Visa and registration Office

The main goal of the Visa and Registration Office is to ensure compliance with the federal laws of the Russian Federation: “On the Procedure for Exit from the Russian Federation and Entry into the Russian Federation” (dated July 18, 1996, No. 114-FZ) and “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation” (dated July 25, 2002, No. 115-FZ). These laws apply to international students and employees of MPEI, as well as members of international delegations.
The office is responsible for handling all documentation related to the entry and stay of foreign students, staff, and international visitors at MPEI while they are on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Visa and registration Office Contacts

111250, Moscow, Krasnokazarmennaya str., 17 , room В-102

+7 495 362-70-89

ovir@mpei.ru

VISA INVITATION TO ENTER RUSSIA

To obtain an invitation for entry into the Russian Federation for the purpose of studying, a foreign citizen must submit the following documents to the Visa and Registration Office:

A completed application form for the invitation, filled out in Russian block letters. All sections of the form must be completed.
A copy of the foreign passport, which must be valid for at least 1.5 years from the intended date of entry into Russia. The copy or scanned version of the passport must be clear, high-contrast, easily readable, and free from glare or extraneous objects. Both black-and-white and color scans are acceptable.

A foreign citizen can submit the application form and scanned passport electronically by sending them to the International Education Directorate at mpei@interedu.ru and the Visa and Registration Office at ovir@mpei.ru.

The cost of issuing an invitation is:

for students, studying in full degree programs - free of charge;
for students studying in the preparatory department, additional education programs, employment, or scientific and technical cooperation - 960 rubles.

The invitation is issued in electronic form and sent to the applicant to the email address provided in the application form.

When applying to a consular office or diplomatic mission of the Russian Federation for a visa based on an electronic invitation, the foreign citizen only needs to present a printed short version of the invitation. Please note that the visa can only be obtained in the city specified in both the short and full printed forms of the electronic invitation.

If a printed version of the invitation is required, it must be requested separately.

The processing time for the invitation is 30 days from the date a properly completed application is received.

After receiving the issued invitation, the foreign citizen must apply independently to a foreign mission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation to obtain a visa.

Foreign citizens arriving at MPEI for studies under the quota of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation obtain a student visa based on a directive from the Ministry.

Currently, issuing invitations is temporarily suspended for citizens of the following countries: Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Algeria, Nigeria, and Palestine.

Enter to the territory of Russia

MIGRATION CARD
Foreign citizens arriving in the Russian Federation to study at MPEI must have a migration card with the stated purpose of entry as “STUDY” (“УЧЕБА” in Russian). Foreign citizens whose migration card indicates a different purpose of entry will not be enrolled and are not eligible to reside in MPEI dormitories. Migration cards with a different purpose of entry cannot be extended.

The migration card must be filled out in Russian or in Latin letters exactly as in the passport.
Make sure your surname and given name are written as they appear in your visa or the notarized translation of your passport.
Check the purpose of entry – it must be marked as “STUDY.”
The migration card remains valid for the entire duration of your stay in Russia. When leaving Russia, it must be submitted at border control. Upon re-entry, a new migration card must be filled out.

REMOVAL FROM MIGRATION REGISTRATION
Removal from migration registration occurs within 3 days after the official expulsion order or upon completion of studies.

REGISTRATION

INITIAL REGISTRATION
Foreign citizens arriving in the Russian Federation for the purpose of studying at MPEI must have a migration card with the purpose of entry stated as “STUDY” (“УЧЕБА” in Russian).

Important!! Foreign citizens whose migration card indicates any other purpose of entry will not be admitted to the university and will not be allowed to live in MPEI dormitories. Migration cards with incorrect purposes of entry are not eligible for extension.

EXTENTION
To extend migration registration, 30 days before the expiration of the current registration, the foreign citizen must submit the following documents to the MPEI Visa and Registration Office:

Original and a copy of the passport pages containing visa and entry stamps;
Original and a copy of the migration card;
Housing contract for a dormitory at MPEI (required upon initial registration or after relocation);
Detachable part of the notification form on previous registration (if registered at another address before coming to MPEI) and its copy;
Copy of the fingerprint registration card (both sides);
Three valid medical certificates (valid for 1 year from the date of issue).

If a student resides in accommodation not owned by MPEI (e.g., hotel, hostel, rented apartment, relative’s home), the responsibility to complete migration registration lies with:

The administration of the hotel/hostel – within 1 day of check-in
The private landlord – within 7 working days of arrival at the place of residence in Russia

After completing registration at the actual place of residence, the student must submit proof to the MPEI Visa and Registration Office: the migration card and the detachable portion of the notification of arrival.

RE-REGISTRATION (CHANGE OF RESIDENCE)
A student must re-register their place of stay in the Russian Federation if after being registered:

They stay at a hotel, sanatorium, health center, hospital, social service organization, or similar, regardless of the duration
They reside at a place other than the registered address for more than 7 working days
They move from one MPEI dormitory to another (requires new housing contract)

A foreign student changes their place of residence on the territory of the Russian Federation in the following cases, if after being registered for migration at the MPEI dormitory they:

stay in a hotel or any other organization providing hotel services, in a sanatorium, resort house, boarding house, campsite, tourist base, children’s summer camp, medical institution providing inpatient care, or social service organization, including those providing services to persons without a fixed place of residence – regardless of the duration of stay in such organizations;
stay in a residential premises that is not the address indicated on the detachable part of the migration registration notification – for more than 7 working days;
move from one MPEI dormitory to another – from the moment of signing a new housing agreement for a student dormitory at the new address.

