overview
Russian Federation Rossiyskaya Federatsiya
country information
Flag
capital
Moscow
DRIVING SIDE: Right
INTERNET CODE: .ru
Country Code: +7
Time Zone:
Eleven time zones in Russia ranging from UTC + 2 to UTC +12
COASTLINE:
Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific seas (37.7 thousand km in total)
Neighbours
North Korea
China
Mongolia
Kazakhstan
Azerbaijan
Georgia
Ukraine
Belarus
Latvia
Estonia
Finland
Norway
population
145.83 million
religion
Orthodox Christianity (41%)
Non-religious (13%)
Islam 6.5%
Other (39.5%)
president & parliament
President: Vladimir Putin
Prime Minister: Mikhail Mishustin
Ruling Party: United Russia
minority & majority groups
Majority: Russian (81%), Tartars (3.9%) Minority: Ukrainians (1.4%), Bashkirs (1.4%), Chuvashs (1.1%), Chechens (1.0%)
LANGUAGE
Russian
Hello: Здравствуйте Zdrastvooyte
Yes: Да [Da]
No: Нет [Nyet]
Thank you: Спасибо Spaseeba
C U R R E N C Y &
E X C H A N G E R AT E
Russian Ruble (₽, руб / р.)
1 USD = 103.96 RUB
1 ZAR = 7.01 RUB
Subject to change
VACCINATIONS
Recommended vaccinations for Russia:
COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, meningitis, polio, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis), chickenpox, shingles, pneumonia and influenza.
Japanese encephalitis is a threat in some areas. Consult with your health specialist whether you’ll need a vaccine.
ELECTRICITY
Voltage Requirements: 220 V
Standard Frequency: 50 Hz
Power plugs & sockets are of type C & type F
TEMPERATURE
Moscow
Winter: min. -10 °C – max. 1 °C
Summer: min. 16 °C – max. 24°C
Due to Russia’s size, it has different types of climate, but almost everywhere winter is freezing, while summer is moderately rainy.
DIPLOMATIC TIES / AIRPORTS / CARRIERS / NGO’S
EMBASSY / CONSULAR PRESENCE
South African Embassy in the Russian Federation
Moscow Granatny per., dom 1
+7 (495) 926-11-77
Website: http://www.saembassy.ru/
DOMESTIC FLIGHTS & CARRIERS
Aeroflot
S7 Airlines
Rossiya Airlines
UTair
Ural Airlines
Pobeda Airlines
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
You’ll need to get a visa from the Russian Embassy before you travel. Processing times are up to 20 business days for standard service or up to 3 business days for urgent service depending upon the visa category applied for and the application itself.
Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of 6 months after the expiry date of your visa.
Additionally, all arriving travellers are required to carry a negative COVID-19 (PCR) test result dated within 48 hours before arrival in Russia, regardless of vaccination or COVID-19 recovery status.
MAIN AIRPORT(S)
Sheremetyevo Moscow Domodedovo Moscow Vnukovo Moscow Pulkovo | Saint Petersburg Koltsovo Ekaterinburg Tolmachevo Novosibirsk Yemelyanovo Krasnoyarsk | Pashkovsky Krasnodar Ufa Ufa Novy Khabarovsk Sochi Sochi |
NGO’S OPERATING IN COUNTRY & CONTACT DETAILS
NGOs continue to work, but they are required to report if they receive funding from abroad and are engaged in internal political activity.
- For more information, refer to Russia: Detailed Profile
Climatestotravel. Russia. Available from: https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/european-russia
Gov.UK. Foreign Travel Advice: Russia. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/russia/entry-requirements
Indepthnews. (2020). Russian Govt Prohibits ‘Only Illegal’ NGO Activities. Available from: https://www.indepthnews.net/index.php/the-world/russia/3381-russian-govt-prohibits-only-illegal-ngo-activities
PassportHealth. Travel Vaccines and Advice for Russia. Available from: https://www.passporthealthusa.com/destination-advice/russia/
Power Plugs & Sockets of the World. Russia. Available from: https://www.power-plugs-sockets.com/russia/
Russiatrek.org. International Airports of Russia. Available from: https://russiatrek.org/flights-to-russia
World Population Review. (2022). Russia. Available from: https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/russia-population