Can you book a short-term apartment in Russia from abroad?
Yes. Russian sites such as Sutochno.ru and Avito list daily-rent apartments in every big city and take bookings from abroad. Airbnb and Booking.com no longer show Russian listings, and the Russian sites accept only Russian cards or the Russian payment network, — so you need a card that works in Russia or a host who takes payment on arrival.
Updated September 2026
Where to find daily-rent apartments in Russia
The main marketplace is Sutochno.ru (Суточно), which is built around daily rentals and covers every big city. Avito (Авито), Russia’s largest classifieds site, has an even wider choice, with owners listing directly. Yandex Travel (Яндекс Путешествия) and Ostrovok.ru show apartments alongside hotels.
These sites are generally reachable from abroad, though Avito sometimes blocks foreign IP addresses, so try it early; a browser translator handles the Russian interface well enough to book. Airbnb and Booking.com stopped listing Russian properties in 2022, so an empty map there does not mean nothing is available.
Sign-up usually asks for a phone number. Most sites send the confirmation code to a foreign number, but check before you rely on one site.
How to pay for the booking from abroad
Most listings ask for a prepayment to confirm the dates — often a part of the total, sometimes all of it. The checkout takes Russian-issued cards and the Russian payment network. A card from global payment methods is declined at this step on most sites; a few have international versions that take foreign cards for some listings, so check at checkout.
A virtual card such as PayInRussia solves this before you fly: choose the Russian payment network at checkout and confirm in the app, or enter its card details where the site asks for a card. If you would rather not prepay, look for listings that allow payment on arrival.
Keep every payment inside the site’s booking flow. A host who asks for a transfer to a personal card before you arrive is a reason to pick another listing.
Check-in, deposit and registration
The host or a manager meets you with the keys, or leaves them in a lockbox and sends the code. Bring your passport. Foreign guests must be registered at their address within a few working days of arrival (the exact deadline depends on your nationality); a hotel does this automatically, but in an apartment it is the host’s job, and not every host offers it unprompted.
The balance and any deposit are paid on the spot. Cash in rubles always works, and many hosts accept a Russian payment network transfer by phone number or show a QR code you scan with the Russian payment network app. Card terminals are rare in private apartments. Confirm these points with the host before you book:
- How much is prepaid and how much is due at the door
- Whether a deposit is required and in what form
- Whether the host will register your stay with the migration authorities
- How you get the keys: in person or from a lockbox
- Which payments work on arrival: cash, the Russian payment network or a card terminal
