Hi guys and girls.. I made it here one more time and my girls are awsome!
We registered my visa at the post office on Monday.
The girl in the post office had all the necessary papers ready and it took about 30 mintues and was $5.00.
My fiance had to fill out two sets of forms all in Russian.
Note: You will need your passport, visa and migration card.
The girl gave my fiance a paper to keep for herself and then gave me a paper to give to passport control at svo when I leave.
My fiance has to return to the post office when I leave to verify that I have left. I haв to sign nothing and the girl says registration has to be in person.
She went to a computer and notified svo that I had registered and then mailed a copy of everything to Moscow.
Be advised that it now carries a heavy fine and possible retainment if you do not register says the girl at the post office.
I'll try to write more later.
My girls are calling me

bruc

That's interesting bruc, I've always wondered how that worked! On all the many times I've been to Russia I always had my interpreter take care of registering me, and I never really asked her how it worked.

It's so silly! Why didn't all that nonsense with "registering" foreigners who come for a visit and Russian citizens needing to carry internal passports go away when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991?

Anyway have fun bruc with your girls!

What type of visa did you have?

I have a tourist visa...my fiance did have to show her passport and give her address also.
We'll be back in Moscow on Monday and I fly back to Atlanta on Tuesday.
I'll let you know how passport control goes when I get home.
Victory Day was a blast here yesterday in Belgorod Oblast.
Still cold and raining..

bruc

Wow, seems like the process has really changed! Has Russia stepped into the 21st century??? Before you know it, there'll be a computerized system, maybe even a national registry in real-time!

Have fun over there bruc, enjoy your time with your girls. Thanks for posting this and keeping us back here on VJ informed of what's happening. Good luck!!!

If Russia was heading towards the 21st century they would drop the entire registration system.

-- this is russ, I'm using Galina's computer

I ended up getting a tourist visa, and pre-paid to have it registered in Moscow for the month. I just got lazy, mostly. I'll let you all know how it goes.

In the future, I will try to keep a 1-year business vias current.

The girl at the post office did make a comment to us that she thought the visa registration was actually a pain for all that have to do it in Russia..speaking of people like herself...
She also said that it would probably be changed to a more standard type or only one visa to enter Russia...maybe in 5 years.
She was a very nice lady and I was the first for her in the post office. Not many Americans visit Belgorod.
I think Russ did good with his visa and registration but I didn't have that luxery here.
I'm actually pleased with the way it went.
Just remember one thing...I had to be there in person with my fiance. The lady made copies of my passport and migration card and sent those to Moscow.
She says the registration cannot be made on the phone as I had read before.
On a GOOD note for us today...I now have all the necessary LEGAL documents to adopt our little one when the girls get to America...it took almost one year mostly because of a dad she never knew.
I'll file the I-129f when I return home next week.
For all wanting to adopt their little one...do the footwork in Russia before they get to America.
I'll help anyone with how I did my footwork if needed.
We're off to shop till I drop today !

bruc

So you are there adopting. That is cool. My fiancee would like to adopt a child from Russia in a few years. Perhaps when you get back a thread on the subject might be interesting for some of us.

I'm adopting the daughter of my fiance and here finishing-up the legalities before they go to their new home in America.
It's much easier and less expensive doing it here instead of back home.
I'll help anyone with my year long experiences.
Tomorrow we visit the Baby Home Orphanage. I'll post photos on my business web site when I return.

bruce

My wife didn't register when she came to Russia. The visa company she used never said a word to her about it. I wonder if they pre-registered her like Galina? We are getting ready to go back and now she is worried b/c she is getting ready to apply for another visa. Can it be problem??

I think I would be calling the visa company and getting some answers to feel more comfortable about things.
Like my future little daughter and fiance says to me sometimes...this is Russia!...you never know,

bruc

We're headed back to Moscow on the overnight train here in a couple of hours.
I have all the necessary documents I need for the little one so now I feel comfortable filing the I-129f.
I'll do that next week and I'll post about my journey through SVO when I return home.

Give The Gift of Life
Adopt a Child From Russia

bruc

I'm home after a LONG flight from Moscow to Atlanta.
When I went through passport control at SVO my migration card was stamped and so was my registration paper and then she noted it in her computer.
The lady at passport control checked in her computer to match-up everything on my registration paper.She also kept looking at the photo on my passport and then back at me.
When I went through Delta's security check to get into the boarding room I had a coke with me that I had bought after going through customs...drink it all now or throw it in the trash.
The new terminal seems to be going up in a hurry.
I'm off to bed and will give more details later.

bruc

I was watching a show the other day on adoptions from Russia. These American parents were adopting babies from Novokuznetsk, and paying something like $35,000 for the entire process. One family was selling their house, the other woman was using her life savings, and the irony of it was they were so happy to be "saving" these little girls from "God knows what kind of life" that they didn't even realize paying $35,000 for a baby was actually supporting several Russians quite nicely.

