Please note that in all regions of Russia there are regular technical breaks in the operation of the "Express" system, during which passengers will be unable to book or return tickets. The breaks run from 03:30 to 04:00 Moscow time (during every third Tuesday of the month from 03:30 to 04:00 and on the day following the third Tuesday of the month from 03:30 to 04:15).

Returning e-tickets, you agree to all the terms and conditions listed below.

As a user of the site, you acknowledge your legal right and competence and financial viability, and are also aware of the responsibility for the obligations imposed on you as a result of concluding this offer.

Users returning unused e-tickets online are acting on behalf of all the passengers on the booking. As such, all passengers on the booking are considered to be aware of the terms and conditions covering trip cancellation.

The return of tickets for the conference compartments on board the high-speed "Sapsan" trains (class of service 1Р) is only possible after a one-off return of all four seats.

When returning travel documents, through the passenger personal account in accordance with the "Birthday" Tariff Plan, only simultaneous return of all documents of the order is allowed. To form tickets for the birthday person and/or accompanying persons anew, all travel documents formed under the "Birthday" Tariff Plan have to be returned and formed anew with all necessary changes taken into account. A partial refund of tickets issued booked within the framework of one order under the "Birthday" Tariff Plan is available for accompanying persons only at ticket offices and on the website.

No refunds are made on one seat/berth out of two which have been booked for compartments in de-luxe carriages (business) on international routes (the far abroad, that is countries outside the Former Soviet Union). Refunds of the value of unused electronic tickets issued for de-luxe carriages (business) are made only if electronic tickets booked for one compartment are returned at the same time.

Returns of electronic tickets issued for Sapsan and Lastochka trains operated by the Directorate of High-Speed Communications, a subsidiary of Russian Railways, at the special return tariff are made in accordance with the following procedures:

To refund money to passengers at ticket offices, a confirmation of the return of the seat/berth and an application for the return of funds are issued.

Sample claim form for a refund of unused Sapsan tickets[PDF]

Sample claim for a refund for unused electronic tickets for trains operated by the Federal Passenger Company[DOC]

The procedure for the return and refund of electronic tickets booked for carriages in the Sleeper Compartment/Lux category of the carrier RZD Tour LLC at the special Single fare is as follows:

  • it is possible to receive refunds for two seats/berths at once as reflected on one ticket;
  • no refunds for one seat/berth out of two booked seats/berths, reflected on one ticket, are possible.

After completing the form, send the claim, together with the ticket and the document confirming the return of the seat/berth, to the ticket cashier or post it to the Northwest Directorate of High Speed Communications – The Structural Unit of the Directorate of High Speed Communications at PO Box No. 78, 87A/2 Nevsky Prospect, St. Petersburg 191036.

Refunds to the passenger are made minus 20% of the fare for the return leg.

ATTENTION! After receiving the boarding pass on a ticket form at the ticket office or self-service terminal return e-ticket is not possible online.

Refunds for the order as a whole are made for all e-tickets on the order, with the exception of e-tickets for which boarding passes (tickets) were issued at the ticket office or by a self-service terminal.

Passengers who are unable to return electronic tickets using the website or through an app in the clients’ personal account are recommended to return the tickets to a ticket office.

If you have cancelled the electronic registration service (printed out an electronic ticket using the standard form provided), the refund of an unused electronic train ticket is possible only at the ticket office (the terms and conditions governing refunds are specified in section 11.2 of the Offer).

Passengers who have used the electronic registration service can return unused electronic train tickets for:

  • Federal Passenger Company trains running on domestic services on the territory of the Russian Federation and international services at any time up to the train’s departure from the passenger’s boarding station (the time is specified on the electronic ticket’s control coupon) or before the passenger boards the train carriage;
  • domestic services on the territory of the Russian Federation and international services to and from the CIS countries, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Lithuania (except for trains operated by the "Federal Passenger Company") no less than 1 hour before the train’s departure from the train’s starting station on the route (the time is indicated on the control coupon of the electronic ticket);
  • international services (the far abroad) no later than 6 hours before the train’s departure from the passenger boarding station (the time is specified on the electronic ticket control coupon) and no later than 1 hour before the train’s departure from the starting station on the route;
  • the formation of "Sapsan" and "Lastochka" tourist trains on the territory of the Russian Federation which are operated by the carrier DOSS, the Directorate for high-speed communications, a subsidiary of OJSC Russian Railways, is carried out at any time before the train's departure from the passenger boarding station (the time is indicated on the control coupon of the electronic ticket) or before the passenger boards the train carriage.

ATTENTION! The Russian Railways’ website has now introduced an e-ticket return and refund service with electronic registration which enables passengers to submit their claims online. The service is provided for domestic services and trains operated by the Federal Passenger Company. Claims for refunds on electronic tickets using the website must be made less than 1 hour before the train departs from its starting station and before the train departs from the passenger’s boarding station. After returning the ticket, a claim is made on behalf of the passenger whose name is given on the electronic ticket. The claim must include: a contact phone number, e-mail address, e-ticket number and reason for withdrawing from the journey. Claims are reviewed within 30 days. Refunds based on the claim under consideration are made to the payer’s cheque account which was used to make the payment. When settlements are made (refund transactions), a cash receipt is generated which is sent electronically to the e-mail address or phone number specified on the ticket application (in accordance with paragraph 5.3 of Article 1.2 of Federal Law No. 54-FZ).

