Help with sending documents to Sochi

[irish44 0]

Hi Folks.. Happy Easter!

Since I have more than a month, I was going to send documents to Tanya USPS Global Express in Cyrillic.

I need a little help with translating into the format that Slim suggested in the post below please:

"RUSSIA/РОССИЯ

682640 (or whatever your sweety's postal code in Russia is)

Хабаровский Край (Name of Region/Krai/Oblast)

Амурск - Пушкинская ул 24 Д 95 Кв (City/Oblast/Metro stop if applicable, Street, House #, Apt. #)

Шарапове Марие Н (Your sweety's name.... (in the dative case! Don't worry about that!))

(07) 4214-238-436 (Your sweety's mobile or home phone number. Maybe most important!)"

I believe Sochi is in Krasnodar Krai

Her fullname is Tatiana V. Rebenok

Her address is: 5 "B" Titov St. Apt. 9

Thanks again!

[slim 1,514]

RUSSIA/РОССИЯ

(INSERT POSTAL CODE HERE, ALL NUMBERS)

Краснодарий Край

Сочи - Титов ул. 5Б Д. 9 Кв.

Ребенокове Татяне В.

(PHONE NUMBER HERE, ALL NUMBERS)

I don't know if that's 100% accurate, I just transliterated from what you provided. You may have to google search the exact spellings. (Or wait for someone with a degree in Russian languge..... or someone that's actually Russian, ahem!..... to get on here.) However, if you're trying to send it off today, that should get you by.

And.... LEARN SOME CYRILLIC ALREADY!!! You're wife is going to learn English, learn some Cyrillic. You don't have to be fluent in Russian, but it's nice to be able to read places on the map and understand basic menu items, etc. It's a survival skill that can't be understated. DO IT!!!

Good luck getting all that to her. And just in case, make copies and prepare a 2nd "kit" just in case that one doesn't make it in the next month or so. If worst comes to worst, you can FedEx or DHL (for a million bucks) the back-up kit.

[slim 1,514]

Just noticed her last name is Rebenok (not Rebenokova?) if so, maybe just stop at the K instead of putting the OBE in there. Or, just write her whole name in English.

I don't know how particular she'll be about her name. Don't want you to end up in the dog house! (I could use some company though.)

[mox 298]

And.... LEARN SOME CYRILLIC ALREADY!!! You're wife is going to learn English, learn some Cyrillic. You don't have to be fluent in Russian, but it's nice to be able to read places on the map and understand basic menu items, etc. It's a survival skill that can't be understated. DO IT!!!

Agreed. Just learning Cyrillic will take you almost no time at all. Invest a couple hours a day over a couple weekends and you'll have it. Learning to pronounce some of the letters correctly will take a little longer, but your girl will teach you.

Just noticed her last name is Rebenok (not Rebenokova?) if so, maybe just stop at the K instead of putting the OBE in there. Or, just write her whole name in English.

That struck me as unusual too. Are you sure there's not an "a" on the end of her name she's not telling you about, Irish?

[Satellite 1]

Just send your fiancée an email asking her to write her address in Russian for you. Why break your head on this, especially if there is some strange local variation to her address.

[irish44 0]

Thanks all for your advice!

[Don E 0]

FWIW, I'll relate my experience......

At first, I was under the impression that letters to Russia should be addressed in Russian (Cyrillic alphabet), but I no longer believe that to be necessary. Over the years, I've sent alot of letters and packages to addresses in four different Russian cities using USPS, UPS, and Fedex. I've addressed these only in English, and I've had 100% success in the letters and packages getting to the intended recipient. As far as I can tell, there have been no delays because the addresses were only in English. Maybe I've just been very fortunate, but that's my personal experience. Maybe Russian postal workers have cursed the arrogant American who expects his letters and packages to be delivered without the consideration of using the native language for addressing, but I've never heard those curses , and the letters and packages were always delivered (intact).

Your mileage may vary......

[mox 298]

After having lost a couple packages in the mail, I started taking to writing her address and phone number in Cyrillic on all 4 sides of the package. Then I went to the post office, and watched a postal worker proceed to cover every single side that I'd written her address with a USPS sticker. Despite my protests they said it would confuse the postal workers. Seriously. So now I've taken to also writing it on the bottom of the package.

[visaveteran1 33]

After having lost a couple packages in the mail, I started taking to writing her address and phone number in Cyrillic on all 4 sides of the package. Then I went to the post office, and watched a postal worker proceed to cover every single side that I'd written her address with a USPS sticker. Despite my protests they said it would confuse the postal workers. Seriously. So now I've taken to also writing it on the bottom of the package.

I agree that it's easier to go with an English address. I've sent lots of greeting cards and a DHL package and they always showed up. The NVC sends letters like the the assignment of agent form (CR-1) to Russia in English including the letter and forms. By attempting to use Cyrillic, I think there's too much room for errors.

[mox 298]

By attempting to use Cyrillic, I think there's too much room for errors.

Well...140 million people can't be all wrong. The problem with the Russian posta is not the language, it's the reliability. And by "reliability" I mean the criminals who work there.

[Okiebollweevil 0]

Hi Folks.. Happy Easter!

Since I have more than a month, I was going to send documents to Tanya USPS Global Express in Cyrillic.

