Do United Kingdom passport holders need a visa to visit RU?

UK ordinary passport holders need a visa to enter Russia. The Russian e-visa is NOT available to British citizens, so a traditional tourist visa must be obtained in advance through a Russian Visa Application Centre (London, Manchester or Edinburgh), including in-person fingerprint biometrics for applicants aged 12+. Note: the FCDO advises against all travel to Russia. A British citizen holding an ordinary passport requires a full Russian visa before travelling to Russia for tourism. Russia operates a unified electronic visa (e-visa) covering around 64 nationalities (most EU states, China, India, Japan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and others), but the United Kingdom is explicitly excluded — UK, US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand citizens cannot use the e-visa. There is no visa-on-arrival for Russia. UK travellers must therefore apply for a traditional tourist visa, which requires a tourist invitation/voucher (confirmation and tourist vouchers from a Russia-registered tour operator or hotel), a completed application, a photo, and the payment of consular and visa-centre service fees. Since applications opened, applicants aged 12 and over must attend a Russia Visa Application Centre in person (London, Manchester or Edinburgh) to submit fingerprint biometrics. Tourist visas can be single, double or multiple entry, with validity periods of 30, 90 or up to 180 days depending on the visa type. Bundled cost through the standard UK channel typically starts from around GBP 295. Separately, since 1 December 2024 all foreigners entering via Moscow airports must register biometric data (fingerprints and photo) on arrival. Critically, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advises against all travel to Russia; consular support inside Russia is severely limited, and travellers proceed at their own risk. Passports must remain valid for at least 6 months beyond the visa expiry date.