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The reason for a ban is usually minor and the person doesn't know about it. How to check before you fly and how long lifting a ban takes.

3 min read

Most often the reason for a ban is minor, and the person doesn't know about it: an unpaid fine or a microloan.

Check before you buy a ticket

The ban is entered by the MVD, while the border is guarded by the border service, and data between them travels with a delay. So a person with a ban may be let in, and the ban surfaces during the paperwork — when the money for the trip, housing and the patent has already been spent. The check is free and is done before you fly.

How to check if you are not in Russia yet

You can check for a ban on the websites of the Russian MVD and the Federal Bailiff Service (FSSP). If the sites don't open from your country, ask someone who is already in Russia to check, or contact the MVD office at the Russian embassy.

For Uzbekistan and Tajikistan there is one more way: in Tashkent — the centre on Sakharov Street, in Dushanbe — the PVS (passport and visa service).

The most common reasons for a ban

ReasonWhat it means
An unpaid fine500–1,000 ₽ is enough, for example for riding without a ticket. The most common reason, and also the easiest to lift.
A medical banImposed by Rospotrebnadzor when a dangerous disease is found during the medical examination. Lifted through treatment and repeat tests.
Debts and microloansThe microfinance organisation goes to court, then the FSSP opens enforcement proceedings. Small fines usually don't reach court; microloans do.

How long a ban lasts depends on the violation. You can find out yours from your case — through MVD services or from a lawyer.

How an administrative ban is lifted

  1. Pay the fine and keep the receipt.
  2. File an application with the MVD to cancel the ban, attaching the receipt.
  3. Wait for the answer — about a month.
  4. After the letter confirming the ban is lifted, the MVD sends the information to the border service; this takes another two weeks to a month.

About two months in total. Plan your trip with this margin.

Two things worth knowing in advance

If you had an injection or pain relief shortly before leaving, the tests can give a result that leads to a medical ban. It is better to wait about a month.

Changing your surname doesn't lift a ban: biometrics and fingerprints are taken at the border. If you changed your name, be sure to bring a notarised certificate of name change — without it a patent is refused even to people who have had one for years.

Few people manage to lift a ban on their own. If you already have a ban, a lawyer consultation saves months here.

Law and practice

Grounds for a ban — Article 27 of Federal Law 114-FZ. The lifting procedure, document processing times and practice at the border — based on information from the project's migration lawyers.

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