Russian Visa, anyone used this websiite?
 

Hi there,

I am an Australian hoping to get a multi-entry tourist visa for Russia. I understand you need a Russian tour company/hotel/hostel to 'sponsor' your stay and give a copy of these details to the Embassy when applying for your visa. During my research I came across this mob: Russian Visa Online, Moscow, Russia. Tourist, Business, Multiple-Entry Travel Russia Visa Support Invitation Services. Russian Federation Visa Requirements, Embassy and Consulate Application Form. Visas to all CIS Countries: Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhs

It appears, for a fee, they can sponsor you for the visa without providing them with a detailed itinerary, i.e. without pre-booking accomodation. My question is has anyone used these people? They still want basic details like which cities you plan to visit, and dates of entry and exit but no hotel bookings. Any thoughts?

Dave.

Hi Dave
 

I used a similar such company in 2009 and got a "tourist invitation" to russia for about €15. Applied for it online and had it within a few minutes. I then sent this with my visa application and other required paperwork to my nearest russian embassy and hey presto got a visa without any pre-booked accomodation. At the border entering russia from latvia i simply gave an approximate plan (very basic) of my stay and expected exit date. Important to remember to register your visa within a day or two, usually hotels do this for free or a small fee. I loved my travels in western russia!:thumbup1:

There is no such thing as a multi-entry tourist visa. Tourist visas are valid for a maximum of 30 days, good for one or two entries. If you need more, you need to get a business visa. You can get 3, 6 or 12 month business visas. 12 month business visas can be multiple entry. It's sometimes also possible to get multi-entry 3 or 6 month visas, but it depends on the individual embassy - contaact them first to find out.

The most important rule to remember is that (with a few exceptions; Hong Kong, Tehran, Trabzon) you can only get a Russian visa in your home country, (or a country where you have the right to reside for more than 90 days - this does not include fellow EU member states if you are European).

The invitation, be it a tourist or business invitation, is a joke. You dont need to have any accommodation bookings / business proposals to get a tourist / business visa. Companies like Apartments St Petersburg Russia Internet Connected & WiFi Wireless , Way to Russia Guide | waytorussia.net can get you an invitation online with no other fuss. It's actually very easy. Usually, for tourist visas, a print-out or photocopy ofthe invitation is sufficient, but for business visas the original invitation is generally requested.

Providing you are applying in your country of origin / residence, getting a Russian visa for up to a year is generally pretty easy. You just need to do your own research and familiarise yourself with what exactly the particular embassy needs from you.

Daniel

I don't know if it has started yet but there was a new regulation being spoken about last year saying you cannot apply for a One Year Multi Entry Visa as your first ever Visa for Russia.

A Visa Agency will clarify.

Dave there are a fair few visa agencies that organise the business visa invitations for you.

I have always used Russian Visa | Visas For Russia | Russian Invitation | Your Way To Visit Russia - Visalink Services and still use them after 12 one-year multiple entry visas back to back ... so they must be doing something right.

Other companies include waytorussia and others.

That regulation came in in late 2007 according to the visa agency I applied to in early 2008. As a result, as a first time visa holder the best I could get was a 3 month double entry business visa.

Hmmm, ...that would put a kink into my travels. I had planned on entering Russia a total of three (3) times on my trip from the US to Germany going west:

1.Vladivostok (Zarubino)
2.Leaving Mongolia (M52)
3.Leaving Kazakhstan (into Russia)

I will be a first time applicant...:( Is that something that's written in stone...?

I have two passports (different nationalities). I guess applying for two (2) Russian visa would invite questions and problems, especially since the bike is registered in the US. Any opinions...?

Thomas (Hi!)

One possibility MIGHT be to first get a single entry visa and cross Poland to Kaliningrad. It should only take a long day from Hamburg so could all be done in a long weekend.
The Kaliningrad borders are quite quick, they took me about 20 minutes each unlike 'mainland' Russia borders on main freight or tourist routes which have taken me up to 4 hours on a bike queue jumping.

