Russian Visa Application: Basic Steps
>> Saturday, 26 December 2009
Step 1: What is a Russian Visa?
A visa to the Russian Federation is a document, permitting stay in Russia for a specific period of time. A visa lists entry/exit dates, your vital information, passport details, and has two photos stapled to it. Please note, that your Russian visa is an exit permit just like it’s an entry permit: if you lose it or stay over your designated departure date, leaving the country could be more troublesome than entering it.
Requirements For Foreign Citizens to Enter Russia:
1. Passport must be valid 6 months beyond intended stay
2. Tickets and Documents for return or onward travel
3. Russian Visa
4. No vaccinations required
Step 2: Choose a Visa Type
a) Russian Tourist Visa (recommended)
This visa type is issued to tourists who have booked accommodation in Russia for non-business reason. Tourist visas are issued for a maximum of 14-30 days. A tourist visa is best when you know exactly where and how long you will be staying without diverting from your planned itinerary. For a tourist visa to Russia, you must have confirmed accommodations or transit information for every night of your stay in the country.
b) Russian Private or Homestay Visa
If the purpose of your trip to Russia is to visit friends or relatives you can apply for a homestay or visitors visa. This type of visa allows you to stay in the Russian Federation for up to 90 days. Friends or relatives who will host you during your Russian visit will need to obtain a visa invitation for you from a local OVIR (office of visas and registrations). This official invitation will need to be mailed to you. Russian Consulates worldwide accept only original OVIR invitations.
Step 3: Obtaining Visa Support (Invitation)
a) Tourist Visa Support
To obtain a tourist visa, you need to have a tourist invitation. The tourist invitation comprises a tourist voucher and a tourist reservation confirmation, sometimes these two documents can be united in one. Most consulates accept copies of the tourist invitation. So you can receive it by fax or e-mail (scanned copy or pdf. format) and bring it to the consulate.
When filling in the visa application form after you've received your invitation be certain to ensure that the application the same data as the invitation: the name of the inviting travel agency, the purpose of the trip, the visa dates, the cities you will visit.
How to obtain the tourist invitation?option #1: Invitation issued by hotels upon booking
Most hotels offer visa support (some for free, others may charge you for the service). Since most of the juniors are staying for their summer attachments, this might be a wiser option. Quite contrary to the popular belief, there are some affordable accommodations in Moscow. We have made some researches, and we recommend you to check out these links: http://www.godzillashostel.com/ (many seniors booked this hostel last year)
http://www.apartmentsmoscow.com/
http://www.budgetmoscow.com/hotels/
*we will update you on the recommended accomodations from time to time
option #2: Invitation issued by travel agency in Malaysia
If you decide not to stay at a hotel, and prefer our Dom 39 instead, you/your parents could get in touch with a travel agent in Malaysia. The agency collaborates with the Russian Embassy in KL and will settle everything for you (invitation+visa) for RM550 per passport (or RM750 for 3 day processing).
Required: Original passport and 2 photos.
Global Holidays Sdn. Bhd.
Lot 2.46 - 2.48, 2nd Floor, Wisma Cosway
88, Jalan Raja Chulan
50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel : (603) 2142 3233 (ask for En. Azmi or En. Lokman)
Fax : (603) 2148 9078 / 2141 2860
E-mail : global@globalmy.com.my
option #3: Apply through an agent in Moscow (recommended by our seniors)
The standard price for Invitations are USD30 (next-day processing) and USD45 (same-day processing). But since our guests are big in number, they will give us some discounts, as they did with our seniors.
We have spoken to Ms. Ivanova from Intelservice Center this week and apparently there has been some changes to the rulings. In the past there were cases of violations of Tourist Visa regulations (e.g. foreigners working in Russia on a tourist visa) so they might require you to produce a document confirming your relationship with your guests (family member/friend). For this matter we can try to ask the embassy to issue a letter or some sort of support documentations.
However, the agency said that it is too early to confirm anything because the rules are constantly changing (typical Russia). Based on the present rulings they say that they can arrange the invitation without requiring us to book the accomodations (i.e parents can stay at Hostel Dom 39). The earliest that we can confirm about all the procedures is in April.
