Visiting relatives or close friends in Russia falls under its own dedicated category, separate from tourism or business travel entirely. The Russia Guest Visit eVisa covers private, non-commercial stays and asks for only two documents: a passport bio page scan and a recent photo.
Once approved, coverage includes single entry, validity spanning 120 days from issue, and permitted stays reaching up to 30 days. No invitation letter or hotel confirmation gets requested at any stage of the process, keeping the application notably lighter than expected. Anyone planning business activities alongside a private visit should look toward the Business eVisa category instead, since purposes outside personal visits fall outside this route entirely.