Russian business visa multiple entry as a "tourist"
Hi,
as stated in some other threads most of the travellers going from Europe to Mongolia or somewhere else in the east use a business visa with multiple entries. This due the fact that the Russian Tourist Visa is only valid for 30 days and you can have at least 3 bordercrossings to Russia when doing a roundtrip (Georgia - Russia, Kazakhstan - Russia, Mongolia - Russia when you travel back). Today I had a talk with some Russians and they stated that you will have "problems" (these "problems" not further outlined) when you cross the border (Especially the Georgian) and you are obviously not a business-guy (hard to believe with a fully packed motorcycle :innocent:). Does anybody actually had some problems with a business visa at a bordercrossing into Russia? Have you even been asked what your "business" is? Besides that they also stated that due the recent tensions between Russia and Turkey travellers coming from Turkey (non Turkey residents) will be screened more intensivly and a business visa might cause trouble. Any experiences on this issue? TIA Stefan |
Not sure if he is here but my friend David Pickering crossed in and out of Russia last May/June time a few times on a business visa. I think he had a year long one.
Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and India for Christina Noble Children's Foundation. Watch this space |
I have a business visa, 2nd time now.
I did the Georgian/Russian border you mentioned. No problem, in fact they were really friendly and helpful. I also consider the Russians as very professional. But I can imagine, if someone thinks he is the smart guy, that the find something. Ans if you have business visa, why should you be not allowed to have some holyday in between with your bike :scooter: |
Probably hundreds of people on this site have used business visas, and no reported problems. I used a business visa to exit/enter Russia to/from Latvia this summer without any problem, and last year exited Russia to Norway and entered from Estonia, also without any problem.
The only reported problem is third-hand and reported in Post #8 of this thread: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...n-i-keep-83459 In the case reported above, I suspect that the Russians are trying to deter Finns from crossing the border to buy cheap benzin (and maybe alcohol). |
I am pretty sure it has been discussed to death. Here is an extract below of what "Business Visa" covers.
I went in and out of Russia 3 times summer 2014. I am now in the process of applying for another business visa. The agency dealing with this knows it is for an "extended holiday" and not for real business. The business visa is the only visa to get multi entry visa. The purpose of visit requested for your visa should generally correspond with your initial visit intentions. The purpose of visit will be written on the visa support documents and encoded into your visa, however, this does not restrict you to this purpose and you may, for example, use a business visa to visit family or friends or use a cultural visa to subsequently visit Russia for business purposes. By default I am pretty sure you will be categorised as "Cultural" as else you need more docs to provide. But in any case it does not matter as stated above. |
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More likely it has been (as this happens only one border crossing that shop hasnt paid money to border guys or have had some other problems. If you would come to any border crossing between Finland-Russia there is lot of shops on both sides of border. Finnish people go to buy petrol and alcohol from Russia side and russian people come even from Spb come to buy quality food and products from Finland. Actually one of my friend who lives next to Imatra border station has Russian side shops closer than finnish sides. So this case has nothing to do with that that Russian border guard is trying to stop finns to buy petrol or anything other. I have had from year 2010 5 multientry visas to Russia, now 6th (2-year). One was 2012 business, all others cultural visas. I would recommend to use cultural visa (at least in office what i use prices are same) It is second option to have multientry visa. Like it has been said sevaral times allready what was 5 years ago is not anymore same. Tention to some countries has risen in Russia, there has been cases where use of wrong visa type has led into problems. Those cases has been also here in newspapers and discussion groups in Finland. Also i know for a fact that some years ago my friends were driving with enduro bikes and border guard stopped them. Those who were using business visa were fined for wrong visa type. Whole group was taken into border guard (or whetever official that was) office for questioning and they spend there several hours. |
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For instance, I recall an issue where some Americans were thrown out because they were holding some kind of seminar on democracy-building and they were accused of having the wrong kind of visa (business instead of cultural, or vice-versa). Same with a lot of foreign people who were working here as English teachers although they only had tourist visas--they were also deported. As a more recent example, I've heard that Turks are currently having all kinds of problems entering the country, regardless of what kind of visa they have. Quote:
If other HUBBers have had problem with business (or other visas), it would be interesting to hear from them. |
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One example: When coming back to Russia in Mongolia we were in Russia border station our passport and visa being checked. Very merry fellow checked our passports, look my passport and asked in russian: "Finns, hmm i remember this one finnish actor Ville, Ville" I added "Haapasalo" "Da, Ville Haapasalo, good actor, you are good guys" Stamped our visa's and off we go. There was then rest of our groups coming but some germans or french (dont remember excactly) were before them. Rest of our groups just seemed to stay in office and we waited probably 30 or 40 minutes before they came out. Passport checker had started to check everything possible from those german guys passport and was as diffifucult as hell as he saw those guys nationality. Finnish guys were then again just handled in few minutes. Like example for turkish citizens i am quite certain that if they would take business visa and go to Russia to motorcycle with that they would have problems in some border station thinking of current situation between Russia and Turkey. It is up to everyone choose whatever visa they like and what is most convenient for them. Most likely with business visa no problems like you say motoreiter but noneless it is wrong visa type officially for motorcycle travelling and as it same price at least here in Finland as cultural visa i dont understand why people use business visa. |
As others have said, no problems at all travelling on business visa for an extended tour involving multiple border crossings.
