The Russian student visa for MBBS from India

Each rule below links to the document it comes from: the Russian Embassy in New Delhi and its consulates, the consular portal of Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Russian federal law, and the published rules of four Russian universities. Where two official sources disagree, as they do on photo size and on how old the HIV test may be, we show both. Russian migration duties rose on 27 July 2026, the 30-day medical-examination rule started on 1 September 2026, and higher fines for breaking the registration rules apply from 3 November 2026, so read the date beside each figure.

Which visa you need

Indian citizens with ordinary passports need a visa to enter Russia. The Embassy’s visa page lists the exceptions: holders of diplomatic and official passports, for up to 90 days, and aircraft crews. “Study” is one of the visa categories it lists.

Indians have been able to get Russia’s unified e-visa since 1 August 2023. It is single-entry and covers personal, business and tourist trips, or attending a scientific, cultural, political, economic or sports event. Study is not on the list, so the e-visa is no use for an MBBS course.

The visa you need is the ordinary study visa. Article 25.6 of Federal Law No. 114-FZ (FZ is the Russian abbreviation for federal law) allows it for up to one year for a foreigner entering Russia to study at an educational or research organisation. Paragraph 34 of Government Decree No. 335 of 9 June 2003 splits that into two steps. The embassy or consulate issues the first study visa for up to 3 months. The MVD office where you are registered in Russia then extends it by issuing a multiple-entry visa for the period of study, each one for no more than a year. Sechenov University’s visa guide tells its students to expect a single-entry visa valid for 90 days.

The rule that limits many visitors to 90 days in any 180 does not apply to you. The MFA’s Consular Department says the cap does not cover foreigners entering on work or study visas.

First, the invitation

You apply for the visa once you hold the invitation. Under Decree 335 (paragraph 34), a study visa is issued on the basis of an invitation, or of an MFA decision sent to the embassy or consulate.

The invitation comes from the MVD. Under Article 17(1) of Federal Law No. 115-FZ, the MVD’s regional office issues it at the university’s request, and Article 17(2) lets the university file that request on Gosuslugi, Russia’s public-services portal. Russia’s Ministry of Education does not issue it, and neither does an embassy department. The MFA’s study-visa list asks for the original MVD invitation, on paper or as a printout of an electronic one.

The Embassy’s FAQ (items 1.2 and 1.6) says it accepts electronic invitations issued by the MFA or the MVD. It checks one only when you submit the full visa document set. If you have doubts about an electronic invitation, it tells you to contact the Russian organisation that applied to the MVD for it.

What the university takes on

By inviting you, the university accepts duties under Article 17(3) of 115-FZ. It guarantees you the chance to study there, applies to extend your stay for the period of study, and makes sure you leave Russia once you finish or leave the course. It also reports your arrival to the regional education authority within three working days.

Cost and time

Russia’s Tax Code (Article 333.28(1)(17)) charges a state duty of 8,000 roubles per invited person for issuing an invitation. Federal Law No. 190-FZ of 26 June 2026 raised it from 960 roubles, and the Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH) gives 27 July 2026 as the day the new duty took effect. The sources we checked do not say whether the university or the student bears it, so ask your university.

We found no official processing time for an invitation. Sechenov says it processes its own in 21 working days from confirming it has received your documents. That is one university’s figure. For the invitation, Sechenov asks for scans of your passport, of medical insurance valid in Russia, and of a signed notice about fingerprinting. Kuban State Medical University (KubSMU) asks for a passport valid for at least 18 months from your expected date of entry for an invitation to be issued.

Documents for the visa

Two official lists set out what you submit. The Embassy’s FAQ (item 1.2) names the passport, the application form with a photograph attached, and the basis document, which for a student is the invitation. The MFA’s study-visa list adds the photographs, the fee and an HIV certificate. Neither asks for school certificates, a bank statement, a police clearance or a general medical certificate.

Checked 18 October 2026. The visa centre’s own checklist could not be read, so ask it, or your university, whether it wants anything more.

