For a detailed account of what to expect when it comes to registering your visa, Way to Russia offers advice for various potential scenarios.

BBC: The red tape of Russian visas

Russia's wish list includes visa-free travel, the adoption of EU standards and membership of the World Trade Organisation and the OECD rich-country club.

ECONOMIST: Russia, NATO and Europe

From the conditions Russia outlines for highly skilled working visa applicants, we were able to identify at least one major need of the country: IT professionals.

BBC: How it's worked out

Russia has threatened trade sanctions and a visa regime for Moldovans in a row over Trans-Dniester, a region populated mainly by Russians and Ukrainians which broke away from Moldova in 1992.

BBC: Soldiers queue to cast their vote in Chisinau, Moldova

If you will be staying in Russia for longer than a week, you will need to register your visa with the government.

BBC: The red tape of Russian visas

To them, convergence with Europe is not about values but interests, which include a visa-free regime and access to property, bank accounts, yachts for the elite and protection from Russia.

ECONOMIST: A country caught precariously between east and west