Only thing to be aware of is the application. Make use of personal recommendations when it comes to picking your visa agent (service level varies considerably between the good and the bad) and, if you're applying for a 'business' visa, don't list your occupation as 'retired' - as my husband did! It caused an unnecessary delay, while the application was returned and we found him an alternative occupation. He now works for my dressmaking business! :rofl: |
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While it is certainly possible in a theoretical sense that business visas might cause moto travellers problems at the borders, I think we should focus on whether anyone has had an actual problem rather than hypothesizing about what could happen. And as mrsroynie points out, whatever kind of visa you get, you should be careful about choosing your visa agent and how you fill out the application. |
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I found out that my agency had no problems getting me business visas all the time, and others have problems with that. And who says that I am not doing business just because of riding motorcycles? I am doing multimedia shows of my travel and I have negotiations with locals for further tours and I am preparing business for the future ( lets say for example guided tours or places to stay ....:innocent: ) So I am doing business on my motorcycle trip:Beach: |
all OK
Aussie here. I got my dual entry business visa in Sweden at the Stockholm IFS agency. All good (date was wrong, they fixed it). I crossed into Russia at Narva (Estonia) no issues, on a motorcycle, with my partner (German) who is also on a motorcycle, both bikes are French, registered in my name. We expected some issues. Had none, all very easy.
Now I'm in Moscow. About to go to Vladivostok. |
Of course, this is just my personal experience with a 1 year business visa.
I have had several 'official encounters' in Russia. Near the Finnish border I had to sit in a black sedan for an hour while they wrote out every country I had ever travelled in (all 50), durations, political affiliation, mother's maiden name, etc.... Later I was pulled from the house where I was staying in a village and taken to the police station to have every page in my passport photocopied and again a 1 hour interview. Finally, I was woken up in the middle of the night by the military when camped near a river because it was a 'forbidden zone' and again, supervisors called, documents checked and I was made to move. Not to mention two border crossings, with a German motorcycle that isn't in my name, American license and a British passport with a very bad photo to where it looks fake. To date, nobody has mentioned my 'business' visa. When they ask me "What is the purpose of your travel?" I respond with "To discover Russia!" or "To lean Russian!" or some such thing. So in my experience, it's not an issue. |
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Getting a Russian visa from outside your own country?
We are travelling on Canadian passports. At the moment we are in Canada but want to get going on our travels in Dec. Does anyone know if we can send our passports in to get Russian visas from neighbouring counters like Poland for ex, when we are closer to understanding the dates we will need them? We won't even be near Russia until spring of 2017 but will be in Africa, and many parts of Europe beforehand. Or... we'll be sitting in Canada, waiting 8 weeks for visas we could have sent in while travelling. Thanks in advance for any insight. Heather
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Importantly, agencies also procure the "letter of invitation" needed for a business visa, which seems a bit tricky to pin down if doing it on your own. I (American) used an agency to get a 6-mo Russian business visa spring 2016, starting the process in Egypt after riding South Africa > Cairo. DHL'd my paperwork to the agency and they got the materials to the U.S. Russian consulate, which returned the visa approved to the agency. Then the agency sent the materials to a DHL office in Tbilisi, Georgia, where I picked it up. (I used Travisa but can't recommend them; they might be OK but a few staffers bungled details several times and cost me some delay). If you do it yourself, you'd probably want to DHL your application and passports into the Russian consulate in Canada... so long as they will agree to DHL your passports to a DHL location of your choosing. Good luck :thumbup1: |
And you need a 2nd passport when you are on the road.
To send it to the visa agency. I do not know how it is for Canadians, but usually you have to apply in your home country. |
I also don't know how it is for Canadians, but US citizens don't have to apply for Russian visas in the US; I've gotten one in Milan and friends have gotten them all over Europe. IIRC there is a clause in the US-Russia visa treaty allowing for this.
When I got my visa in Milan, I had to leave my passport with the consulate for two week while I waited for the visa, so took the opportunity to explore Italy. |
Business visa
I was crossing. Georgia - Rusia border in May 2016 with business visa. The pasport guy parket me aside waiting for other guy, kinde of specialist.
