Learn Hardcore Russian: Я собираюсь подавать документы на туристическую визу летом. - I am going to apply for a tourist visa in the summer.

It sounds natural and common in spoken Russian for near‑future intentions, similar to English “I’m going to …” rather than a distant or very abstract “I plan to …”.

Why is the verb собираться reflexive (ending in -ся) here? What does собираюсь vs. собираю mean?

Собираться = reflexive, собирать + ся.
Собирать by itself means “to collect / to gather (something)”:
- Я собираю документы. – I’m collecting documents.
Собираться with a person as subject means:
- to get ready (to go somewhere / do something)
- to be going / intend to (do something)

So:

Я собираюсь подавать документы. – I’m going to apply / I intend to submit the documents.
If you said Я собираю подавать документы, it would be ungrammatical; you must use the reflexive form собираться in this meaning.

Why is it подавать and not подать? What’s the difference between these two?

Подавать and подать are an aspect pair:

подавать – imperfective (process, repeated/ongoing action)
подать – perfective (single, completed result)

In this sentence:

Я собираюсь подавать документы на туристическую визу летом.

Using подавать suggests:

focusing on the process of applying,
or a general future plan, possibly involving several submissons (e.g., to different consulates or for different people),
or simply not emphasizing the single finished act.

If you say:

Я собираюсь подать документы на туристическую визу летом.

you focus more on the single act being completed at some point in summer.

Both are possible. With собираться, both aspects can be used; the nuance is process/ongoing vs single completed action.

What is the difference between «Я собираюсь подавать документы» and «Я подам документы» / «Я буду подавать документы»?

Я собираюсь подавать документы…
- Intention / plan, somewhat like “I’m going to apply”.
- Slightly less definite than a simple future; emphasizes plan.
Я подам документы… (perfective future of подать)
- Clear, definite future fact: “I will submit the documents (once).”
- Focus on the result: documents will be submitted.
Я буду подавать документы… (future of imperfective)
- Emphasizes process or repetition: “I will be submitting documents / will be applying.”
- Often used if you’ll be doing it repeatedly or over some period.

So, in terms of “strength” of commitment:

Я собираюсь… – I’m going to / I intend to.
Я подам… – I will (for sure) submit (one time).
Я буду подавать… – I’ll be submitting / will be in the process (maybe multiple times).

Why is «документы» plural? Could I say «документ» instead?

In Russian, when you apply for something, you almost always submit several papers: passport, application form, photos, insurance, etc. That’s why the plural документы is the default.

подавать документы – a set phrase: “to submit documents / an application package”.

You could say подать документ if:

it really is one document (for example, one specific form),
and you want to emphasize it is just that one.

But in the visa context, документы sounds natural and idiomatic, just like English “submit the documents” even if one form is central.

Is «подавать документы на визу» a fixed phrase? Are there other common ways to say “apply for a visa”?

Yes, подавать документы на визу is a very common, almost formulaic, way to say “submit documents for a visa / apply for a visa.”

Other frequent options:

подаваться на визу (colloquial, reflexive):
- Я подаюсь на туристическую визу. – “I’m applying for a tourist visa.”
оформлять визу:
- Я буду оформлять туристическую визу. – “I’ll be arranging / getting a tourist visa.”
подавать на визу (often without документы if it’s obvious):
- Я собираюсь подавать на туристическую визу.

But the most neutral and clear for bureaucratic context is exactly what you have:
подавать документы на туристическую визу.

Why do we use на in «на туристическую визу»? Why not для туристической визы or something else?

In Russian, after verbs like:

подавать (документы) – submit documents
подаваться – apply
заявлять – apply/declare (in some contexts)

you typically use на + Accusative to indicate what you are applying for:

подавать на работу – apply for a job
подавать на стипендию – apply for a scholarship
подавать на визу – apply for a visa

So на туристическую визу = for a tourist visa.

Для туристической визы would mean “for the tourist visa” in the sense of “intended for use by the visa” (not right here), not “in order to get a visa.” So with “apply for X”, you want на, not для.

What is happening grammatically in «туристическую визу»? Why those endings?

Breakdown:

виза – noun, feminine, singular (nominative).
туристический – adjective “tourist”.

When you say “for a tourist visa” with на, Russian uses:

Accusative case, feminine singular.

So:

Feminine adjective accusative singular: туристическую
(from nominative туристическая)
Feminine noun accusative singular: визу
(from nominative виза)

Hence: на туристическую визу.
Adjective and noun agree in:

gender: feminine,
number: singular,
case: accusative.

Why is it just «летом» without a preposition? What case is this, and what does it mean exactly?

Летом is the instrumental singular form of лето (summer), used adverbially to mean “in (the) summer” / “during the summer.”

Russian often uses bare instrumental (without a preposition) for times of year:

зимой – in (the) winter
весной – in (the) spring
летом – in (the) summer
осенью – in (the) autumn/fall

So летом already contains the idea of “in summer”, and adding в (в летом) would be wrong. You can, however, say:

летом этого года – in the summer of this year.

Can the word «летом» be put in a different place in the sentence? Does the word order change the meaning?

Yes, Russian word order is flexible, and летом can move:

Я собираюсь подавать документы на туристическую визу летом.
Я собираюсь летом подавать документы на туристическую визу.
Летом я собираюсь подавать документы на туристическую визу.

All essentially mean the same: I’m going to apply for a tourist visa in summer.

Differences are tiny and mostly about information focus:

Starting with Летом slightly emphasizes “as for the summer / when summer comes…”.
Putting летом just before подавать can emphasize when you’ll be applying.

But for a learner, you can treat them as equivalent in meaning here.

Could you drop «я» and just say «Собираюсь подавать документы…»?

Yes, in informal spoken Russian, dropping the subject pronoun я is quite common when it’s clear from context:

Собираюсь подавать документы на туристическую визу летом.

This would be understood as “I’m going to…”.

However:

In formal writing or careful speech, it’s better to keep я.
For learners, it’s safer to use the full form Я собираюсь… until you feel very comfortable with Russian context and style.

How would this sentence change in a more formal or “official” style?

More formal options might be:

Я планирую подать документы на туристическую визу летом.
– “I plan to submit documents for a tourist visa in summer.”
Я намерен(а) подать документы на туристическую визу летом.
– “I intend to submit documents for a tourist visa in summer.” (slightly stronger / more official)

Changes:

Use планирую / намерен(а) instead of собираюсь.
Prefer подать (perfective) to stress a single completed act of submission.

Your original sentence is neutral, natural, and fine in most everyday situations, including talking about your plans to friends or in a relaxed conversation with a consulate worker.