travel to russia

[sereia 0]

Thanks for the heads up. I won't be going with my SO.... I wonder if a Moroccan passport holder could even get a visa to go there anyway?

[slim 1,514]

I'm sure they could although I'm not sure how to check other than calling one of the visa service companies. There'd be a fee, of course.

Have fun!

[eekee 182]

http://www.visahouse.com/russian-consulates.asp?CountryID=MA

[Nasturtium 500]

Thanks for the heads up. I won't be going with my SO.... I wonder if a Moroccan passport holder could even get a visa to go there anyway?

Yay! You are so going to have to e-mail me when you go so I know you got there OK. See, this forum is pretty nice. Glad you got good responses that were super helpful. I'm leaving for Chicago this morning but I will call you and find out what you decided this next week (you'll still be here, right?). And you know, something tells me no on him getting a visa to go to Russia, unless Russia has some kind of unique situation visa-wise. I remember checking out all the countires for Jordan and finding like 10 that Ammar could go to without a lengthy visa process that was inevitably going to be denied, and they were basically all ME except Columbia.

Yay Russia forum!

[bobb 0]

I've used Travel Visa Pro twice and had good results. You mention St Petersburg.

A suggestion: Look for an apartment - cheaper and more flexible than hotel if you plan on staying in Petersburg the entire time. The company I rented from was Oksanas - Oksanas.net. Just do a web search and you'll find it. They will register your visa for $35 if I remember correctly. The site also has great links on history of Petersburg and what to see and do around the city. They will meet you at airport or train station and take you directly to apartment - for a cheaper rate than you could find on your own.

When I sent my visa app to Travel Visa Pro I just indicated where I was going as they, for purposes of obtaining the visa, took care of the invitation part. Once in St Petersburg I had Oksanas register my passport. Simple and fast.

Travel Visa Pro cost $189 and they send you a $10 off coupon if you use them again and a $15 off coupon for someone you refer to them, when they send you your passport back with the visa.

Edited May 14, 2009 by bobb

[eekee 182]

I've used Travel Visa Pro twice and had good results. You mention St Petersburg.

A suggestion: Look for an apartment - cheaper and more flexible than hotel if you plan on staying in Petersburg the entire time. The company I rented from was Oksanas - Oksanas.net. Just do a web search and you'll find it. They will register your visa for $35 if I remember correctly. The site also has great links on history of Petersburg and what to see and do around the city. They will meet you at airport or train station and take you directly to apartment - for a cheaper rate than you could find on your own.

When I sent my visa app to Travel Visa Pro I just indicated where I was going as they, for purposes of obtaining the visa, took care of the invitation part. Once in St Petersburg I had Oksanas register my passport. Simple and fast.

Travel Visa Pro cost $189 and they send you a $10 off coupon if you use them again and a $15 off coupon for someone you refer to them, when they send you your passport back with the visa.

189$ including visa fees, or would you also have to pay the consulate fees?

[bobb 0]

189$ including visa fees, or would you also have to pay the consulate fees?

$189 covers everything but postage both ways. My last trip was $179 with my $10 off coupon. They are located in SF and are operated by former Russians. I've talked with them on the phone to answer any questions I had about how to fill out the application. I would recommend them highly.

[bobb 0]

Oh...I'll be using them again when I apply for my August trip. I'm just waiting now for my invitation from Luba. If anyone is considering using them send me a PM and I'll send you the referral code for the $15 off which you can use. Never expires. I'll have another coupon sometime in July for someone then.

You can also save some money by sending a return mailer with your address by UPS Ground or FedEx Ground when you send the application in. Your passport will be returned in this. They send you an email when it is received and when they intend to ship back to you. I sent my application and passport by UPS ground because it only takes 2 days from where I live. Your mileage distance from them will increase or decrease the time. Just call UPS or FedEx or search their sites for guaranteed ground shipment times from your location to where you're sending something. Or you can pay their higher fees to have it shipped to you.

[eekee 182]

Oh...I'll be using them again when I apply for my August trip. I'm just waiting now for my invitation from Luba. If anyone is considering using them send me a PM and I'll send you the referral code for the $15 off which you can use. Never expires. I'll have another coupon sometime in July for someone then.

You can also save some money by sending a return mailer with your address by UPS Ground or FedEx Ground when you send the application in. Your passport will be returned in this. They send you an email when it is received and when they intend to ship back to you. I sent my application and passport by UPS ground because it only takes 2 days from where I live. Your mileage distance from them will increase or decrease the time. Just call UPS or FedEx or search their sites for guaranteed ground shipment times from your location to where you're sending something. Or you can pay their higher fees to have it shipped to you.

What about if you prefer to go to the consulate yourself and do the express processing? I don't have a driver's license or a state id, so I don't like to sacrfice my only form of government ID and the only thing that has my birthday on it. I rarely use tourist visas (I get student or work ones most of the time), but just in case...

Edited May 15, 2009 by eekee

[bobb 0]

What about if you prefer to go to the consulate yourself and do the express processing? I don't have a driver's license or a state id, so I don't like to sacrfice my only form of government ID and the only thing that has my birthday on it. I rarely use tourist visas (I get student or work ones most of the time), but just in case...