My wife and I were watching in amazement, wondering how these people were "saving" the one little girl they chose to adopt, meanwhile turing a blind eye to their translator and all the adoption staff without so much as a second thought about how they managed to overcome the horrible place that is "Siberia" and how they managed to make something of themselves without a "gracious" American benefactor..... and how they managed to take $35,000 from someone and "dispose of" one of their orphans.

Who really needs the help?

This was not doing the necessary research on adoption in Russia but something people should be careful about and pay attention to slim's post.
There are many agencies that are truthful and a lot less money for an adoption in Russia.
I have friends that have adopted from Russia with the cost being in the range of $10,000 excluding travel expenses.
I've done what is called a private adoption and my total cost in Russia was about $2500.00 mostly attorney and court fees in Russia.
I held firm with her old dad, someone she hasn't seen since the age of two nor heard from, and I refused to pay him any money to sign the necessary papers.
When she gets to America and the day her mom and I get married she will automatically becomes my daughter and takes my last name.
My advise to anyone wanting to adopt their fiance's kid is to do the leg work over there before the kids enters the US especially if there's a dad over there.
I've been asked a lot of times..why do you want to adopt this kid...I would have it no other way...I was adopted also by two wonderful and loving parents.
My grown daughters with kids have also decided to adopt a kid from Russia and have already started making the plans to do so.
I'm certain my parents , their grand parents would have been proud of us.

bruc

I don't think that it causes any problem. The fine in the past was 1,000 rbl. It is much higher now (35,000 USD), so I'm being more careful.

I agree, as if there is not enough American orphans who could use our support. I know it is terrible in Russian orphanages, but let's solve our orphan problems right here in the US first.

I've been in and out 4 times on tourist visas without registering, they've never even asked me about it...

I agree, but...my oldest daughter tried to adopt here and since both daughters have boys they wanted a girl...she was basically told you will get what you get and will be on a possible 5 year waiting list and it was more expensive than Russia.
I know a lot of people that have adopted and they also had the same answers from here. They wanted a certain sex so they went to Russia, China and Columbia and Cosa Rica and got what they wanted without all the US red tape and had thir adoptions done in less than 12 months.
I have a doctor friend that has four adopted daughters, 2 from Russia, one from China, and one from Costa Rica. Daughters are what they wanted, it didn't matter where they came from, they wanted four daughters and it was impossible for them to get that here.
I think it's a matter of personal choice, money and time frame.
There are a lot of things that need to be taken care in our country first but sometimes you have to do what you have to do if the odds are against you here.

bruc

Sometimes in my business I have to travel to foreign countries...I try to follow all their visiting rules and my registration "was" checked when I was leaving Moscow yesterday.
My fiance told me a few minutes ago that she went back to the post office where I registered, gave her the paper she had, the girl went to the computer entered something and said everything was fine and she thanked my fiance.
I can't speak for any other cities, visas or persons, but when I return again I will follow the process that Russia ask for at that given time.

bruc

I am not sure if they "pre-registered" me or not, since I also use a visa company. When I studied there, every year the university registered for me. Also they do have that whole 72 hrs thing, which excludes weekends and holidays...Last time I was only in Moscow for 5 days, so there were 2 days with the weekend, plus Victory Day...I wouldn't recommend breaking the rules, but I think it also depends on how long you stay. My visas are always for specific days, and I never stay longer, and am going again in 3 months. If I went to another country I would always follow the rules, that's for sure. But for Boris' wife, I wouldn't worry about not having registered last time, I've used a visa company each time, and have never gotten denied.

One of the biggest reasons people adopt abroad is so they can get a "fresh" child. The possiblity of adopting a child that's less than one-year-old here is next to nothing unless very high dollars (or other children) are involved. There's also the belief held that orphans have "problems" that can't be corrected without a lot of hard work. They want an "unspoiled" child that they can parent into a "natural" member of their family. Most foreign agencies can guarantee a "problem free" child of very young age.

Most adopting parents also wish to avoid the "I want my kid back" that is possible with parents here. 16-year-old gets knocked up, has a kid that she doesn't want, gets two grand from a loving family for the adoption, then 8 years later, she's got her $#it together, tracks down the kid and sues the parents for custody (and sometimes wins.) Most couples don't want to raise a child from infancy to teen, only to have the child forcefully removed from their custody. Overseas adoptions severely limit this possibility, and adopting parents are usually backed by international law barring "birth parents" from regaining custody.

Either way, home or abroad, adoption is awesome, and I agree more should be done to help our orphans here. I truly believe if there were large incentives for adoptions, society would be a better place because kids would be raised in better homes.

Edited: I also believe there should be mandatory licensing programs for childbirth "rights." Free abortions for those that don't wish to have children, and lots of money for those that adopt, with a guarantee the birth parent couldn't regain custody, or even visitation rights, without mutual consent before a certain age. Oh, and why we're at it.... no more "extra" welfare for having more kids! (See licensing requirements.)

Amazing...I talked to a guy last night that also registered his tourist visa at a post office in Russia.
His fiance went through the same process as mine. When he went through passport control leaving he said the lady looked at his registration paper, stamped his passport, put the paper back in his passport and gave it back to him...never checked on the computer like she did me.

bruc