Tourist visa question

[dardislake 0]

Hello - does it matter which US consulate office I send my Tourist Visa application to? If not, any recommendations? Thanks

[dardislake 0]

...I should have said, which Russian consulate office in the US....

[eekee 182]

It's regional. If you're in the Northeast, NY. If you're on the West Coast, SF. Don't know the rest.

[Used to be broken 143]

Hello - does it matter which US consulate office I send my Tourist Visa application to? If not, any recommendations? Thanks

You should go on their website last time I looked it involved a fee service agency and if I recall correctly it was region specific

[elya 17]

the map is here. http://www.russianembassy.org/Embassy_eng/Consulate/consulates_us.html

It looks like you might be in the Seattle (yellow) region. I have had numerous great experiences with red star travel (travel2russia.com) getting tourist and/or business invitations and visas.

Also, I looked at some of your earlier threads. There's a great new development that I wasn't aware of until two of my Russian citizen friends took their American husbands on visits to Russia this year - you don't need an official invitation from OVIR anymore if you are the spouse of a Russian citizen permanently residing in the U.S.

Official information on that is here: http://www.netconsul.org/private(homestay)/

Scroll down to "Private (homestay) visa for an immediate family member (husband, wife, minor child) of the Russian citizen with U.S. residency (type 2)"

[slim 1,514]

Sweet!

I guess next time I go it'll be a homestay visa.

[eekee 182]

Some more good news: I dropped off my registration stuff today and they told me it was now free. You also now have a week to register. I don't know if it is free for tourist or homestay visas though.

[slim 1,514]

We're getting there. Maybe someday we will have free visas or VWP status!

[dardislake 0]

Very nice Elya - thank you so much!

[elya 17]

enjoy your trip!