The Kaliningrad Region, known in Russian as “Kaliningrad Oblast,” is an odd place.

Kaliningrad is completely disconnected from the rest of Russia, surrounded by Poland to the south and Lithuania to the east. The Oblast is also surprisingly large, with nearly one million people calling this small patch of land home.

So how do you visit Kaliningrad?

Recently, the Russian government has made it significantly easier for those from certain nations to take trips to the Oblast. If you are a national of one of 53 nations, all you need to enter Kaliningrad is a free e-visa. This can be obtained online in less than a week, with the average person receiving their visa in less than four calendar days.

But what else do you need to enter Kaliningrad? Let’s take a look.

Which countries can apply for an e-visa?

Nationals of these countries eligible for e-visas (in alphabetical order):

Andorra, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, China (including Taiwan), Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Northern Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the Vatican.

If your country is not on this list, don’t fret! We’ll show you how you can still apply for a travel visa at the bottom of this page.

What do you need for a Kaliningrad e-visa?

Before you can apply for the Kaliningrad e-visa, you’re going to need a few things.

First, you’ll need a passport with at least 6 months of validity from the date you apply for the e-visa.

Next, you’ll need a clean photo of yourself that you can upload to serve as your visa photo. These must be on a plain background – no cropped Facebook profile pictures.

You will also need to purchase medical insurance for your intended stay. I have used Seven Corners before and I recommend them wholeheartedly, but so long as your current medical insurance covers the Russian Federation, you should be all set.

Note that unlike other Russian visas, you do not need a letter of invitation nor a hotel booking confirmation to get a Kaliningrad e-visa. You will, however, need to know the date of your arrival and where you plan on staying, even if they don’t ask for an actual confirmation.

Finally, they will ask you some basic visa-related questions; for example, your birthday, sex, if you have any relatives in Russia, if you’ve been to Russia before, your current occupation, etc.

A map of Kaliningrad.

Do I need a Kaliningrad visa if I already have a Russian visa?

It may depend on the specifics of your visa, but in general, the answer is no. If your Russian visa allows freedom of movement, you may visit Kaliningrad without obtaining any supplementary visa.

That said, you may not extend your Russian visa by obtaining a Kaliningrad e-visa. If your Russian visa has expired, you must leave Russian territory.

What if I am not a national of one of those 53 nations?

Sadly, if you are not a national of one of these 53 nations, you’re going to have to apply for a Russian visa the old fashioned way. Luckily, there are plenty of services that can help you in the process, such as visatorussia.com. This site is just one of many; numerous services will be happy to help you realize your Russian dreams.

I’m currently writing a guide of my own for visiting Russia, one that covers visas, what to do, and more. If you’d like to be among the first to hear about it, be sure to sign up for my mailing list.