To receive a tourist invitation to Russia, please indicate your citizenship. You will be provided with a registration form. Fill in all the fields carefully, then proceed to the next step to confirm and pay for your invitation.
Can You Apply for a Russian Visa by Mail in the USA?
Do not plan a mail-in Russian visa application in the United States. Washington requires in-person submission after preliminary document review by email. New York and Houston explicitly state that visa applications are not accepted by mail. New York separately permits a specified USPS passport-return method after the visa procedure; passport return is not application submission.
Need a tourist invitation for a regular Russian visa? Order only after checking that this is the correct route for your trip.
Order a Tourist Invitation — from $19Official tour operator (PTO 015681) · PDF by email · Verify the current filing rules for your location
Where to submit your Russian visa application
After preparing your tourist voucher and application, choose the city where you will file. Each page explains the confirmed local submission route and links to the official source.
Continue with the United States visa route
Use the country hub to choose between the e-visa and regular tourist visa. Order an invitation only when the regular visa route requires it.
Official sources for this guide
Visa rules and local procedures can change. Check the responsible Russian mission or MFA service before filing.
The short answer by filing post
Current mission pages do not publish a general mail-in visa application route for these three posts. Washington uses email only for preliminary document review and then requires in-person submission by appointment. New York and Houston expressly reject visa applications by mail.
A courier envelope or postal passport-return option does not change how the original application must be filed. Read the selected post’s current application page before sending documents.
- Email review is not a postal application.
- Passport return is not visa application submission.
- Private agencies cannot override a consulate’s filing rule.
| Post | Application submission | Passport return |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | In person after preliminary email review and appointment | Follow the Embassy’s current collection or return instructions |
| New York | Applicant or qualifying authorised representative; not by mail | Specified prepaid USPS return may be requested after processing |
| Houston | Applicant or legal representative by appointment; not by mail | Follow Houston’s current collection or return instructions |
Washington: email review followed by in-person filing
The Embassy says appointments can be made after preliminary review of a complete document set sent by email. It separately says submission is carried out by the applicant in person.
Wait for the Embassy’s current instructions after review, then bring the required originals and payment to the scheduled filing. Do not send a passport merely because scans were accepted for preliminary review.
Need a tourist invitation for a regular Russian visa? Order only after checking that this is the correct route for your trip.
Order a Tourist Invitation — from $19Official tour operator (PTO 015681) · PDF by email · Verify the current filing rules for your location
New York: no mail filing, but a separate return option
New York accepts the applicant or an authorised representative under its published power-of-attorney rule. It does not accept visa applications by mail.
After the visa procedure, the page describes a prepaid, self-addressed USPS Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express method with tracking and a consent form for passport return. This is a post-processing option, not a remote application route.
Houston: applicant or legal representative
Houston accepts direct filing by the applicant or through a legal representative and requires an appointment. The Consulate states that visa applications are not accepted by mail.
If travel to Houston is difficult, verify whether a representative can satisfy the current legal-document requirements. Do not treat a commercial courier as a representative unless the official rule is met.
Prepare before travelling to the post
Choose the filing post before completing visa.kdmid.ru because the destination must match the receiving mission. Confirm the correct invitation for the visa category, compare passport and support-document data, and check current appointment and payment instructions.
Build time for document correction and passport return into the schedule. The invitation provider does not control appointment availability, consular processing or delivery.
- Select Washington, New York or Houston first.
- Use the correct destination in visa.kdmid.ru.
- Confirm whether the applicant or a qualifying representative must appear.
- Separate application filing from passport return.
- Recheck the mission page immediately before submission.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send my Russian visa application and passport to Washington by mail?
The current Embassy page describes preliminary review by email followed by in-person submission by appointment. It does not describe that email step as postal filing.
Does New York accept Russian visa applications by mail?
No. The Consulate explicitly says it does not accept visa applications by mail.
Can New York return my passport by mail?
The current page describes a specified prepaid USPS return method after the visa procedure. This does not mean the application can be submitted by mail.
Does Houston accept Russian visa applications by mail?
No. Houston accepts the applicant or a legal representative by appointment and says applications are not accepted by mail.
Can a representative file for me?
New York and Houston publish representative routes with different legal-document requirements. Follow the selected post’s current rule; Washington’s general page states in-person submission by the applicant.
Does an invitation provider control the filing method?
No. The receiving Russian mission controls application submission. The invitation provider supplies only its supporting document.
Need a tourist invitation for a regular Russian visa? Order only after checking that this is the correct route for your trip.
Order a Tourist Invitation — from $19Official tour operator (PTO 015681) · PDF by email · Verify the current filing rules for your location
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Last updated: 2026-09-04. Information verified against consular requirements current at the date of update.