Go to their site - VisaTravelPro.com and find their phone number and give them a call. If you get the answering machine leave your number and they WILL return you call. I don't know if they do student or work visas.

Have you ever thought of making a photocopy of the biographical pages of your passport in case you lost it? Or, wanted to send it to obtain a visa for Russia? Make a copy of your application so you could show someone why you don't have your original.

When I travel abroad I always make color copies of my passport biographical page and the visa (if needed where I'm going) in case my passport is lost or stolen. I put one in each piece of luggage and another in my carry-on. Although I'm extremely careful with my passport.

Edited May 15, 2009 by bobb

[eekee 182]

What about if you prefer to go to the consulate yourself and do the express processing? I don't have a driver's license or a state id, so I don't like to sacrfice my only form of government ID and the only thing that has my birthday on it. I rarely use tourist visas (I get student or work ones most of the time), but just in case...

Go to their site - VisaTravelPro.com and find their phone number and give them a call. If you get the answering machine leave your number and they WILL return you call. I don't know if they do student or work visas.

Have you ever thought of making a photocopy of the biographical pages of your passport in case you lost it? Or, wanted to send it to obtain a visa for Russia? Make a copy of your application so you could show someone why you don't have your original.

When I travel abroad I always make color copies of my passport biographical page and the visa (if needed where I'm going) in case my passport is lost or stolen. I put one in each piece of luggage and another in my carry-on. Although I'm extremely careful with my passport.

I have copies, but they're generally not accepted for anything, even to check that you're of drinking age in a bar.

Visa services don't do student or work visas because the school or your employer does it for you. They do everything that a service would, except that you have to fill out the visa application yourself, although they will check it for you. I am currently waiting for my invitation for the summer to arrive. Then I just go to the consulate, drop off my documents, grab lunch, and pick up my new visa. But I'm always interested in visa services for the future.

Edited May 15, 2009 by eekee

[am-expat 0]

This thread has a lot of misinformation.

A few notes: Visa services work in the gray area of visa processing. They buy invitations from willing hotels or tour operators for fake reservations. Technically it is not legal but it is done a lot. GoToRussia.com has a poor customer service record, I used them often enough to get burned. Many visitors I've met ran into the same problems, expensive to correct problems. I suggest using one located in the same city as the consulate for your region. Contact the consulate for their recommendation, the one that pays them a commission for every visa application referred to them. The best and most honest way is to book with a hotel or tour operator who is authorized to host foreign visitors and issue visa invitations themselves. If you book with a legitimate hotel or tour operator, they will send all that is needed for free. The ones that are able to issue the visa invitation is shown by whether they have a Federal Registration Number, MBT. If they do not have one, they have to buy the invitation from one that does. Your host of record is really responsible you for your registration, it is not your responsibility, that law changes 2 years ago. You need to know who is sponsoring you, if you get it from a visa service they might not tell you but it is the only entity which can straighten out problems if you have any with your visa/invitation.

No, cruise passenger visa waivers would not work, the requirement of the authorized tour operator supervising the visitor any time they off the ship would ruin that option for general tourism. It is good for 72 hours or less and only applies to St Petersburg and one port in far east Russia.

You can rent an apartment, there are many much cheaper than Oxana for example http://www.introbyirina.com/ Irina is nicer also.

Mini-hotels are relatively inexpensive except during peak summer.

If you use Russian tour operator(one licensed in Russia) or a hotel the whole process is very easy and cheaper than using under the table visa services. But some consulates no longer accept applications by mail or FedEx, and instead refer you to a visa application service to hand carry it in.

St Petersburg is by far the most tourist friendly city in Russia and easy to explore without knowing the language. As a major help, memorize the Cyrillic Alphabet on the plane over, you can sound out many words on signs on which many words will be easily recognized as being based on English, or Latin based languages.

Be forewarned, St Petersburg is a very expensive city for visitors and locals alike. Some items are very reasonable however, such as transportation and medical services. Few cities in the world are so interesting or beautiful.

Edited May 30, 2009 by am-expat

[slim 1,514]

Keep in mind this is for a person with ZERO Russia experience. The only way for someone who knows ZERO Cyrillic and ZERO about "the way it works in Russia" is to book through some type of agency, otherwise they will end up with ZERO dollars.

[bobb 0]

Be forewarned, St Petersburg is a very expensive city for visitors and locals alike.

As with everywhere you can reduce your costs with a little common sense and research before going. Rent an apartment in St Petersburg. Then you will have a kitchen and you can buy food at much lower prices than eating out ALL the time. St Petersburg is very easy to walk around and the metro and buses will get you anywhere else you need to go at next to nothing. When I went in October 2008 me and Luba spent less than $400 on food for 10 days. We ate out at least once each day.

Edited June 3, 2009 by bobb

[eekee 182]

Be forewarned, St Petersburg is a very expensive city for visitors and locals alike.

As with everywhere you can reduce your costs with a little common sense and research before going. Rent an apartment in St Petersburg. Then you will have a kitchen and you can buy food at much lower prices than eating out ALL the time. St Petersburg is very easy to walk around and the metro and buses will get you anywhere else you need to go at next to nothing. When I went in October 2008 me and Luba spent less than $400 on food for 10 days. We ate out at least once each day.

400$? You must have been eating like a king!