E-visa statuses on the official portal, decoded
From draft to correction required to issued — the official portal's statuses are terse and rarely explain themselves. Here is what each one means, and exactly what to do at every stage.
Updated July 2026 · 5 min read
The Russian unified e-visa is processed entirely online, which means the only window into your application is a short status label on the official portal. The labels are brief, occasionally translated awkwardly, and the portal does not always spell out what it expects you to do next. This guide walks through the full sequence — from the moment you save a draft to the moment a visa is issued or refused — and what each stage actually asks of you.
One caveat before we start: the portal's exact wording shifts from time to time, so the labels below may appear in slightly different phrasing. The logic of the sequence, however, stays the same.
Where to check your status
Your application lives on the official portal, evisa.kdmid.ru — the same place you filled in the form. Log in to your account, or use the status-check function with your application number and the passport details you entered. The application number is shown when you save or submit the form; keep it somewhere you can find again.
The portal also sends email notifications when your status changes, but these routinely land in spam folders. Do not rely on your inbox to tell you the outcome. If the expected decision window has passed and you have heard nothing, check the portal directly before assuming anything has gone wrong. Have these ready when you check:
- Your application number, from the confirmation shown when you saved or submitted the form
- The passport you applied with — the number must match exactly what you entered
- A quick look in your spam folder, in case a notification already arrived and was filtered
Each status, and what to do about it
"Draft" — saved, not submitted
What it means: the form has been stored on the portal but never sent for processing. Nothing is happening, and nothing will happen. A surprising number of travelers stop at this stage believing they have applied — then discover shortly before travel, or at the border, that no application was ever filed.
What you do: open the application, complete any remaining sections, then submit it and pay the fee. Only then does processing begin. If your status has said draft for more than a day and you thought you had applied, act on it now.
"Pending payment" — waiting for the fee
What it means: you have pressed submit, but the application does not count as filed until the consular fee — about US$52 — is paid. The processing clock has not started.
What you do: pay through the portal and keep the payment confirmation with your application records. Once payment is registered, the status should move on and the clock starts.
"In progress" — under consideration
What it means: the application has been accepted and is being reviewed. Processing takes around four calendar days — calendar days, not working days, so weekends and public holidays count towards the total.
What you do: wait. Do not file a second application in parallel — duplicate applications create mismatches that cause more problems than they solve. Check the portal once a day rather than refreshing hourly.
Timing expectations: four calendar days is the standard processing time as of mid-2026, but no news within that window is not automatically a problem — decisions sometimes arrive right at the edge of it, or slightly past. Build buffer into your plans rather than booking non-refundable travel against day four, and check the current processing situation before you rely on any date.
"Correction required" — something needs fixing
What it means: reviewers found a problem and returned the application to you. In practice it is usually the photo or the passport fields — a scan that does not meet the requirements, or a digit or transliteration that does not match the passport. This is not a rejection; it is a chance to fix the issue.
What you do: correct exactly what was flagged, promptly, and resubmit. Be aware that processing restarts — the clock begins again from your resubmission, so a slow response here pushes your whole timeline back. The photo is the most common culprit; our photo requirements guide covers the exact rules and the mistakes that get applications returned.
"Issued" — approved
What it means: the e-visa has been granted. The portal makes an e-visa notification available for download — this document, together with your passport, is what you present at the border.
What you do: download the notification and print it. Carry the printed copy for the entire trip, not just the crossing.
Print it: a copy on your phone is a risk at some checkpoints — border staff expect the printed notification, and a flat battery or no signal can turn a granted visa into a standing argument. Print at least one copy before you travel and keep a spare separately from the original.
"Rejected" — refused
What it means: the application was refused. There is no formal appeal path for e-visas, and the consular fee is not refunded.
What you do: work out the likely cause before doing anything else — most refusals trace back to a small, identifiable error in the photo, the form or the supporting details. Our guide to why e-visa applications get rejected lists the usual suspects. Once you know what went wrong, reapply with the error corrected. Resubmitting the same application unchanged tends to produce the same result, at the cost of another fee.
When to worry — and when not to
Most status anxiety is misplaced. These situations are normal and need no action: the status shows in progress on day three or four, because the four-day clock includes weekends and holidays; your inbox is silent, because notifications often sit in spam while the portal already shows a decision; or the wording on the portal differs slightly from the labels in this guide, because the interface text changes periodically.
Three situations do deserve attention. A status stuck on draft when you believed you had applied means no application exists — submit it. A correction request you have not yet answered means your timeline is slipping every day you wait — fix and resubmit. And a rejection means a corrected reapplication, not a hopeful repeat of the same form.
As with everything around this border, conditions can change at short notice. Check the current position on the official portal before travelling, and leave room between the expected decision date and any bookings you cannot move.
Keep reading
Not sure what your status is telling you?
Our e-visa support includes status tracking guidance — we help you read the portal, respond to corrections quickly, and reapply properly after a refusal. We answer within 1–12 hours.
VATGUCHER Travel is an independent coordination and information service. We are not a government body, embassy or visa center, and we do not issue visas. Final decisions are always made by border and immigration authorities.