I would like to marry my Russian girlfriend in her home city of Krasnoyarsk in Russia. It seems that I must first go to Moscow and fill out a Marriage Letter affidavit and have it notorized at the US Embassy. Then I have to take this letter to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be authenticated, which takes 5 days.

Then I have to go to Krasnoyarsk to file for a marriage at the Palace of Marriage (ZAGS) and then wait 32 days to get married. Can I get a waiver of the 32 days wait period to get married?

This whole process seems like a lot to do, and a long time to do it, for a marriage in Russia. Not to mention, very expensive! This brings up my next question...can i get a Russian visa for more than 30 days? Does my girlfriend have to sponsor me?

Also can anyone tell me if I can expedite this whole marriage process, and how to do so? Such as...Is there a way to do everything from Krasnoyarsk?

Or can I get the Marriage Letter affidavit taken care of in the USA through the US State Department and the Russian Embassy in Washington, DC? This would eliminate the extra trip to Moscow.

I have a feeling this does not have to be so difficult. I'm hoping some "veterans" of Russian marriiage can help me.

Any help, advice or information is greatly appreciated!

Ah, I love multipart questions. I'll add this to the FAQ (also, this was answered by Sat last week).

The short answer is get married in the US.

The waiver for 32 days is possible, but like everything in Russia it depends. Pregnancy is an excuse, being not Russian is also a valid excuse.

In general, it will be easier to translate and apostille documents in the US, compared to doing it in Russia.

As for the visa, you can get a 90 day homestay almost for free. You girlfriend would need to get this for you. You can also get a 3 month, 6 month, or 1 year business visa. These are expensive, but easy to deal with.

Did you read:
http://vladivostok.usconsulate.gov/wwwhacsmarryrus.html
In your previous thread:
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=80297
Anyway, if you did, then here is some helpful language from that website:
"The U.S. Consulate General can neither translate nor legalize U.S. documents and translations for use in Russia."
Next read:
"To obtain an apostille on documents notarized in the U.S. (including civil records), you must apply to the Secretary of State of the state in which the document was notarized. The Secretary of State's office will verify the notary public's or other notarizing official's signature by placing an apostille on the document. If you were not married before ZAGS might ask you to provide a certificate that no impediment exists to the marriage. The United States does not require such a document. If such a document is requested, you need to prepare an affidavit with basic biographical information about you and your fiancé. The information should be in both English and Russian. It is important that the Russian transliteration of your name be identical to that on your Russian visa and that all information pertaining to your Russian fiancé be correct and accurate. Your affidavit should be apostilled in the U.S."
This affidavit does not have to be made in Russia and notarized by the embassy. It can be made in Russia to simplify things and notarized by a Russian notary. Or you can do it in the US and go through the appostile process.

In the previous thread, see above, Russ answered this question for you:
And the website also answers this question for you:
"Contact your local ZAGS office for exact information. In most cases the process can be accelerated if the fiancé is pregnant."

Yes, private visa (90 days) and Business Visa up to 1 year.

Yes for the private visa, no for the business visa. But based on my experience the business visa is going to cost you several more hundred dollars than the private, because you have to pay some third party to make an invitation for you, whereas the private visa can be done entirely by your fiancée for under $25, granted lots of paperwork and at least 8 weeks of time.

Have your fiancée work with Russian officials. Have her visit the local ZAGS. Find out what THERE requirements are. And then you will know your answer.

Most of veterans chose the easier path of marrying in the US through a K1.

I was married to a woman from Krasnoyarsk. Though, we didnt get married there. An immigration lawyer told me that it would be more difficult to marry there so we married in U.S. best of luck to you. Krasnoyarsk is a great city. Its very beautiful in the winter, though extremely cold.

The entire marriage process for Ksenia and I took less than a week. We were in and out of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow within 30 minutes. The guys at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had our paperwork completed in 3 days simply on Ksenia's asking them to expedite it. I think your girlfriend should go and talk to the person at her local ZAGS office and try to create a relationship with them while she gathers information. It seems to me that you should be able to accomplish what you need to do without going to Moscow, but your girlfriend should be able to find out for certain. By the way, Ksenia was not pregnant. I think we were able to get the 30 days waived due to the term of my visa, but I do not remember for sure. Also, you can call or e-mail the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and ask them about all this.

Best of luck to you.