The HIV certificate

Decree 335 (paragraph 46(г)) requires the certificate when you ask for a visa of more than 3 months. The first study visa is for 3 months at most, but the MFA’s study-visa list asks for the certificate for every study visa, so bring one.

The format is set by the Health Ministry’s Order No. 1060n of 17 November 2021. A certificate from a clinic abroad, presented at a Russian mission, has to be in English (paragraph 4) and has to show:

• ›your full name, your identity-document details, your country of residence and your date of birth;
• ›the negative blood test for HIV antibodies, with its date;
• ›the medical organisation's full name, address and phone number, and the examining doctor's signature.

Paragraph 5 asks for a laboratory test that detects antibodies (IgM and IgG) to HIV-1 and HIV-2 together with the p24 antigen, in serum or plasma. Show the lab that line before the test. The order names no particular laboratory and no special Indian format.

How old the test may be is where the sources part ways. Paragraph 6 of the order, as amended in 2022, makes the certificate valid for 12 months from issue. The MFA’s study-visa list calls it valid for 3 months, and the Chennai Consulate’s private-visa list wants the test taken no earlier than 3 months before you apply. Take the test within 3 months of applying and both rules are met.

Photographs

The MFA, Sechenov and the Chennai Consulate (on its private-visa list) ask for photographs of 3.5 x 4.5 cm; Chennai adds a light background, and the Embassy’s FAQ says white. Decree 335 (paragraph 49) still says 3 x 4 cm. On the number, the MFA’s study list says two, while the Embassy’s FAQ and Decree 335 mention one photograph on the form. Carry two of 3.5 x 4.5 cm: that matches the MFA’s study list, which asks for the most photographs. For visa extensions inside Russia, KubSMU and RSUH ask for 3 x 4 cm.

Medical insurance

Decree 335 (paragraph 46(в)) asks visa applicants for a medical insurance policy valid in Russia, unless they are exempt, for example by treaty or reciprocity. The MFA’s study-visa list does not mention it, though its insurance page says a policy is to be provided unless an international treaty says otherwise. Sechenov wants a scan of insurance valid in Russia before it applies for your invitation, and RSUH says its students must hold a policy valid in Russia. We could not confirm whether the posts in India check it, so ask your university which policy it accepts.

If you are under 18

Sechenov’s visa list includes parental consent for minors. The MFA says the document set is submitted in person by the applicant or by a legal representative, so plan for a parent to be available.

Where to apply in India

The Embassy recommends the official Russian Visa Centres in New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai. It says the centres advise on forms, documents, fees and processing time, and that the decision on the visa rests with the Russian consular office.

The same page says companies and organisations, travel agencies included, that apply for visas on behalf of customers must use the visa centres only. An individual may apply directly to the Embassy’s Consular Division in New Delhi or the nearest Consulate General, for themselves and their closest relatives, by prior appointment on new_delhi.kdmid.ru.

Which consular office covers your state

Checked 18 October 2026. The New Delhi Consular Division’s visiting hours are 10:00–14:00, Monday to Thursday.

The four visa centres

Addresses and hours as the Embassy lists them, checked 18 October 2026. Its pages disagree on when passports are collected in New Delhi (15:00–17:00 on one, 09:00–17:00 on another, by courier only on a third), so ask the centre when you submit.

The centres charge a service fee on top of the consular fee, according to the Embassy. We could not read the visa centre’s site to confirm the amount. If you apply directly at the Embassy’s Consular Division, consular fees are paid in cash only (FAQ item 7.1).

Fees and processing time

The Embassy prices a student visa by type and by how fast it is issued. These are its tariff totals; the standard single-entry fee is a USD 50 consular fee plus USD 30 in actual expenses.

From the Embassy of Russia’s tariff, New Delhi, checked 18 October 2026. The visa centre’s service fee is extra. The Chennai Consulate’s tariff has one row for every single-entry visa and gives the same dollar amounts with different rupee figures: INR 7,680 for 4–20 working days and INR 15,360 for 3.

