A Russian e‑visa is not accepted at every place where a passport can cross the border. It works through checkpoints approved for the unified e‑visa programme. The airport’s city, the train’s destination and the road’s nearest town may all be too vague.
The current official list
At the review date, the official e‑visa portal’s application data contained 108 approved checkpoints. The embedded list covers transport types including:
- air;
- rail;
- sea;
- road;
- pedestrian;
- river;
- mixed checkpoints.
The count and individual points can change. Use the live official instructions or application portal rather than treating 108 as a permanent legal number.
Major-airport examples
The current list includes major points such as:
- Moscow Vnukovo;
- Moscow Domodedovo;
- Moscow Sheremetyevo;
- Pulkovo in St Petersburg;
- Kazan;
- Novosibirsk Tolmachevo;
- Vladivostok Knevichy;
- Kaliningrad Khrabrovo;
- Sochi;
- Irkutsk.
These examples are orientation, not the full list. Verify the live official record before booking and departure.
Why exact naming matters
“Moscow” contains several airports. “Kaliningrad” can refer to air, sea and nearby land checkpoints. “Vladivostok” can refer to airport or sea port.
A checkpoint name can also appear in a transport booking differently from the official list. Match location and transport type, not merely one shared word.
Entry and exit both matter
Check two lines:
- Where Russian border control admits you.
- Where Russian border control records your departure.
An approved arrival at Sheremetyevo does not make every road exit automatically acceptable. Build both into the plan.
Connecting flights
The relevant entry checkpoint is normally where you pass Russian border control, not the final domestic airport.
Example:
Paris → Moscow Sheremetyevo → Kazan
If immigration occurs at Sheremetyevo and the onward sector is domestic, Sheremetyevo is the Russian entry checkpoint. Confirm with the airline and official route, especially where terminals or through-transit procedures are unusual.
Trains
An international train ticket can name Moscow as the destination while the border crossing occurs hundreds of kilometres away. Check the line’s actual border checkpoint and whether that precise rail point is approved.
Do not infer rail eligibility from the fact that both cities have approved airports.
Road trips and coaches
Road checkpoints can have similar names, directional restrictions, operating hours or temporary conditions. Confirm:
- exact road checkpoint;
- whether it appears in the current e‑visa list;
- opening and transport conditions;
- neighbouring country’s entry rules;
- carrier acceptance if travelling by coach.
Cruises, ferries and sea ports
Use the named sea checkpoint or passenger terminal. “Port of Sochi” and an international passenger centre can have precise official labels. Ask the carrier which checkpoint it uses.
A cruise itinerary can also create a second Russian entry after visiting a foreign port. The unified e‑visa remains single-entry.
The three-check method
Before booking
Confirm the intended checkpoint exists on the official current list. Choose flexible travel if the route is still uncertain.
Before submitting
Check it again and ensure application trip details agree.
Before travel
Reopen the official source and confirm the carrier has not rerouted to another crossing.
Take a screenshot for your planning record, but do not treat an old screenshot as authority after the live list changes.
If the checkpoint is not approved
Change the route or investigate a regular visa. An invitation does not turn an e‑visa into a regular visa, and an explanation at the border cannot add a checkpoint to the programme.
The border is the worst place to discover that two places with the same city name are not the same door.