Thousands of fans trying to get to Moscow for the Champions League final will be forced to pay an extra visa charge after the Russian Embassy in London outsourced the job of meeting a massive surge in demand to a private firm.

The British-based Russian National Tourist Office (RNTO) was forced to defend itself against allegations that it was “ripping off” supporters after it was tasked with exclusively supplying an expected 40,000 British visa applications for the all-English final on May 21. The company plans to impose a 50 per cent mark-up to cover “handling costs”, The Times has learnt.

Normally the Russian Embassy would charge about £45, but RNTO, which is run by two Russian expatriates from their base in Piccadilly, has added a further £20. Duncan Drasco, the chief executive of the Manchester United Supporters Trust, said: “This is a rip-off. Fans are already having to fork out for flights, accommodation, tickets and visas. It's sickening that people are seeking to squeeze even more money out of us.”

However, Ildar Khafizov, a director of the firm formally known as Anglo Travel Service Ltd, said: “I need to assure you that it's not like a scam. We spoke with the consulate for several months and that is the solution that was mutually agreed with them.” He said that 100 extra staff were being drafted in to help to process the applications.

The visa problem was further complicated by high-level talks in Moscow, with some members of the Russian Government arguing that the need for an entry permit could be waived provided fans were carrying a valid ticket. Supporters, who are already facing a sizeable travel bill for their “March to Moscow”, have been left with the possibility that they have paid for a visa only to find that it will no longer be needed.

Moscow City Council is putting into place a massive security operation and The Times has established that charter flights carrying rival supporters will be flown into different airports to the north and south of the Russian capital. Seven hundred buses would then ferry them direct to the Luzhniki Stadium.

British police are determined to stop known hooligans from leaving Britain for the final. Five days before the match, fans who are the subjects of court banning orders will be told to report to a specific police station and hand in their passports. They will not have them returned until after the match.

A contingent of British police officers is scheduled to leave for Moscow today to discuss the security implications of a final involving rival English teams. Assistant Chief Constable Stephen Thomas, from British Transport Police, who is the Association of Chief Police Officers' lead on policing football, said last night: “We are going out tomorrow for a final meeting with officers in Moscow on Friday. We will discuss the logistics on the football side and it is an opportunity for us to meet with our counterparts and discuss how we are going to work.

“We have no powers out there and are there purely at the invitation of the Russian authorities.”