Sheremetyevo (SVO) Airport Guide 2026 — Terminals, Aeroexpress & Entry Tips

Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) — The Complete 2026 Airport Guide

Sheremetyevo is Aeroflot’s fortress and Russia’s busiest airport, but flying there from the West in 2026 is not what it was. There are no direct EU, UK or US flights any more, your Visa and Mastercard will be dead the moment you land, and the terminals split into two clusters two kilometres apart. Get those three things straight before you go and the airport itself is fast, modern and easy.

Last verified: July 2026. Terminal assignments, fares, entry rules and airline schedules to Russia change often and can change with little notice — confirm the specifics on your ticket and on official signage before you travel.

Quick reference

Getting there in 2026: you will almost certainly connect

Start with the reality that reshapes every itinerary. Since 2022, most Western airlines have suspended their Moscow service, and EU, UK and US airspace is closed to Russian carriers, with the closures reciprocated. In practice that means there are no direct flights between Sheremetyevo and the EU, the UK, the US or Canada. If you are travelling from the West, you connect.

The usual routings are through carriers whose countries still operate to Moscow: Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, the Gulf hubs (Emirates via Dubai, Qatar Airways via Doha, Etihad via Abu Dhabi), or Central Asian carriers through Almaty, Astana, Tashkent or Yerevan. Aeroflot itself flies a wide network to Asia, the Middle East and the ex-Soviet states. Expect to buy the two halves of your journey with that in mind, and to route your baggage and connection through a third country rather than a single Western hub.

North versus south: the terminal split that trips people up

Sheremetyevo is not one building. It is two terminal clusters sitting on opposite sides of the runways, about 2 km apart, and knowing which side you are on matters more than anything else once you are on the ground.

• North Terminal Complex — Terminals B and C. This is where most passengers now go. Terminal C (the C1 hall opened in 2020, with a second hall, C2, due to open in 2026) handles international flights. Terminal B, next door, is the domestic terminal and Aeroflot’s home for internal routes. The two are linked airside and by an underground passage.
• South Terminal Complex — Terminals D, E and F. This side is much reduced. Terminal D reopened in June 2024 and now handles budget carriers such as Pobeda and Smartavia. Terminal E has been closed since 2020 and Terminal F since the end of 2021 (long-running reconstruction).

To cross between the north and south clusters, use the free inter-terminal train that runs in an underground tunnel — a short ride of about 3–4 minutes, roughly every 6 minutes, around the clock, backed up by moving walkways. It costs nothing and you stay airside, but budget the time: a north-to-south move is a genuine transfer, not a stroll across a concourse.

Money first: your foreign cards will not work

This is the single practical fact that catches unprepared visitors, so it comes before transport. Because of sanctions, Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, American Express and JCB cards issued outside Russia do not work anywhere in the country — not in shops, not online, and not in ATMs. Apple Pay and Google Pay tied to a foreign card are dead too. Your phone and your wallet will look normal and simply be declined.

So plan cash. Bring euros or US dollars and change them for rubles — there are exchange desks and ATMs (for Russian cards) at the airport, though rates are better in the city. You can bring in the equivalent of up to $10,000 per person without a customs declaration. Everything you pay for in Russia must be settled in rubles. If you are staying a while, foreigners can open an account and get a Russian MIR card, which works everywhere locally — but that takes time and paperwork, so arrive with enough cash for at least your first day, including the ride into town.

Getting into Moscow

The airport sits about 30 km out. The clean, traffic-proof option is the Aeroexpress train; the flexible option is a taxi through Yandex Go. Here is the honest comparison:

Aeroexpress — the reliable choice

The Aeroexpress is a dedicated airport train from the North Terminal Complex (beneath Terminals B and C) into the city. It runs to Belorussky station in central Moscow, taking about 46 minutes — a timing that was trimmed from 50 minutes in late March 2026 — with some services also calling at Savyolovsky station. Trains leave roughly every 30 minutes from early morning to around midnight, with an overnight gap. A standard one-way fare is in the region of 500–650 ₽ (about $6–8), with business class around 1,500 ₽; buying in the Aeroexpress app or online is usually cheaper than at the counter. At Belorussky you transfer straight to the Belorusskaya metro station for anywhere in the city.

