Four questions come up in almost every first conversation with a buyer who holds a Russian passport: how long can I stay without a visa, how do I get there, how do I pay, and what do I actually own. The answers changed this autumn, so this article puts them in one place, with dates.
Which page is for you
We keep four separate pages, because a family in Yekaterinburg, an executive in Moscow, a teacher in Saint Petersburg and an engineer in Vladivostok do not have the same day.
russia.vikathai.com is for the regions beyond the two capitals: the Urals, Siberia, the Volga. It shows affordable and mid-range apartments from $99,000 and flights from regional cities.
moscow.vikathai.com is for Moscow: an evening flight, and mid-range and premium residences from $150,000 that run without you.
peter.vikathai.com is for Saint Petersburg, for families who want a warm winter base, from $99,000.
vladivostok.vikathai.com is for the Far East, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk and Sakhalin, where Asia is next door, from $99,000.
The visa: 30 days since 15 September
Under the 2005 agreement the visa-free stay for a Russian passport is 30 days for entries from 15 September 2026. It is for tourism only. One extension of 30 days can be requested at an immigration office for THB 1,900. Entries made before 15 September keep the stay stamped at the border. Older guides that quote a longer stay are out of date, and a digital arrival card is filled in online before you fly.
For a winter of three or four months you need a visa. The Destination Thailand Visa asks for THB 500,000 in statements, runs five years with up to 180 days per entry, and extends by 180 days for THB 1,900. It covers work for foreign employers or clients only, so it does not suit someone employed by a Russian company. The Long-Term Resident track requires $1 million in assets and $500,000 invested in Thailand, where property counts. Owning an apartment does not by itself give residence.
Flights from your city
Timetables for charters change every few weeks, so treat this as a map and check the carrier.
- Moscow: about 9½ hours. Aeroflot has flown the route since 2010 and carried more than 885,000 passengers between Russia and Phuket in 2025; aggregators list an evening departure from Sheremetyevo and a morning arrival. Azur air flies from Vnukovo this winter, from 4 November.
- Saint Petersburg: Aeroflot from Pulkovo, 10 h 35 min to 10 h 45 min, on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays in October. No winter charter is confirmed.
- Novosibirsk: S7 from 27 October 2026, with a 45-minute stop in Irkutsk where passengers stay aboard, about 10 h 30 min.
- Yekaterinburg: Aeroflot flew the route last winter; confirm for this one.
- Far East: Khabarovsk and Vladivostok each appear on the winter charter list with roughly one flight per twelve days, and aggregators show about eight hours in the air.
What you can own
A condominium unit can be owned freehold in your own name, within the building's 49% foreign quota. Ask the building's juristic person to confirm in writing that the quota has room. Land is not owned by foreigners, and a villa is usually held on a registered 30-year lease, renewable by contract. A 99-year lease and a 75% quota were proposals as of May 2026, not law. For most buyers who want a home they can leave locked, the condominium is the clean answer.
Payment
This is the question we hear most, and we answer it the same way each time: the route is agreed with the buyer's bank and our lawyer before the reservation. We give no currency advice and we do not repeat forum promises about what works. You see the route, the documents the Thai bank will ask for and the timing before you reserve anything.
Day-to-day money needs its own plan. Mir cards do not work in Thailand, and a UnionPay card issued in Russia works only partly. A Thai ATM charges up to THB 220 per withdrawal, plus your bank's fee.
Reporting at home
Owning property abroad is lawful. A Russian tax resident who opens a foreign account notifies the tax service and files an annual report on foreign accounts, due by 1 June. The tax service has described exemptions, for example when the accounts are in a country that exchanges information or in the Eurasian Economic Union and the flows or balance stay at 600,000 RUB or below, or when you spent more than 183 days abroad. Ask a Russian tax adviser about your own case, including how the apartment itself is treated.
Light, and why people start thinking about it
On 21 December the sun is up about 7 hours in Moscow, 6 h 45 min in Yekaterinburg and about 5 h 50 min in Saint Petersburg. On Phuket it is up about 11 h 40 min, by our own approximate calculation. The Far East has a different winter: sunny, but with a December average near -9 °C, a January average near -12 °C and strong north-west winds.
Who you will speak to
Vika Thai Company Limited has worked in Phuket since 2013, and the developer pays our fee. Our managers speak English, Russian and Turkish, so the first call is in Russian if you prefer. It takes 20 minutes. Then comes a shortlist with prices, and a viewing day on the island when you are ready; many people see the first project by video.
Readers who live in Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia and read Russian will find their own page described in Winter light: a Phuket base for EU and Baltic families. For the cost side of any purchase, see what a Phuket condo really costs to buy, hold and sell.
Read more
https://russia.vikathai.com/ — the regions: Urals, Siberia, the Volga; apartments from $99,000 and flights from your own city.
https://moscow.vikathai.com/ — Moscow: an evening flight, mid-range and premium residences from $150,000 that run while you are away.
https://peter.vikathai.com/ — Saint Petersburg: a warm winter base for families, from $99,000.
https://vladivostok.vikathai.com/ — the Far East: Vladivostok and Khabarovsk, Asia next door, from $99,000.