orientation Activities and Buddy Programme
In order to help you adapt in Saint Petersburg easier and make your exchange or freemover experience more comfortable SPbU together with the student volunteer organization ESN SPbU organizes a buddy programme for you.
A Buddy is a local mentor who will be able to answer your questions, help you with translations and even meet you at the airport. We recommend you to register for the buddy programme even if you don’t think you need assistance in Saint Petersburg in order not to miss information about the orientation and social events organized specifically for exchange students. International Academic cooperation department works closely with the buddies and they are usually the first to know about all the changes and requirements and they will be able to make many processes at the university smoother.
You can register for the buddy programme via the form.
If you have any problems with accessing the form or you have questions about the buddy programme, you can contact the buddy programme coordinator at buddyprogramme@mail.ru
International Academic Cooperation dept. and ESN SPbU organize orientation activities for you. The list of activities is set around 2 weeks before the semester starts, and you would receive information on how to join them from your coordinator and your buddy.