Russian Consulate London

There is a Russian Embassy in London, which has a Consular section to process Russian visa applications (more information on how to apply for your Russian visa below).

The Russian Embassy in the UK is one of the largest, best equipped and best organised Russian embassies around the world. It represents Russia’s interests throughout the UK and to the British government, promoting political contacts, economic co-operation, cultural exchange and provides information for journalists, both British, and those visiting from Russia.

The Embassy’s Consular department handles all inquiries relating to travel to Russia – for example, the department processes Russian Visa applications, provides general information for travellers. It can also assist with Russian adoption procedures and official paperwork, and in obtaining a Russian certificate of no criminal record.

The Russian Embassy’s address is:
6/7 Kensington Gardens
London W8 4QP

The Russian Consulate London address is:
5 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QS
Tel: 02072296412
Fax: 0207 229 3215

The Russian Embassy has a very detailed and helpful website at: http://rusemb.org.uk/ and the consular section can be contacted by email on info@rusemb.org.uk

The Russian Embassy in London is one of the more forward thinking Russian embassies when it comes to adopting modern internet technology – as well as its excellent website, it has a Russian Embassy Forum and even an active Russian Embassy Twitter account.

Applying for a Russian Visa in London

The Russian Embassy London has recently taken the decision to outsource the processing of all Russian Visa applications in the UK to an independent company (called M/S VF Services UK Ltd). This external company only undertake the processing of visa applications, however – the actual decision as to whether to award a visa remains with Embassy, who vet all applications.

In practice, this means that if you want to apply for a Russian Visa in person, you need to attend the Russian Visa Application Centre in London, or the Russian Visa Application Centre in Edinburgh. Their addresses are as follows:

London
15-27 Gee Street
London EC1V 3RD

Edinburgh
16 Forth Street
Edinburgh EH1 3LH

The email address and website for both centres is:
Email: info.ruuk@vfshelpline.com
Website: ru.vfsglobal.co.uk

You can submit your application for a visa every weekday from 8.30am to 3pm, and can collect passports between 4pm and 5.30pm (4.30pm to 5.30p in Edinburgh).

The new application process is considerably smoother than Russian Visa applications of old – the Russian Embassy were notoriously bad at customer services, and most people “in the know” used to apply for their visa as the Russian Consulate in Edinburgh, as the service was much friendlier. However, it is still a stressful procedure, and we recommend that rather than applying in person and spending time queuing, you do a bit of outsourcing yourself, and engage the services of a reliable Russian Visa company, such as the one advertised on this page.