I need a little help with translating into the format that Slim suggested in the post below please:

"RUSSIA/РОССИЯ

682640 (or whatever your sweety's postal code in Russia is)

Хабаровский Край (Name of Region/Krai/Oblast)

Амурск - Пушкинская ул 24 Д 95 Кв (City/Oblast/Metro stop if applicable, Street, House #, Apt. #)

Шарапове Марие Н (Your sweety's name.... (in the dative case! Don't worry about that!))

(07) 4214-238-436 (Your sweety's mobile or home phone number. Maybe most important!)"

I believe Sochi is in Krasnodar Krai

Her fullname is Tatiana V. Rebenok

Her address is: 5 "B" Titov St. Apt. 9

Thanks again!

I wrote the name and address in both English and Russian and it worked fine. Do not be misled by the postal service and how quickly your package should arrive. I would spend the extra money on DSL or Fed Ex and transmit documents via them, especially documents that are important or may be necessary for interview or other purposes. Over 4 years of sending and receiving packages to and from Russia we have found out that US packages via the postal services are notoriously slow, yet the packages sent from Russia arrive fairly quickly. If the postal service is bad in Sochi, your fiancee may have a wait or make many trips to the post office to get the package you sent. Moreover, in Sochi international packages may not be picked up at the local post office, but at a special post office designated for packages of that nature, which is what happens in my wife's hometown. Don't experience the grief we have had over slow packages from the states, go with a courier service. And if you try to track a USPS package, it only works through US borders, not very well overseas. The courier services on the other hand should be able to tell you where the package is at any given time. Might drop a line to Bobalouie I think his fiancee is from Sochi also.

[mox 298]

I wrote the name and address in both English and Russian and it worked fine. Do not be misled by the postal service and how quickly your package should arrive. I would spend the extra money on DSL or Fed Ex and transmit documents via them, especially documents that are important or may be necessary for interview or other purposes. Over 4 years of sending and receiving packages to and from Russia we have found out that US packages via the postal services are notoriously slow, yet the packages sent from Russia arrive fairly quickly. If the postal service is bad in Sochi, your fiancee may have a wait or make many trips to the post office to get the package you sent. Moreover, in Sochi international packages may not be picked up at the local post office, but at a special post office designated for packages of that nature, which is what happens in my wife's hometown. Don't experience the grief we have had over slow packages from the states, go with a courier service. And if you try to track a USPS package, it only works through US borders, not very well overseas. The courier services on the other hand should be able to tell you where the package is at any given time. Might drop a line to Bobalouie I think his fiancee is from Sochi also.

If shipping via DHL, be prepared for sticker shock. A document package will run you around $120-$150 for 3-day delivery (3-day is the only option). FedEx is even more expensive, and last time I checked takes at least a week.

[visaveteran1 33]

By attempting to use Cyrillic, I think there's too much room for errors.

Well...140 million people can't be all wrong. The problem with the Russian posta is not the language, it's the reliability. And by "reliability" I mean the criminals who work there.

Yes...your right about that. I've never even seen locks on the Russian apartment building post boxes and most look like the won't even close.

[mox 298]

Yes...your right about that. I've never even seen locks on the Russian apartment building post boxes and most look like the won't even close.

LOL...the implication I suppose is that if it is delivered then there must be nothing of importance in it. Has a certain twisted logic to it I guess. Это Россия.

Edited March 22, 2008 by mox

[Neonred 3,461]

I wrote the name and address in both English and Russian and it worked fine. Do not be misled by the postal service and how quickly your package should arrive. I would spend the extra money on DSL or Fed Ex and transmit documents via them, especially documents that are important or may be necessary for interview or other purposes. Over 4 years of sending and receiving packages to and from Russia we have found out that US packages via the postal services are notoriously slow, yet the packages sent from Russia arrive fairly quickly. If the postal service is bad in Sochi, your fiancee may have a wait or make many trips to the post office to get the package you sent. Moreover, in Sochi international packages may not be picked up at the local post office, but at a special post office designated for packages of that nature, which is what happens in my wife's hometown. Don't experience the grief we have had over slow packages from the states, go with a courier service. And if you try to track a USPS package, it only works through US borders, not very well overseas. The courier services on the other hand should be able to tell you where the package is at any given time. Might drop a line to Bobalouie I think his fiancee is from Sochi also.

If shipping via DHL, be prepared for sticker shock. A document package will run you around $120-$150 for 3-day delivery (3-day is the only option). FedEx is even more expensive, and last time I checked takes at least a week.

I wrote about this before but it's been a while and some of you were not here then so I'll tell you about my experience with DHL. Sent 2 document packages to my fiance a few years back and the first one took more than a week, and the second one even longer as it got side tracked and spent some time in Belgium or Italy or some other place. Anyway when I went back and looked at their web site I saw where they "guaranteed" 4 day delivery (I think that's what it was at the time) to Russia. I was a little unhappy so I called them and inquired about the "guarantee" and they took down my info and tracking numbers. Sure enough about a month later I received a FULL REFUND for the total amount of the cost for shipping both document packages which was more than I really expected as they did get delivered, but several days late. As I recall it was about $80 for each package back then.

Maybe if you are lucky, and they still stick to this policy, your packages will be a few days late and cost next to nothing.