Hi gang, the 2018 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner!

Are you ready for the most exciting football event?

Most of you probably already bought the World Cup tickets and if not, I recommend you to check out my “Ultimate guide on how to buy 2018 FIFA World Cup tickets“. I answered over 1000 questions about the World Cup tickets and if there is anything you need help with, I’ll be more than welcome to give you an advice.

Here, in this article, I’ll share with you everything there is to know about a Fan-ID for 2018 FIFA World Cup. You’ll find out what it is, why you need to get the Fan-ID, will it cost you anything and a lot more! Once again, don’t hesitate to ask any questions in the comments below this post.

What is a “Fan-ID”?

It’s an identification document which is a requirement to have for every single person (including children) attending the World Cup in Russia. It is a new thing for the fans – a Fan-ID system has never been used at the previous World Cup’s.

It looks like a laminated card which has a name and a picture on the front and an identification number on the back. The Fan-ID is issued by the Russian authorities, not by FIFA and it has a security purpose (so every fan could be identified in case of the emergency) as well as a way to provide a visa-free entry for the World Cup visitors.

What are the benefits of the Fan-ID?

visa-free entry to Russia during the 2018 World Cup . To be more specific, fans are allowed to enter Russia without a visa 10 days prior to the first World Cup game (which is on June 14th) and leave 10 days after the Final (it is on July 15th). So you have a period from June 4th to July 25th to travel to World Cup in Russia without a visa. Even if you are a citizen of one of the countries that normally require a visa to enter Russia, for the time of the World Cup this visa requirement will be waived. Remember, that when you enter and exit Russia at the passport control besides your Fan-ID you must have a valid passport as well as the match tickets or proof of their purchase (printed copy with the ticket confirmation number from FIFA’s website).

. To be more specific, fans are allowed to enter Russia without a visa 10 days prior to the first World Cup game (which is on June 14th) and leave 10 days after the Final (it is on July 15th). So you have a period from to travel to World Cup in Russia without a visa. Even if you are a citizen of one of the countries that normally require a visa to enter Russia, for the time of the World Cup this visa requirement will be waived. Remember, that when you enter and exit Russia at the passport control besides your Fan-ID you must have a valid passport as well as the match tickets or proof of their purchase (printed copy with the ticket confirmation number from FIFA’s website). free transportation by train between the host cities . This is a bonus for the fans, thanks to the Russian government. Here is the website where you can apply for free trains. Important : you can only get a free transportation going to and leaving after the game if you have a match ticket for that specific game. You can find out more information on this topic in my other post about free trains for 2018 World Cup.

. This is a bonus for the fans, thanks to the Russian government. Here is the website where you can apply for free trains. : you can only get a free transportation going to and leaving after the game if you have a match ticket for that specific game. You can find out more information on this topic in my other post about free trains for 2018 World Cup. free public transportation in the host cities on match days. Fans will be able to get free transportation to/after the game from the airports and free public transportation by bus, subway or tram on matchdays. Besides the Fan-ID, you might be asked to show an actual game ticket for it to take a free public transportation.

How much does it cost to get a Fan-ID?

It is absolutely free. You won’t have to pay a penny for getting a Fan-ID, they’ll even deliver it worldwide for free. The Russians are taking all the expenses for this service. And if you think about it, it is a lot of money – they are going to issue and deliver about 2 million Fan-ID’s to the fans from all over the world.

The only possible expense is if you’ll have to go to the photo center to have a picture taken unless you already have a digital photo which fits the Fan-ID photo requirement (we will talk about it later in the article).

Step by step guide on how to apply for 2018 World Cup Fan-ID

1. First of all, to apply for the Fan-ID, you have to purchase official match tickets through FIFA.com. You only need one ticket under your name to be able to apply for the Fan-ID. It is very important that ticket has to be under your name because otherwise, the Fan-ID application will be declined (if the name on the ticket application and the name on the Fan-ID application won’t match). That’s why you can’t apply for the Fan-ID with tickets purchased on 3rd party websites.

I have a lot of people asking the question if they could apply for the Fan-ID with the tickets purchased on Viagogo. The answer is NO because these tickets that you purchased on Viagogo – they are under other people’s names. To be able to apply for the Fan-ID, you have to get a ticket to any game on FIFA’s website. Also, just so you know, FIFA filed a lawsuit against Viagogo – I don’t think it’s the best places to buy the World Cup tickets :).

2. Once you have the ticket confirmation/order number from FIFA, you can proceed to the Fan-ID website.

At the top of the page, proceed to “Registration” and click on two boxes that you agree to the terms. On that page, you’ll find a phone number of the support center which you can contact in case you have any problems with the application or another option is to contact them by e-mail: support@fan-id.ru.

3. The next step is to fill in personal information.

Ticket request ID – it’s a confirmation number of the tickets purchased from FIFA. If you are a guest and not the main applicant under tickets, you should still use the same Request ID number as the main applicant;

Nationality;

Passport number, issuing authority, date of issue;

Your name as it is written in the passport;

Date of birth;

Gender – male/female.

Everything is easy and pretty straightforward, just make sure that all information matches what’s written in your passport as well as it has to match info under your tickets application.

4. The most complicated part of the Fan-ID application is to upload a passport style photo.

The photo requirements are very similar to if you did a photo for any other official document. For example, it has to be recently done within the last six months, with the white background, no smiling, no hats/headpieces, glasses and etc.

If you don’t have a digital photo that meets the requirements, I recommend you to take a picture at one of the salons that do passport photos. You’ll need to ask for a digital or electronic photo – not a printed version so make sure to bring with you a flash drive or a memory card (at the salon they’ll upload a photo file to your memory device).

5. After you finish the Fan-ID application, you’ll receive an email confirmation. Later you can check the status of the application here.

6. If your Fan-ID is approved, it’ll be soon sent to the provided address by postal service (make sure to have it delivered to your home address). Depending on where you live, it might take one to three weeks until you’ll get it by mail (most people get it in 10-15 days).

If you apply for a Fan-ID at a later stage in April-May or even June, they won’t send it over by postal service. Instead, you will receive an electronic version of the Fan-ID by email. You’ll have to print a copy of it which will be good enough to enter Russia visa-free. Then, once you are in Russia, you’ll be required to visit one of the Fan-ID distribution centers where you’ll get an actual Fan-ID. The distribution centers can be found in all of the host cities and they are listed here.

Take a look at the example of what an electronic Fan-ID is like.

Status of the Fan-ID application

The following Fan-ID delivery statuses are provided:

“Not processed” – a Fan-ID has not yet been processed. It means authorities didn’t even get to the application at that point.

“In print” – a Fan-ID issue is being processed and it will soon be done.

“Issued” – a Fan-ID has been issued.

“Sent” – a Fan-ID has been sent.

“Delivered to the operator” – a Fan-ID has been delivered to the postal operator.

“Delivered to the spectator” – a Fan-ID has been delivered.

“Returned” – a Fan-ID has been returned to the Fan-ID Distribution center. It happens if delivery wasn’t successful (for example, if a person didn’t pick it up from the post office or that person changed an address).

“Photo rejected” – you need to provide a new photo in order to obtain a Fan-ID.