Applying for a visa is usually a complicated and confusing matter; this article will explain a few points regarding bank statements and other supporting documents you may need to provide to obtain a visa for Russia.
Supporting documents for a Russian visa may vary greatly. It depends on your nationality, whether or not you hold a UK residence permit, and also on the type of employment you are involved in.
The process is quite straightforward when applying for a Russian visa if you hold the British passport. All you are required to submit for a tourist visa for Russia, for example, is the completed and signed visa application form, one photo, valid passport with two blank pages and tourist voucher.
If you hold an EU passport and reside in the UK you have to prove that you have been a UK resident for longer than 3 months. This is one of the criteria which must be observed to obtain a Russian visa. One of the ways to confirm your residency is to get a residence card from the Home Office. If you do not have time to arrange this, there are two other ways of working this out. The first one is your employment letter. You can provide a letter that confirms that you have been working and living in the UK for at least three months before you make a visa application. The second one is for those who are self employed and cannot provide a company letter. This is when you need your bank statement for the last three months, showing your full name and your current UK address. If you do not receive original bank statements by post, you will either have to order them in any branch of your bank or ask your bank for a letter which states your full name and UK address. You will need to enclose print outs for three months which you can either get in your bank or print off yourself if you do online banking.
The same rule applies to a visa application when the applicant is a full time student in the UK and holds a Tier 4 visa. If you are a student and do not have a UK bank account, you can provide a letter from your school as a confirmation of your resident status in the UK. Just one piece of proof is enough – you can bring either a university letter or three month bank statements.
If you stayed in the United Kingdom for less than three months, or you can’t prove that you have lived here for longer than three months, you will have to apply for a Russian visa in your home country.
Now there may arise a question: can you provide an overdrawn bank statement? The answer would be positive if you are employed, but if you are self employed, you are supposed to show at least 100 pounds for each day of your stay in Russia on your bank account.