That would POSSIBLY get you out of the category of applying for first time visas and you MIGHT then be eligible for a multi entry one year business visa.
This is only a 'try getting round burocracy' thought and I have no knowledge if it would work and straighten your kink!!

A visa agency would know better.

Hey Tony,
yup, that might do the trick. If there are any flights from Hamburg to Kaliningrad, they cannot be that expensive, given the overall cost of the RTW trip. And, I could practice my "smudering" of Russian, just to be humbled...:blush:

I will check with an agency to and report back.

Further question
 

Hi there,

Thanks for the info! This is a great resource. A mate of mine over in Canada at the moment spoke to the Russian Embassy over there and said they required accomodation to be pre-booked and paid for? Any thoughts? Are they being super-pedantic? Anyone had any experience getting a Russian Visa in Canada just with an online invitation? He is Australian FYI but on a visa over there so entitled to stay there longer than 90 days.

Thanks all

Dave

These people might be worth a try:
HOFA

Another phone number here:
Alexei V Kostarev - hofa.ru - PageInsider.com

We used them when my daughter and I on a Ducati and two friends on Harleys toured Ukraine and Russia in 1996.
They were excellent in arranging all the visa papers, even saying I should demand to see the Consul at the Russian embassy in London when my first application (in person) was turned down on some technicality to do with the bikes. And it worked, the Consul sorted it out.

They also arranged some of our accommodation in Russia and Ukraine (but not particularly cheap).

We went again two years later to do a tour by public transport and used them again.

We stayed with Alexei, who started the business, and his family in St Petersburg, and at that time his phone number was 812-275-1992. It might be out of date now but he was always happy to discuss arrangements over the phone.

Regarding the regulations, embassies in different countries seem to operate to different rules. Probably best to enquire at the Russian embassy in your own country first off. But back in those times it was generally agreed that the embassy in Helsinki was the easiest place to get a Russian visa if that was on your route.
At the London embassy there was no need for accommodation bookings, only that your invitation came from a licensed agent or organiser.

I have been going back and forth by email and phone with a Russian Visa Service here in Atlanta, GA / USA. Russian Visa Full Service and Support. Russian Visa Online | go to russia travel, apply for russian visa, visa to russia, visa for russia, go to russia, russia visa, russian tourist visa, russian visa, visa russia, russian visas, russian business vis.

I specifically asked about the limitation of a first time applicant not being able to apply for a multiple entry 12 month business visa. The gentlemen, Dimitri, has not heard about it, nor could he confirm it after checking with his colleague.

Is this a regulation that could possibly apply only to UK citizens? Does anybody have a link making reference to this limitation?

Thanx y'all

On this page there is a reference to the regulation: Click here

The wording that is appropriate on the EU site is:

For EU citizens applying for single or double entry visa with invitation letter containing Individual Tax Number (ИНН) visa processing time is 5 working days.
For EU citizens applying for multiple entries business or humanitarian visa with invitation letter containing Individual Tax Number (ИНН) visa processing time is 10 working days. Applicants should also have a single or double Russian visa in the last 1 year, without which they cannot apply for multiple entries.
For Applicants wishing to travel to some parts of North Caucasus visa processing time is up to 10 working days.

It may be different for other nationalities...

Hey Simon, that clears it up for me and confirms what I was told by my visa agent in Atlanta, GA/USA.

I still have a lot of time until my departure in May 2012. I will go the 12-month multiple-entry route, applying late September of this year. Should something creep up, I'll still have plenty of time to come up with a plan-B.

Thanx for the feed-back :thumbup1:


P.S.: Hey Tony, with this new information, I will skip the May trip to Moscow and save the money for my big trip. This way I can buy you MORE beer and dinner when I come through Moscow in 2012 :biggrin:

We have just obtained our 6 month multi entry visa, having never been to Russia before , we are in the uk . We had to have a letter of invitation but no hotels booked. We went via an agency as it was vital that we had this visa for our RTW trip starting this april .

T Rex we shall be passing through near your location around about April 20th , keep in touch especially whe we get stateside and we can share our little knowledge over a beer !