Foreign citizens and stateless persons are required to present valid documents proving their identity and recognizing the Russian Federation in this capacity and a visa when entering the Russian Federation and leaving the Russian Federation.

A document certifying the identity of a foreign citizen is the passport of a foreign citizen or other document recognized as a document in accordance with an international treaty of the Russian Federation.

The document certifying the identity of a stateless person is:

A document issued by a foreign state and recognized in accordance with an international treaty of the Russian Federation;
Permission for temporary residence;
residence.
Entering the territory of the Russian Federation without a visa is only possible for citizens of states with whom international agreements on mutual trips have been concluded with the Russian Federation providing for entry, exit, movement, transit travel and stay in the Russian Federation without visas.

Agreements on mutual visa-free travel are concluded between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Moldova, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan and Ukraine.

Citizens of these states can enter the Russian Federation only on the passport of a foreign citizen. The initial period of their stay in the Russian Federation can not exceed ninety days. After the conclusion of the contract for training in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, the term of temporary stay is extended for the duration of the concluded contract, but not more than for one year, calculated from the date of entry of the foreign citizen into the Russian Federation. The decision to extend the period of temporary stay is made by the territorial body of the Federal Migration Service at the location of the educational institution.

From the states with a visa order of entry, foreign citizens enter the country for study in the presence of an ordinary study visa. This visa is issued by the diplomatic mission or consular post of the Russian Federation abroad. The basis for issuing an ordinary visa for a foreign citizen is an invitation to enter the Russian Federation, executed in accordance with federal law.

A student visa is required to study in Russia.

• Visa application documents will be issued by the university once a student has been accepted, and the application handled by the university’s foreign department.

• This can be a lengthy process and should be begun three months ahead of the start of the course.

• The initial visa is for three months only, must be registered within 72 hours of arrival, and is renewable after arrival.

• A certificate showing a negative HIV test may be required.

• At the moment, there are no national entrance exams (such as the SATs in the US) needed to study in Russia, but different universities may have individual admissions policies.

• Students without the Russian language have to complete a pre-academic year and pass the entrance exam.

• There is an upper age limit of 28 (35 for doctoral studies).

Russia is known as a country with very robust education system. The education in Russia is provided primarily by the state and is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Science. Russia have one of the best education systems in the world. Many students from across the globe apply in different universities of Russia to pursue the quality higher education. The structure of the education system in Russia:

1. Pre-school Education: Kindergartens and pre-schools are regulated by regional and local authorities. The Ministry of Education and Science regulates only a brief pre-school preparation programme for the 5–6-year-old children.

2. Secondary School

а. General Framework: An eleven-year secondary education in Russia is compulsory since September 1, 2007. Whereas, until the year 2007, it was limited to nine years with grades 10-11 optional. A student of 15 to 18 years of age may drop out of school with approval of his/her parent and local authorities.

b. Vocational Training Program: After a student completes a nine-year programme, he/she is given a choice of either completing the remaining two years at normal school or of a transfer to a specialized professional training school. They provide students with a vocational skill qualification and a high school certificate equivalent to 11-year education in a normal school; the programme, due to its work training component, extends over 3 years.

3. Education for the disabled: Russia provides special services for the disabled students.

a. Physical Disability: Children with physical disabilities, depending on the nature, extent of disability and availability of local specialised institutions, attend either such institutions or special classes within regular schools.

b. Mental Disability: Children with late development who may return to normal schools and study along with normal children are trained at compensatory classes within regular schools.

4. University Level Education: According to a report from UNESCO, more than half of the Russian adult population has gained a tertiary education, which is twice as high as the OECD average. During the 2007–2008 academic year, Russia had 8.1 million students enrolled in all forms of tertiary education (including military and police institutions and postgraduate studies). Foreign students accounted for 5.2% of enrolment, half of whom were from other CIS countries.

5. Post-Graduate Education: There are two successive postgraduate degrees available in Russia: Candidate of science and Doctor of science. Both are a certificate of scientific, rather than academic, achievement, and must be backed up by original/novel scientific work, evidenced by publications in peer-reviewed journals and a dissertation defended in front of senior academic board.