Taxis and Yandex Go

The dominant ride app in Russia is Yandex Go — the local equivalent of Uber, and the cheapest reliable door-to-door option, typically from around 2,000 ₽ to the centre depending on traffic and time of day. The catch is payment: the app wants a Russian card, so unless you have a MIR card set up, choose the cash option or use an official taxi desk in the arrivals hall to book a metered ride. Ignore the drivers who approach you inside the terminal offering a car — those unofficial “taxis” are the classic overcharge, and can run several times the app price.

Bus and metro

The Moscow metro does not reach Sheremetyevo directly. The budget route is a bus to the nearest metro railhead — routes such as bus 851 and the H1 night bus toward Rechnoy Vokzal, or express buses toward Khovrino — and then the metro into town. It is the cheapest way in (a bus fare is a couple of hundred rubles at most) but the slowest and least comfortable with luggage.

Entry: the e-visa, the migration card, and who can use them

Russia’s entry paperwork is separate from anything in Europe — there is no EES and no ETIAS here, because Russia is not part of the EU or Schengen. What you need depends on your nationality.

• The unified e-visa (apply only at the official evisa.kdmid.ru) is the simple route for those eligible. As of 2026 it covers citizens of roughly 60-plus countries, including most of the EU, China, India, Japan, Turkey and others. It is a single-entry visa, valid 120 days from issue, permitting a stay of up to 30 days. The fee is about $52, processing takes up to four calendar days, and you apply no later than four days before travel. Sheremetyevo is an approved e-visa entry point.
• Not everyone qualifies for the e-visa. Citizens of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are excluded from the e-visa scheme and must obtain a standard visa in advance through a Russian consulate or visa centre — a longer, document-heavy process. Do not turn up expecting to sort a visa on arrival; there is no visa-on-arrival at SVO.
• The migration card records your legal entry and exit. At Sheremetyevo it is now generated automatically at passport control rather than filled in by hand, and you may be handed a small printout. Keep it safe — you will be asked for it at hotel check-in, when registering your stay, and again when you leave the country. Losing it causes real trouble on departure.

Lounges

The lounge picture changed with everything else. Priority Pass and LoungeKey suspended access across Russia in March 2022 and have not returned, so a Western lounge membership will not open a door here — do not count on it. Business-class passengers and airline-status flyers are still looked after, and there are pay-in lounges you can buy into with cash or a Russian card:

• Malevich Lounge — the large flagship in Terminal C (the international north terminal), on an upper level, open to business-class and premium travellers and to pay-in guests.
• Shagal Lounge — also in the north complex, another business lounge with pay-in access.

Because foreign cards do not work, buying lounge access on the day means having rubles ready. Confirm the exact terminal and hours at the desk, as lounge operations have moved around with the terminal consolidation.

Connections and minimum times

Sheremetyevo is built for connections — it is Aeroflot’s hub, and the airline funnels a large transfer flow through it to Asia, the Middle East and the former Soviet states. Most connections now stay within the north complex: international arrivals and departures through Terminal C, domestic through Terminal B next door, linked airside.

The thing that eats time is a connection that crosses between the north and south clusters, or between international and domestic when it involves clearing and re-clearing controls. The inter-terminal train is quick, but immigration and security queues are not, and a domestic-to-international transfer means passing passport control. Aeroflot publishes minimum connecting times by itinerary — check the figure on your specific ticket rather than assuming — and if you are self-connecting on separate tickets, give yourself a wide margin and be ready to collect and re-check your bag.

Food, Wi-Fi and practicalities

Food: the terminals have the usual mix of cafes, fast food and sit-down restaurants, priced in rubles; Terminal C and Terminal B both have decent airside options. Budget more than you would at a Western airport for anything imported, and pay in cash if your card is foreign.

Wi-Fi: free Wi-Fi is available, but Russian networks generally require authentication by SMS to a phone number. A foreign number on roaming can usually receive the code; a data-only eSIM without a number may not — worth knowing before you rely on it. A local Russian SIM (bought with your passport) is the sturdier option for a longer stay.

Money and SIMs: there are currency-exchange desks and ATMs, but remember the ATMs only serve Russian cards — so change cash rather than expecting to withdraw. Left-luggage and standard airport services operate in the working terminals; ask at the information desks, which have English-speaking staff.

Frequently asked questions

At a glance

Before you fly

• 📊 Check what a good fare looks like — our price-check tool shows the typical deal range so you know a bargain when you see one.
• 🧳 Baggage checker — confirm your airline’s carry-on and checked allowance before you pack, especially if you are connecting on two separate tickets.