How long it takes

The Embassy publishes no processing time in weeks. Its figures are the tariff tiers above: 4–20 working days at the standard fee, 3 working days at the urgent one. On its visa page it adds, citing Article 5.3 of the 2010 India–Russia agreement, that a decision can take longer and your passport can be held meanwhile. Article 5(3) of the agreement lets the decision period run to as much as 30 days when an application needs further checks.

The agreement also sets shorter limits for the groups it covers, students included. Under Article 5(1) the consular office decides on a single- or double-entry visa within 3 working days of receiving the completed form and documents, and under Article 5(2) on a multiple-entry visa within 10 working days. The Embassy’s tariff still sells a 4–20 working-day tier, and we could not find how the posts in India reconcile the two. Allow up to 20 working days, longer if the decision is extended, and apply as soon as the invitation arrives, as Sechenov also advises.

Visa renewals in Russia are not part of the fee estimates on our MBBS in Russia page. Their state duty is in Extending the visa each year.

School documents: apostille and translation

Your Class 10 and 12 certificates are not on the visa list, but the university needs them. Article 107(13) of Federal Law No. 273-FZ on education says foreign education documents recognised in Russia must be legalised and translated into Russian, unless a treaty provides otherwise. Between countries that are party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, an apostille takes the place of legalisation.

Both countries are parties. The Hague Conference’s status table shows Russia bound by succession since 31 May 1992, and India acceding on 26 October 2004, in force from 14 July 2005. Russia is not among the states that objected to India’s accession, so the Convention applies between the two.

Getting the apostille from MEA

In India the apostille comes from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which apostilles educational documents such as degree, diploma, matriculation and secondary-level certificates. Its page describes two routes:

1. e-Sanad, MEA’s e-service for verifying and attesting Indian citizens’ documents.
2. For documents e-Sanad does not cover: authentication at your state’s Regional Authentication Centre, then deposit with one of MEA’s authorised agencies (BLS International Services, Superb Enterprises, IVS Global Services, Alhind Tours & Travels), then collection of the apostilled document from the agency.

MEA does not take documents from individuals at its counter; since July 2012 they go through the authorised agencies, and since 1 January 2019 the service has run from Branch Secretariats and Regional Passport Offices in 16 cities. MEA charges INR 50 per apostille sticker, and the agency INR 84 per document plus INR 3 per page for scanning (MEA fee table, checked 18 October 2026).

Translation

The Embassy does not translate documents; you bring a translation made beforehand. To have a translation attested there, the whole document must be translated, apostille included (FAQ items 2.1 and 2.2). Its tariff charges USD 56 (INR 5,432) per page to notarise a translation into Russian. Check the spelling of your name. Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) requires the full name in every notarised Russian translation to match the name on your migration card or visa.

Entering Russia

When the visa comes back, check it. Sechenov’s guide lists what to look at: your full name and passport number, the visa type, the purpose (“Study”) and the entry and exit dates. You may enter Russia only from the visa’s start date.

On arrival you fill in a migration card, and border control stamps it. The Chennai Consulate’s migration-card page says to keep it for your whole stay, hand it in with your registration documents and surrender it when you leave. A lost or damaged card has to be reported to the MVD within three days.

Mark the purpose of your visit as study. Sechenov tells students to underline “Study” on the card, and RUDN will not review or enrol a full-time applicant whose migration card gives any other purpose.

Registration after arrival

Federal Law No. 109-FZ on migration registration sets the deadline. Under Article 20(3), the notice of your arrival at your place of stay must reach the migration authority within seven working days of arrival. A stay in a hotel or similar accommodation, or as a hospital in-patient, must be notified within one working day (Article 20(3.1)). Under Article 20(2) the receiving party, the host where you stay, files the notice.

Your part, under Article 22(2), is to show the host your passport and migration card. Once the notice is filed you receive the tear-off slip of the notification form. Keep it with your passport.