Changing the place of residence of a foreign citizen entails registration at the new actual place of stay (hotel, hostel, sanatorium, campsite, hospital, apartment, house, dormitory, etc.).

Registration entitles the foreign student to reside at the specified address for the period indicated on the detachable part of the registration form. Each new address requires new registration. The previous one becomes invalid.

Thus, when changing their place of residence in the Russian Federation and subsequently arriving at the MPEI dormitory, the foreign citizen is required, within 1 working day, to submit the following documents to the Visa and Registration Office for migration registration at the new place of residence:

Original and a copy of the passport pages with relevant marks (specifically, visa pages and border crossing stamps);
Original and a copy of the migration card;
Housing agreement for a student dormitory at MPEI (provided upon initial application or when changing the place of residence);
Detachable part of the migration registration notification (if previously registered at a different address before arriving at MPEI) and its copy;
Copy of the fingerprinting card (both sides);
Valid medical certificates – three pieces (valid for one year from the date of issuance).

VISA EXTENTION

To extend a visa, a foreign citizen must contact the Visa and Registration Office 45 days before the expiration of their current visa and submit a complete set of documents:

Original passport and 2 copies of the pages with relevant marks (specifically, the visa pages and stamps of border crossing);
Original and 2 copies of the migration card with the entry stamp of the Russian Federation’s State Border;
Detachable part of the migration registration form and 2 copies;
Copy of the fingerprinting card (both sides);
Three valid medical certificates (each valid for one year from the date of issuance);
1 photo (3x4 cm, color, on matte paper, white background);
Receipt for the payment of the state fee – 1,920 rubles.

Postgraduate students must also request the following documents from Room B-309:

2 copies of the enrollment order;
2 certificates of postgraduate study;
Education contract and assignment for study.

STAY IN RUSSIA

In accordance with Federal Law No. 115-FZ of July 25, 2002 “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation,” all foreign citizens who arrive in the Russian Federation for a period exceeding 90 calendar days are subject to medical examination, mandatory state fingerprint registration, and photographing (hereinafter – MEFP).

Students must undergo MEFP within 90 calendar days from the date of arrival in the Russian Federation.

According to the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1340 of July 28, 2022 “On Amendments to the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1134 of October 31, 2014,” starting from July 28, 2022, citizens of Ukraine, the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) temporarily residing in the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as their family members (children, spouses, parents), can undergo the medical examination free of charge when applying for a Temporary Residence Permit (TRP), a Residence Permit (RP), or for Russian citizenship. The corresponding costs are reimbursed from the federal budget.

The following are exempt from the MEFP requirement:

Citizens of the Republic of Belarus;
Family members of officials of international organizations, as well as employees of diplomatic and consular institutions in Russia;
Foreign citizens with dual citizenship, one of which is Russian citizenship;
Foreign citizens holding a Temporary Residence Permit or a Residence Permit in the Russian Federation (TRP, RP);
Stateless persons who have received a temporary identity document;
Stateless persons and foreign citizens who have been recognized as refugees or granted temporary asylum in the territory of the Russian Federation.

MEDICAL INSURANCE

The requirement for a foreign citizen to have a medical insurance policy is established by the Federal Law of July 18, 1996 No. 114-FZ “On the Procedure for Exit from the Russian Federation and Entry into the Russian Federation.”
Medical care for foreign citizens is provided on the basis of a voluntary medical insurance policy purchased at the foreign citizen’s own expense.

For students admitted to MPEI through the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, medical care is provided on the basis of a medical insurance policy purchased at the foreign citizen’s own expense.

According to paragraph 5 of Article 27 of the Federal Law of August 15, 1996 No. 114-FZ “On the Procedure for Exit from the Russian Federation and Entry into the Russian Federation,” a foreign citizen (or stateless person) is not allowed to enter the territory of Russia if they have not presented a valid medical insurance policy for the territory of the Russian Federation.
The absence of a medical insurance policy valid in the territory of the Russian Federation constitutes an administrative offense under Part 1 of Article 18.8 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation – violation of the rules for entry into the Russian Federation.

Whar are the fines for not obtaining a VMI policy?
From 5,000 to 7,000 rubles in Moscow and the Moscow Region (paragraph 3, Article 18.8 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation);
A repeated violation within 1 year – a fine from 5,000 to 7,000 rubles with administrative expulsion (paragraph 4, Article 18.8 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation).
Foreign citizens must have medical insurance policies when entering the territory of Russia, and in the absence of such, must immediately apply for one at MPEI.

You can obtain information about medical services for international students, including how to arrange medical insurance, at “Medical Unit 03.”

Medical insurance application form
For the link to the form to work correctly, it is recommended to use direct access from Russia (without proxy servers)

REGULATORY DOCUMENTS

Federal Law of July 25, 2002 No. 115-FZ “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation” (IN RUSSIAN)

Federal Law of August 15, 1996 No. 114-FZ “On the Procedure for Exit from the Russian Federation and Entry into the Russian Federation” (IN RUSSIAN)