Lift a ban on entry to
Russia by yourself

Every year, tens of thousands of foreigners are denied entry to Russia and are barred from entering the country. Lawyers and attorneys at law firms offer various options for lifting the ban on entry into Russia. Is it possible for a foreign citizen to lift the ban on their own?

If you want to lift the ban on your own, the very first things you need to do are:

1. Find out when, by whom, and for what reason the ban was imposed.
2. You must identify possible grounds for lifting the ban, after first consulting with the organization that imposed it.
3. The process of lifting the ban can begin by submitting petitions to the relevant authorities. You may need to resolve this issue through the courts.
4. If the outcome is favorable, the entry ban will be lifted.

If you want to lift the entry ban on your own, the very first things you need to do are:

Who has the authority to impose an entry ban? An entry ban may be imposed by the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Health, or the Customs Service. As a rule, entry bans at airports are most often imposed by the Russian FSB’s border guard service.

You can lift the ban on your own only if it was imposed by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs! However, if the ban was imposed based on a court order or by other organizations, it is practically impossible to lift such a ban on your own without legal expertise.

If a foreign national is denied entry at the border, border guards will issue a copy of the entry denial order. This document specifies the reason for the entry denial, as well as information about the regional office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that issued the entry denial.

If, however, it is not possible to determine the reason on the spot—for example, if the airline refuses to sell you a ticket, or if the Ministry of Internal Affairs website displays a message stating that “there are grounds for an entry ban”—then you must contact the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Migration Department with a request regarding the ban. You can request this information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Migration Department. Once your request is registered, you should receive a response within 30 days.

The duration of the entry ban into the Russian Federation is known, the reasons are known; now it is time to consider the grounds for lifting the ban. 

• Based on close relatives who are Russian citizens (spouse, parents, children).
• Official employment (work permit, patent).
• Possession of a residence permit.
• Full-time enrollment at an educational institution in the Russian Federation.
• Necessary medical treatment in Russia (current or required in the future).
• Ownership of a home.

There may be other grounds as well, but the main condition is that you genuinely need to enter the country, that the Russian side and Russian citizens have an interest in you, and that your entry into the country is absolutely necessary.

Next, you should draft a request to the regional authority that imposed the ban and attach copies of the relevant documents. You may also submit your application via the online form on the Ministry of Internal Affairs website. 

If the result is positive and the ban is lifted, you should send the decision to lift the ban to the Border Service of the FSB of the Russian Federation.