Answer researched by Olga Senina

This option is available to citizens of countries that have signed a visa-free agreement with Russia, such as Ukraine, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, according to Anton Alekseev, a lawyer at Yakovlev and Partners. Italy is not on this list. Russia has been approaching the EU for eight years to establish a visa-free regime, but until the proposal has been accepted by top EU officials, mutual restrictions will remain firmly in place. 

Natalya Abtseshko, an аssociate with the International Projects Group at VEGAS LEX said that you can enter Russia on a tourist visa. To do so, you need to sign a contract with a travel agency and obtain a confirmation from your tour operator. The law does not require that you pay the operator in advance, travel agents, however, stick to the rule of the trade: payment before entertainment. You can also get a private visa for Russia, but that is subject to a formal invitation. In other words, one of the above conditions – either an invitation or a pre-paid trip – has to be met.

Traveling with a tour operator is the more comfortable option because the company takes care of the registration paperwork. And planning an itinerary in advance does not necessarily mean that your traveling experience will be less exciting. Additionally, there are quite a few Russian operators offering non-conventional, though not so affordable, breakaway ideas, for example, a trip to the Chukchi Peninsula in the Arctic, combined with outdoor sports.

If you are not impressed with available package offers, you will have to share your adventure with your Russian friends, said Alekseev. Under Russian law, a foreigner must register with the Federal Migration Service (FMS) within three days after the date of arrival in the country. You cannot register yourself; it has to be done by the receiving party. If you stay at a hotel, its administration should do the job. If a friend puts you up, they can register you at a local FMS office or post office (the list of required documents is provided below). Make sure to keep the tear-off slip of your Notice of Arrival (NOA) stamped by FMS or post office. This will be your proof of registration should you encounter any Russian police keen to check your papers. Formally, you can skip the process if you are not going to stay in a single city for more than three days. Nevertheless, if your overall trip to Russia exceeds the three-day limit, you would do well to register in order to avoid questioning by passport control officers at the border, said Alekseev, speaking from his legal experience. Otherwise, you need to collect some evidence showing that you have not stayed at any single place for more than three days (for example, train/bus/air tickets or gas station receipts with location identification), but this exercise is way more trouble than a visit to the post office.

Foreigner Registration Checklist:

Your Russian hosts can register you at the local FMS office or any post office upon submission of the following documents:

Copy of the foreign guest’s passport (the spread with the photo and visa stamp, if any),

Copy of Part B of the migration card

Filled out Notice of Arrival Form (2 copies).

The NOA tear-off slip bearing the FMS or PO stamp is the primary document proving that the foreign guest has been properly registered with the migration authority.

FMS tips and procedure: http://www.fms.gov.ru/useful/

You can download the Notice of Arrival Form for foreign citizens at: http://www.fms.gov.ru/useful/migrate/

The federal law "On migration registration of foreign citizens and stateless persons in the Russian Federation”: http://www.lexintel.ru/law109/

Rules of migration registration of foreign citizens and stateless persons in the Russian Federation: http://www.garant.ru/prime/20070130/90549.htm