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Citizens of most
non-Russia or CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries
must obtain a visa prior to arriving in Russia. Citizens of Croatia
(3 months, invitation required), Cuba (30 days), and Thailand (30
days) do not need a visa. Obtaining a Russian
visa is a costly,
time-consuming, and often frustrating process. Most visitors should
start the process at least two months in advance, but it can be done
in a few weeks if you are willing to spend a little extra. There is
also a way to get a visa in just a few days, but for citizens of
some countries, this will cost a couple hundred dollars. For
citizens of EU countries, this will cost €70 and take three days,
instead of the usual 4-10 days.
Getting a Russian visa
There are number of ways to get a Russian visa, but first of all,
you will need an official invitation. When you purchase a tour to
Russia, your travel agent should provide you with one. You can also
purchase an invitation online. If you have friends or relatives in
Russia, you could ask them to write an invitation. The problem with
such invitations is that, unlike invitations to the US, they take
about one month to process (since FSB has to approve them).
Once you have an invitation, you can apply for a visa. The standard
price charged by the Russian Consulate for a visa is $100 in some
countries, plus (in some countries) $20 for returning your passport
via FedEx. EU citizens pay €35 for most kinds of visas, thanks to a
reciprocal visa agreement. In order to get a visa you will need a
visa application, two passport-size photos, an invitation, and
passport. In some countries, you will also need two money orders for
$100 and $20, as some Russian Consulates do not accept credit cards
or personal checks. In others, you will need a credit/debit card
because the Russian consulates in these countries don't accept money
orders, cash or cheques. In some countries, you will need to send
all of these to any Russian consulate and wait for few weeks. In
other countries, you will have to visit the consulate yourself to
submit your application, wait for just one week and then pick it up
in person at the consulate if the consulate doesn't allow mail
applications (referring to a Russian law).
Alternatively, you could pay some visa processing firm an additional
$50-150 for "expedited visa processing," which actually works. To
find such firms just Google - visa to Russia. Some firms include
visas in their tours and take care of visa hassles for you. One
example is TravelAllRussia, 22 Navigator ct. Staten Island, NY
+1.800.884.1721 which was first to offer this service.
Difference between tourist and business visas
There are two related items, the invitation (or voucher for a
tourist visa) and the visa itself. The invitation is the paper which
is exchanged for the actual visa. The visa is a sticker in the
passport. There are several types of invitations and visas.
The tourist invitation is a letter of confirmation of booking and
pre-payment of your accommodation and travel arrangements in Russia.
It can be obtained from a government approved hotel in Russia,
on-line hotel booking service or Russian travel agency. The sign of
government approval is a so called "consular reference," the
government registration number with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Russia. Only hotels and travel agencies that have consular
reference can issue the confirmations valid for visa purposes. Using
a local Visa Service to obtain a Russian Visa will streamline the
process. They will double check your application and invitation, go
to the embassy for you and return your passport to you. This saves
time and frustration.
It should be noted that tricks such as booking one night in a hotel
and getting a visa for 30 days with the paper received from the
hotel won't work. In this case the visa will be granted for only one
day.
However, some travel agencies will issue a confirmation for a fee,
without actually collecting the accommodation pre-payment. The
legality of such actions are in question and there is a bit of
controversy about this.
Tourist confirmation and the accommodation voucher are normally
accepted as a faxed/e-mailed copy, though the consular official has
a right to ask for the original if fraud is suspected.
Another type of invitation is required to obtain a business visa.
Business invitations are issued by the government and for many
Russian consulates the original hard copy is required (though some
will accept a faxed copy, always check this before applying)
Obtaining the business invitation is time consuming and costly. Any
registered company in Russia can apply for the business invitation
for a foreign national in the visa and passport office in Russia. It
normally takes 4 to 6 weeks to get one. Business visa is granted in
exchange of business invitation by the Russian consulate and it is a
lot more flexible than a tourist one. Can be multiple entry and
valid for travel and stay in Russia for up to 12 months.
However, following the introduction of new rules on October 17th
2008, a 12-month Russian business visa, (and some other types as
well), will only entitle the holder to spend 90 days of the two
180-day periods of validity of the visa within Russia. In addition,
should a visitor on a business visa spend 90 consecutive days within
the RF, then they will not be allowed to re-enter Russia until a
further period of 90 days has passed. This therefore limits the
maximum time that may be spent in Russia on a one-year business
visa(and some other types of visa), to just 180 days maximum. Other
rules were simultaneously introduced placing restrictions on where
visas may be obtained by foreign nationals to enter Russia and how
frequently the person must leave Russian territory and obtain a new
registration on re-arrival.
Some travel agencies in Russia can help obtaining business
invitation.
Some Russian local governments have a right to invite foreigners for
business and cultural activities by sending a TELEX to the Embassy
or Consulate of Russia overseas, requesting the visa issue to a
particular foreigner or group of foreigners. Such telex messages are
used instead of invitation. This is normally the way to go if you
are invited by the government.
Personal invitation. Any Russian citizen can apply to invite foreign
national for a visit at the passport and visa office. The process is
much the same as for business invitation. Take 4 to 6 weeks. Looks
exactly the same as business one, but the purpose of travel and the
visa type will be stated as personal. The inviting individual is
solely responsible for all your activities while in Russia and can
be penalized heavily if something goes wrong. So personal
invitations are usually not available for a fee through the net.
It should be noted that you will need to pay for the cost of the
invitation and the visa itself, each of which can cost from $40-100
or more, usually depending on how fast you want it issued. To save
money, start the process as early as possible.
Exit and reentry during the time of your visa requires permits.
Getting these permits is a Kafkaesque bureaucratic nightmare best
avoided entirely by spending more money in advance for a multiple
entry visa. For latest update please visit
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