And this time I would like to share some information about entry procedure which includes visa requirements and the application process (there are several types).
A letter of invitation, letter of support, hotel voucher/booking and other such documents alone are no longer sufficient to enter Russia. You must apply to the Russian consulate for a visa.
- You can take your visa application and the associated documents to the Consulate directly, or send it by post. If applying by post, please be aware that the minimum turn-around time for returning your visa is three weeks, the Consulates do not handle urgent requests by post, only in person. Always send your passport by a secure postal method such as Royal Mail special delivery.
- You, or someone acting for you, must complete the visa application form however, if someone completes it for you, you must check the details are correct and sign it yourself.
The Russian Consulates will only issue you a visa if all the documents they require are completed correctly and submitted together. They do not provide any help in acquiring any documents you may need, or in completing the application form itself.
- You will need to pay the necessary consular tariff for the service you require. Please note that the Consulate only accepts cash or Postal Orders.
- Certain non UK nationals may have additional tariffs or requirements to fulfil, such as proof of insurance during their trip, so please check with the consulate before applying.
- Details of the current tariffs and rules for visa application in the UK can be found on the Russian Consulate web site. If you are applying to a Consulate outside of the UK, please check with them directly for any local rules.
- You must be in the UK when your visa application is made, in some cases the Consulate may request that you attend an interview.
- The Russian Consulate reserves the right to vary visa processing times and charges without notice.
- When you get your visa, please check that all details are correct, including your dates of validity as airlines and other commercial carriers are obliged by law to ensure that your visa is valid before they will transport you.
- And finally, when you arrive in Russia, if you are staying for more than three working days, don't forget to register your visa.
Registration of visas is a form of migration control within Russia managed by UFMS (Federal Migration Service Organisation). It is not aimed specifically at tourists or business people, rather its general aim is to control illegal immigration from the former Soviet Republics into the Russian Federation, though as the law is all encompassing, foreigners including tourists are also required to register.
Basically, registration involves placing a stamp either in your passport or on your migration card and obtaining a registration slip. The stamps and registration slip show the period you are registered to stay in any one place. In addition to the dates it will also contain the name of the hotel, accommodation or apartment, where you are staying and the name of the sponsor organisation.
Please be aware that the Russian militia often stop people to check their passports and travel documents, especially around train stations, metro stations, bus stations and areas such as the Kremlin so remember to take your passport, migration card and registration slip with you every time you leave your hotel or apartment. There is nothing unusual in this and there is nothing to be worried about if you are stopped, so long as you have registered correctly.
If you are stopped by the Militia for any reason, they will check that you are registered to be in the city / town and that the dates are valid.
And there are many situations on the registration issue and some of them depend on where you travel in Russia. In general UFMS authorities are not very nice at all. This is their nature.
Please, read more about it using the link below
http://www.realrussia.co.uk/visa/register_visas2.asp
And many other details on the application procedure are available on the link as below:
http://www.realrussia.co.uk/applying.asp
All the above is what you have to do when applying for the visas yourself and now please, see what the procedure is when applying with us:
1
When you select the service you want for either a Tourist Visa or Business Visa, we will ask you to fill in a simple online form with details about yourself, your trip and finally you will have the option to pay using your credit or debit card through our secure servers.
2
We will then email, fax or post (depending on your preference) your visa application form to you.
3
You sign the visa application form and send this, along with your passport and a single colour passport photograph to us.
That's it, that's all you have to do!
4
We will generate your visa support documents, complete all the necessary forms and submit your completed visa application to the Russian Consulate. During the processing of your application, we will be on hand to answer any queries the Consulate may have and to ensure that your application is dealt with in a timely and efficient manner.
5
The day your visa is ready we will collect it in person and return this to you using Royal Mail special delivery so you will have it the next business day before 1pm or hold it at our office for your collection.
As we say in Russia - “The best way to estimate is to compare”. And I believe the above information will give you a confidence in choosing the best and easiest way of application.
Since recently the Russian Consulates all around the World have introduced some new regulations applied to non residents. And if the application is in the UK
The Russian consulate in the United Kingdom have a requirement that non-UK nationals should demonstrate that they have been legally resident within the UK for at least 90 days prior to making the visa application.
You must ensure that the home address (and if possible the work / education address) given on the form is in the UK and that you provide the following documents:
1. Your passport with a UK entry stamp showing entry at least 90 days prior.
2. A single recent colour passport photograph.
3. The signed consulate visa application form.
4. In addition, to assist with the 90 day residency requirement you must provide at least one of the following:
1. A copy of a recent bank statement in your name with a UK address.
2. A copy of a recent utility bill in your name with a UK address.
3. A letter from your employer / educational establishment on headed paper stating that you are in full time employment / education, the date that you started and that your employment / education will be effective for more than 90 days. Alternatively you may provide a valid contract of employment or education to this effect.
5. If the applicant for the visa is under 18 years of age please see the following link for additional documents required.
6. Payment (if not paying online).
If you are unable or unsure of which documents to provide, please contact us and we will be happy to help.
And I have just visited some forums about the Russian visa application and a lot of people ask the same question -can I just apply for the Visa Support document as want to go to the consulate myself? -Of course you can and this is what we can help with -just the Visa Support document without the application process as a whole.
When you obtain the visa support from Real Russia you are sure that it is genuine and that our company is available for “back up” if needed when you are in Russia itself.
There are two basic types of visa support documents that we can provide depending upon the purpose and duration of your visa.
These are:
Tourist visa support is provided to people travelling to Russia for tourism or leisure purposes and allows the consulate to process a visa that is valid for a maximum of 30 days and allows for a single or double entry.
Russian business visa support is generally used by people who travel to Russia on official or private business, allows them to travel when and stay where they wish (within the validity of the visa) and allows the consulate to prepare visas for single, double or multiple visits that are valid from between one and twelve months.
There are many people and many stories and it is quite impossible to cover all possible situations in this article and if you still have any questions about the visa application then please, visit our web site for more information www.realrussia.co.uk or you are welcome to contact our visa team for visas@realrussia.co.uk
Thank you, dear reader for your time and interest to my blog!
And my next article will be about the longest rail journey from Moscow to Vladivostok.
TTFN (poka),
Natasha
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