Notification Process

New procedures for migration registration came into force on 15 January 2007. This procedure replaces the official registration of the traveller at the place of their temporary accommodation and is called migration notification.

The following 5 options are available to submit the notification:

Applicable for all types of visas:

If the traveller is staying at a hotel which is permitted to accommodate foreign citizens, the hotel must notify the authorities within one day upon his arrival.
If the host party is the owner of the apartment the traveller is staying at, the owner may submit the notification either to the post office, or the local or central Federal Migration Department.

Applicable only to Business visas:

(All will require the host organization to write (on headed paper) a power of attorney to whoever is processing the notification; ATH, or a courier etc.)

If the host party (That is, the company or organization visited by the traveller. The host party may be different from the inviting organization) is registered at the Federal Migration Services Department in Moscow or the Moscow region or at the Processing Centre of Invitations for Foreigners, a representative of the company may submit the notification to the relevant authority.
In a case where the company doesn’t have any registration with the authorities, it may submit the notification through the post office, or local Federal Migration Services Department.
In a case where an invitation has been issued by ATH (not a tourist invitation), the traveller may pass the documents to the ATH Moscow office, who will submit the notification to the proper migration authority (Federal Migration Department of Moscow or Moscow region, or the Processing Centre of Invitations for Foreigners – depending on your company registration) and return the sealed copy of the notification coupon to the traveller. For the appropriate department contact details, please call us.

List of documents for notification:

It is necessary to fill out special notification forms to officially notify the migration authorities of the place of the traveller’s temporary stay (two copies).
Traveller’s scanned copy of Passport with the Russian business visa.
Traveller’s scanned copy of Original Migration card.
Traveller’s position in company (applies for notification through host company only).
Traveller’s address of residence - postal code, city, street, house (building), flat number, and phone number.
For children (if applied for separately from parents) please add copies of parents’ documents (passport, visa, migration card).

Upon arrival of the traveller, notification must be submitted within 7 working days.

Upon departure of the traveller, the host party/owner of the apartment/hotel should notify local FMSD (Federal Migration Services Department) within 2 working days that the traveller has left.

Non-observation of these rules may result in being denied entry to the Russian Federation for the traveller and may entail penalties for the host party (up to 500.000 RUR)

For the travellers living inside Moscow, it usually takes 2 working days to process the notification.
For the travellers living outside Moscow, it usually takes 3-4 working days to process the notification.

The authority verifies the passport details, indicated on the notification form, with the passport details of the person, who signs the notification and receives a stamped receipt in return.

Important Note: You must retain this permit in your possession. You must surrender it to the respective State bodies when you leave Russia or change your place of residence. State Bodies: FMSD (Federal Migration Service Department), Local Federal Migration Department, The Processing Centre of Invitations for Foreigners. Failure to do so may delay or prevent your entry into Russia in the future