Intelservice Center
29 Leninsky pr., s. 401-408,
Moscow, 119991 Russia
Phone: +7-495-956-4422
Fax: +7-495-956-2244
E-mail: info@intelservice.ru
option #4: Apply for tourist invitation online. [click here]
You can apply for an invitation/group invitation (minimum of 2 persons, maximum 9) via WayToRussia.net (a partner of IntelService Center) [click here]
- The price is $30 US (€21) for next working day processing and $45 US (€31.5) for the same working day processing.
- With the visa support obtained through this site, you will not be tied to any hotel reservations or any specific dates. You are free to travel anywhere in Russia within the dates of your visa validity.
- A special letter from a travel agent is NOT required by the Russian consulates if you get your invitation through this site.
- You can pay online for immediate processing (Visa, MC, AmEx, Diners are accepted) or with a bank transfer, cash, or credit card over the phone or fax.
- Your application is processed by our partner company, which is registered and licensed by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MID) and Interior Affairs Ministry (MVD).
- The visa support documents will be sent to you by e-mail or fax and you will be provided your own unique order reference number and a personal manager in case you have any questions about your order.
- The visa registration will be provided by the hotel(s) you stay in.
b) Private Visa Support
For this option, your guests will stay in hostel Dom 39 and the invitation process is done by our university.
our representatives have spoken to our Dean, Mr Bespaliuk about this and the details are as follows:
- your guest must have a passport valid for at least 1 and 1/2 years
- 2 photos (as usual, матовая)
- there must be a documentation confirming your relationship with your guest (we will try to confirm with the embassy if it is possible to get them to issue a letter, and Bespaliuk said that it is only possible for family members)
- the invitation is valid for 3 months (means the earliest we can do the invitation is April)
- the process takes 2 weeks (so they say)
- the payment is 200roubles (as usual, квитанция to the bank)
- the Visa is ONLY SINGLE ENTRY
- you have to send the ORIGINAL COPY OF THE INVITATION to Malaysia by courier.
Step 4: Obtaining the Visa
This step requires your parents/guests to go to the Russian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
a) Tourist Visa
The following documents should be submitted to the Russian embassy to obtain a Tourist Visa:
- Original passport with at least 2 blank visa-designated pages (passport must be valid for at least 6 months after intended departure date from Russia)
- 2 copies of Russian visa application form, completed and signed
- 2 passport-size photos signed on the back
- Confirmation of hotel arrangements from authorized Russian travel company/Russian hotel, showing reference number and confirmation number (=tourist invitation)
b) Private Visa
The following documents should be submitted to the Russian Embassy or Consulate to obtain a Private Visa (Homestay Visa) to enter Russia:
- Original passport with at least 2 blank visa-designated pages (passport must be valid for at least 6 months after intended departure date from Russia).
- Two copies of Russian visa application form, completed and signed.
- Two passport-size photos signed on the back.
- Visa entitlement certificate (IZVESHENIYE) from the local OVIR in Russia. (= the invitation letter from the University)
How much do the Visas cost?
the cost varies according to:
- single-entry visa (e.g. KL-Moscow-KL)
- double-entry visa (e.g. KL-Moscow-Europe-Moscow-KL)
- length of processing (the quicker, the more expensive)
1. Double-entry visa
- express processing (1 working day) = RM385
- 3 working days = RM 295
- 7 working days = RM 211
2. Single-entry visa
- 7 working days = RM 123
*these prices are according to our seniors, we have yet to confirm the current price (should there be any increment) for Tourist Visas as well as the Private Visa. we will update as soon as we get the info.
after reading this post thoroughly and weighing all the options, you can start planning with your guests. if you have any questions, doubts, suggestions or valuable information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the committee members. we will update the information from time to time.
N.B. the job of the committee is only to provide necessary information, options and recommendations. we will be helping with the procedures with the university/agency later on, other than that your parents/guests are subjected to your own responsibility so read everything carefully and choose the best options for their trip. make it worthwhile for them.
Read more...