Returning e-tickets on domestic routes trains on the territory of the Russian Federation and international services with CIS countries, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Abkhazia

When returning online unused e-tickets booked in the Russian Federation operated by Russia, refunds are credited to bank cards:

  • no later than 8 hours before train’s departure from the station where the passenger was to have boarded the train – the fare, consisting of the ticket price and the cost of the reserved place;
  • less then 8 hours, but no later than 2 hours before train’s departure from the station where the passenger was to have boarded the train – the cost of the ticket and 50% of the cost of the reserved place;
  • less then 2 hours and until train’s departure from the station where the passenger was to have boarded the train – the cost of the ticket. The cost of the reserved place is not refundable.
  • if the passenger misses the train and returns the e-ticket within 12 hours after the train departs from the passenger’s boarding station, or in case of the passenger’s illness or any accident (subject to the presence of any documentary evidence thereof), and the passenger returns the relevant e-ticket within 5 days after the departure of the train for which he/she was issued a travel document – the ticket price; the cost of the reserved seat ticket is non-refundable in such case;
  • if the passenger misses the train, the unused electronic travel document (e-ticket) may only be returned to the ticket office situated at the passenger’s departure station within 12 hours after the departure of the train.

When returning online unused e-tickets for international services with CIS countries, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Estonia and the Republic of Abkhazia, refunds are credited to bank cards:

  • no later than 24 hours before the train's departure from the station where the passenger was to have boarded the train – the fare, consisting of the ticket price and the cost of the reserved place;
  • less than 24 hours, but no later than 6 hours before the train's departure from the station where the passenger was to have boarded the train – the cost of the ticket and 50% of the cost of the reserved place;
  • less than 6 hours and until train’s departure from the station where the passenger was to have boarded the train – the cost of the ticket. The cost of the reserved place is not refundable.

The cost of services (including bed linen) is refunded in full.

If the unused e-ticket booked for any train servicing any domestic routes within the Russian Federation and any trains servicing the international routes to/from the CIS countries, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Abkhazia is returned within the approved periods, then the service fee (including the cost of the bed linen) is refunded in full, but a fee of RUB 3.20 is charged for each seat/berth (the rate is set by the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) of the Russian Federation).

Returning e-tickets for travel on international routes (non-CIS countries)

When returning online unused e-tickets for travel on international routes (non-CIS countries), refunds are credited to passengers' bank cards:

  • no later than 6 hours before the train's departure from the station where the passenger was to have boarded the train – the fare, consisting of the ticket price and the cost of the reserved place (with a charge for the refund);
  • there is no refund less than 6 hours before the departure of the train from the passenger’s boarding station.

A fee is charged for refunds:

  • 5 Swiss francs on train No. 306 Irkutsk – Ulaanbaatar.

The fee is charged in Russian roubles at the rate set by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation on the day of the refund.

When returning unused e-tickets issued free of charge to children up to 5 years of age without occupying a separate place, no fee is deducted from the refund.

Refunds for unused e-tickets are credited to the bank card used to make the payment for the e-ticket in the period established by the rules governing the relevant payment systems (from 7 to 30 calendar days from the time the passenger requests a refund on her personal account).

After VTB Bank (PAO) has processed the refund operation on the user’s personal account, the "Return Details" tab appears. The tab contains the last four digits of the payer’s card number to which the refund was made, the date on which the refund operation was processed, the refund amount due, and the ARN number (a unique transaction ID in the bank acquisition).

WARNING! If the money has not been credited to the card within 30 days after the return, you must submit a written claim to the bank that issued the bank card used to make the payment (the last 4 digits of which are indicated on the "Refund details" tab) indicating the ARN number in the claim. The bank will be able to track the current location of the passenger’s money. Passengers should contact the operator who supports their e-wallet when paying for electronic tickets using electronic money.

Return of unused e-tickets under non-refundable tariffs

Refunds for unused or electronic tickets purchased at a non-refundable fare are not possible, except for:

  • cases of a passenger’s sudden illness, or of a family member travelling together with a passenger (spouse, parent (adoptive parent), or a child (adopted), the death of a family member (spouse, parent (adoptive parent), or a child (adopted), or an injury to a passenger as a result of an accident as confirmed by the relevant documents. In the event of such cases, the passenger has the right to a refund of the ticket cost minus the cost of the reserved seat, fee for services (if available on board the train) and other payments (except for the fee for reserving seats/berths on long-distance journeys) on returning the unused tickets to the ticket office of the railway station at which the passenger should have boarded no later than 5 days from the departure time of the train for which the ticket was purchased. The carrier also charges the passenger a fee for processing the refund of unused tickets;
  • cases of train departure cancellations or delays, or of a failure to provide a passenger with the seat/berth specified on such a ticket. In the event of such cases, on returning the unused ticket the passenger is entitled to a refund of the full fare (the ticket cost and the cost of the seat reservation), fees, service charges (if any) and other payments without any fee deduction for issuing a refund for an unused ticket.