FAQ About Russian Visas - Russian
Visa Services
What Type of Visa Do I Need? There are several types of visa: tourist,
guest & business. Also visas can be for single and multiple entry. If you
come to Russia for 1 month or less to travel around without buying an expensive
tour, you need a tourist visa. Maximum period of time covered by such a visa is
1 month and this visa cannot be prolonged while you are in Russia. If you have
business partners in Russia and are coming here for business reasons, OR if you
plan to travel around Russia for longer than 1 month, apply for a business visa.
If you have friends in Russia, they can help you to apply for a guest visa,
valid for 1-3 months.
What is A Tourist Visa? The maximum validity period is 1 month. To get
this visa you need a licensed travel agency to send to you (or to the Russian
Embassy in the country where you intent to obtain a visa) by fax or e-mail
(check it in the Embassy, sometimes they prefer fax copy) 2 papers: 1) VOUCHER
and 2) CONFIRMATION of a foreign tourist acceptance. These papers shall contain
information about hotels booked for you by the agency (as well as list of cities
you plan to see), but all travel agencies involved in this business know, that
this is just info for an Embassy. In reality after you get visa on the basis of
these documents you are legally free: * to move around the country in any
direction; * to settle in any hotels at your option; * to forget about
"booked" for you hotel and never think about them again; * to settle
in private apartments at your choice. This is actually one of the myths about
visa to Russia - all accommodation shall be booked (and paid) in advance. But
what really should be done - this information should be mentioned in the
invitation documents, but again - it is absolutely legal if you go to a city not
listed in these documents and settle in an accommodation that is not mentioned
there. Apply for visa support documents now.
What Do I Need To Apply For A Visa? The first
thing one needs to apply for a visa is to get an is Invitation. Depending upon
the type of visa you are applying for the invitations should be the following:
- for tourist visa : 2 papers - 1) Voucher and 2) Confirmation of a foreign
tourist acceptance (see above)
- for business visa : invitation from your business partners in Russia
specifying dates of visit, purposes, accommodation booked for you, type of
business, etc.
- for guest visa : invitation from your friends specifying dates of visit,
their address and confirmation of their intention to give you any support you
might need.
There's a special form for this invitation, ask your friends to check at
local OVIR.
For all visa applications one also needs a basic set of the following
documents : 2 small photographs, filled in application form (you get this form
right at the Embassy), your travel insurance, travel tickets (or their copy, or
confirmation of booking). Have with you cash money (about 50 Euro in local
currency).
Citizens of the following countries: Israel, Finland and Schengen visa
Agreement States (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg,
Netherlands, Portugal, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden & France)
must also present a National medical coverage certificate valid for Russia or a
guarantee of medical coverage from the Russian hosting organization for the
intended period of stay.
How Do I Apply For A Visa? It is important to
get to the Embassy/Consulate early in the morning. Usually they start working
form 9 a.m., but it is better to take place in a queue at about 7-8 a.m. Embassy
usually holds passport for 1 week, unless you apply for an urgent visa (ready in
3 working days, next day, or same day), but it costs considerably more, up to as
much as 250 Euro.
What Is 'A Visa Registration' And How Do I Register My Visa
Registration is a purely bureaucratic act that seems to bring a
traveler no obvious use or help but cause problems if not being done. You will
be checked at the airport for having registered your visa when leaving Russia.
Basically it is just a stamp in your visa specifying the type of accommodation
you used in Russia. Stamp is done either by the hotel (tourist & business
visas), or by the agency that supplied you with your invitation (tourist visas),
or by OVIR (guest visas - please consult inviting family). Registration should
be done within 3 working days after arrival. If you stay in Russia less than 3
working days you don't need it at all.
Important Notes When you collect your visa from
the Embassy make sure the dates in your visa are the same you applied for.
Sometimes they make mistakes : you have your tickets for 2nd of January and you
applied for your visa from 2nd of January, and they gave you visa that starts on
3rd January. If you notice this mistake only upon your arrival to Russian
airport, you will be charged a fee of about 150 Euro for wrong dates in your
visa.
But it is perfectly all right if you enter Russia later than a first day of
your visa validity.
As registration of your visa shall be made within 3 working days after you
enter Russia make sure that an agency that makes you an invitation has its
office it the city you arrive to (if you stay in private accommodation). Having
inviting agency in St. Petersburg, arriving to Moscow and intending going to St.
P. in a week time might cause you problems.
If you are coming on Tran Siberian from Mongolia and your first stop is
Moscow which is 5 days train trip from the border, save your train tickets in
case you have to prove (to the hotel as they that may not want to register your
visa after 3 days from your enter the country; or to the customs officer at the
airport when you leave Russia) there was no possibility to register your visa
within 3 days.
If you stayed in the hotel for some days and got its stamp in your visa and
after that you want to rent a private apartment, you don't need any additional
registration of your visa.
