10 hour layover in Moscow Russia, do I need a transit visa?
On June 29th 2015, I will be traveling for the first time to Italy from USA. I will have a 10 hour layover in Moscow Russia. My question is, do I need a visa to visit the city?
Best Answer
The answer depends on your citizenzship. Assuming that you need a visa to ordinarily visit Russia, you would also need a visa to leave the airport. Relevant excerpt from the Sheremetyevo airport website (fairly certain you're traveling through that given your information)
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In English, this means
Foreign citizens waiting for a connecting flight may stay in the Sheremetyevo airport for up to 24 hours without a visa. The passenger must have a ticket from an airline for a connecting flight with confirmed seats.
When you exit your first plane at the airport, you can continue to another part of the airport (if needed) through the transit zone, which has security checks but no immigration checks. But to leave the airport, you have to go through the usual passport control desk that everyone has to use, which is where you will be prevented from exiting the airport if you need a visa to enter Russia.
Your most likely option if you want to visit Moscow is to try and get an expedited processing Russian visa, but it may be denied. You don't strictly qualify for a transit visa unless you have to change airports or your layover is more than 24 hours, and the authorities may well decide against granting you a typical tourist visa given the short duration of your planned visit. Keep in mind that Sheremetyevo is a huge airport not very close to central Moscow, and that Moscow itself is notorious for its traffic. A 10 hour layover does give you some hours in the city, but it is fairly short.
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Do I need a transit visa for a layover in Moscow?
A Transit Visa is not required if you remain in the transit zone of the airport in order to catch an onward or connecting flight within 24 hours of arrival or more in case of forced stop. Transit visas can be single- and double-entry.Do I need transit visa for connecting flights Russia?
Foreign nations flying over Russian territory without changing planes do not require a visa. International travelers who have paid tickets for flights leaving within 24 hours out of the same airport and not requiring the traveler to leave the transit zone to make their connecting flight, do not require a transit visa.Can I leave Moscow airport during layover?
Depending on your nationality, a six-hour layover may not give you enough time to explore Moscow. Citizens of many countries around the world require a visa to visit Russia, and if you don't have one, you won't be able to leave the airport.Do I need a visa to change airports in Moscow?
Visa Required: Travelers who are laying over for more than 24 hours in Moscow or another international airport in Russia and who continuing onward to a final destination will be asked to present a Russian transit visa issued by a Russian Embassy or Consulate.Moscow - what to do in a 10 hours layover
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Images: Charlotte May, Тимофей Овчинников, Тимофей Овчинников, Дмитрий Трепольский