Universities set shorter deadlines

Checked 18 October 2026. Sechenov’s 5 business days are on its registration page. These are internal rules, stricter than the law. Ask your own university for its list on the day you arrive.

Duty and fines

The Tax Code (Article 333.28(1)(19.1), added by Federal Law No. 271-FZ of 31 July 2025) charges a state duty of 500 roubles to register a foreign national at the place of stay, with exceptions it lists. Sechenov’s re-registration list asks for the receipt.

Before 3 November 2026, breaking the registration rules is fined under Article 18.8 of the Code of Administrative Offences: 2,000 to 5,000 roubles, or 5,000 to 7,000 roubles in Moscow, St Petersburg and the Moscow and Leningrad regions, with or without expulsion from Russia. From 3 November 2026, Federal Law No. 294-FZ of 4 August 2026 raises these to 4,000–7,000 and 7,000–9,000 roubles. The law takes effect 90 days after its official publication, which KonsultantPlus gives as 3 November 2026.

Medical examination and fingerprints

Two more deadlines run from the day you enter, and the medical examination then repeats every year. These rules apply to anyone who comes to Russia for non-work purposes for more than 90 days, which includes every MBBS student.

• ›Medical examination within 30 calendar days for drugs, dangerous infectious diseases and HIV, under Article 5(18) of 115-FZ, unless you had one in the year before entry. It is done in Russia only, at a medical organisation the regional head authorises, and you pay for it. This rule came in with Federal Law No. 162-FZ of 10 June 2026, in force from 1 September 2026.
• ›The same examination every year, within 30 calendar days of a year passing since the last one (Article 5(19)).
• ›Fingerprints and a photograph within 90 calendar days, under Article 5(13). This is done once, except in cases the MVD sets.

Missing either shortens your permitted stay (Article 5(23)). Refusing or evading the medical examination is also fined 25,000 to 50,000 roubles, with or without expulsion, under Article 18.11.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences, added by Federal Law No. 163-FZ of 10 June 2026.

Sechenov’s fingerprinting and medical page still gives 90 days for both steps. Since 1 September 2026 that is right for fingerprints only. Book the medical examination within 30 days.

Extending the visa each year

The first visa runs out within about 3 months, so the first extension comes in your first term. Under Decree 335 (paragraph 69), the MVD decides on an extension on your written application and the written request of your university. Paragraph 68 lets the number of entries and the validity change on extension, which is how the single-entry visa becomes a multiple-entry one. Under Article 5 of 115-FZ, the university must ask the MVD to extend your stay no later than 20 days before it ends.

Each multiple-entry visa issued or extended in Russia carries a state duty of 6,000 roubles (Tax Code, Article 333.28(1)(9)). It was 1,920 roubles until Federal Law No. 190-FZ raised it, effective 27 July 2026 according to RSUH. The multiple-entry visa is what lets you go home for the holidays and come back.

Universities want the papers well before the law’s 20 days: 21 working days at Sechenov, 25 working days at KubSMU and 45 days at RSUH (see the table under registration). Miss your university’s date and it may not be able to file in time.

Leaving Russia and coming back

Sechenov requires students to tell the university 3 days before leaving Russia, and to register again within 3 working days of returning from abroad or of a visa extension, including the switch from a single-entry to a multiple-entry visa. KubSMU sets the same 3-day notice and 3-working-day return window, and RSUH asks for a week’s notice before departure. Sechenov also requires re-registration after even one night in a hotel or hostel.

Working while you study

A study visa does not bar all work. Article 13(4) of 115-FZ exempts students at Russian higher-education institutions from needing a work permit when they work during vacations (item 6), or in their free time at their own institution or at companies it set up (item 7). Full-time students in accredited programmes need no permit to work in their free time generally (item 7.1). The exemptions do not cover people who came on a work visa or entered visa-free to work; a student on a study visa is neither.

Six years of MBBS leave little room for a job, so do not build your fee plan around earnings.