After 20 minuts waiting, he came and asked me guestions. What kinde of business, do I have some business dokuments, what is the compani in Moskow I am working with, he was taking me to the back office, but on the midle of the parking he turned around, gave me pasports and said, you can go. No other problems in Russia or living the country at Rusia- Estonia border Have to see about Cultural visa next year. |
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Some other Belgians entering Russia from Ukraine had problems getting in because one of them said he was entering Russia for tourism, but he was traveling on a business visa. They were held over +6h at the border but in the end were allowed in. We just stuck with our story and didn't volunteer any information we were not directly asked about. There wasn't anyone around that spoke anything but Russian decently so it was also easy to pretend we didn't understand the questions exactly or to answer besides the point. After the first "interrogation" (which was more like a friendly chat, actually) they sent in a youngster who looked hardly old enough to be out of his diapers. I think they just wanted him to get some experience... All the officials there were very polite and correct, some even very friendly. Except for the guy checking the import papers for my bike. He sent me back to do them again because my "M" looked too much like a Cyrillic "П" in his opinion. He was a bite rude at it. But when I came back all smiles with new paperwork saying I would deserve an "отлично" score on these, he couldn't stop grinning and wished me a good time in Russia. |
Can anybody enlighten me please! I am filling out my multiple entry business visa application (yeah, it's a holiday, I know) :D.
how do I answer this question: Do you plan to stay anywhere (hotel, individual) during your stay in Russia? I have not hotels booked as we will mostly be camping. Thanks! Dave |
If you're using an agency, definitely check with them for their recommendation.
If not, since it is a multiple entry visa, I doubt that they expect you to stay in the same place every time, so I don't think it matters much. I would pick one of the cities you plan to visit, and indicate one of the hotels/hostels in that city that you find on booking.com or whatever. Most booking.com hotels allow you to cancel, so you can reserve, print it out (if necessary), and cancel later if you want. |
awesome, thanks for the info. As you suggest I have put the question to the agency that got me the letter of invitation. Will wait to see what they suggest.
Cheers. |
We recently got our multi entrance business visa and we put down the address of the inviting organization as directed by our LOI supplier. This worked fine and we are set to go!
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Russia Multiple Entry Vias -Help!
Help - have just got off the phone to a visa company in London having been told that all I can get is double entry visa valid for 30 days - this completely destroys the idea of my trip( london -mongolia- japan).
Am a u.k citizen living in London & applying for my visa in London. Obviously I was hoping to be able to get a multiple entry (hopefully business) visa. I understand this can cost a bit more but I'm prepared for that. Have I just been unlucky in the company I spoke to & does anyone have any recommendations? Am not giving up!! |
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https://realrussia.co.uk/Visas/Russian/Business See with them, I used them 3 times for biz visas with no issues for husband and myself. Cheers, |
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If your trip is not absolutely imminent, I suggest that you get a single or double visa, take a cheap flight for some sightseeing in St Petersburg or such, then use its presence in your passport to re-apply for a time-based multivisa. |
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You just need a invitation from the FMS then, and it depends on your visa agency if they can get that. |
The first ever visa I had for Russia was a business visa, multi entry, for one year. I had never been there before and had no difficulty getting it, other than the price. Same for husband. Me on a French passport, him on a british one.
Call Real Russia, they do that everyday and should be able to advise you. They are very helpful and cheaper than other agents. We were both contractors ( I.e. self employed) but this was no issue, they only asked to show enough cash in the bank. |
Same for me
3 times I got Russin business visa without been there the year before. And the first time I was never in Russia before. No problem at all. Got in in Austria from a visa agency. |
The Russian Emabassy in Brussels and the connected visa-central gave us other information. We had applied for multi-entry 1yr business visa, but were given only double entry 90 days business visa. Their explanation from both was that it was because we hadn't visited Russia before. Since we didn't need more at the time I didn't push the subject.
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I know many who got the 1 year multi entry for the first time. In different countries.
The point is, when you go to the embassy and their visa center, thats what happens. This is why it is always smart to pay a little bit more and use a good visa agency. When they can organise the invitation from FMS, you get a Multi entry business visa for the first time. |
I am also currently applying for a 1 year, multiple entry visa ( but valid for 3 months in Russia). French passport.
I was about to do it on my own as usual but a short call to my local Russian consulate/affiliated visa office really put me off... To play it safe I decided to go through a reliable private visa agency. More expensive but they know their stuff. I went to Russia for one month on a regular tourist visa 3 years ago but the agency said it didn't matter. Nor did the fact that I had never gotten a business visa prior to this one. They took care of the invitation and even of the insurance. L. |
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