I need some hand holding please.

[dexion]

I am thinking of taking a vacation to Russia in the next few months. I want to go visit a woman I have met online. I was talking to a friend who is from England and he informed me it may take time to get a visa but he was not sure of the relationship with Russia and the US.

What I want to know is how does one get a tourist visa to Russia. specifically I would like to go to Voronezh or there abouts. Could someone tell me how long it takes to get a tourist visa for a 2 week visit? I mean if it will take a month I need to start planning for it early June to make a end of July trip. I am sorry for the hand holding and I am sure this has been asked before, but I am unable to find a search feature.

tia.
dexion

[juio99]

... in response to I need some hand holding please., posted by dexion on May 29, 2002

I heard somewhere that Russia was going to move to the glue in type visa similar to the Ukranian type.  Anyone know anything about this?  The big drawback would be the necessity to mail in your actual passport to get the visa, rather than the much safer current practice that allows you to just mail in a photocopy of the principal pages of your passport.

JR

[BrianN]

... in response to I need some hand holding please., posted by dexion on May 29, 2002

I used:
http://www.travel2russia.com/

Staffed by wonderful russian ladies... and very fast visa service.  They take care of everything, all you have to do is send them a couple of passport photos, (even scanned ones), a copy of your passport, and they'll take care of the rest, including the visa invitation letter.  (The fee for visa invitation is waived if you book your flight through them).

They also got me the best airfare deal on short notice earlier this month to Novosibirsk.

[Rags]

... in response to I need some hand holding please., posted by dexion on May 29, 2002

For your first trip I would suggest that you go through a travel agent/visa broker but you have to have a passport FIRST! This may take up to 4-6 weeks so if you do not have one now, get started TODAY.

P.S.    GO FOR IT...it's a great adventure.

[tfcrew]

... in response to Re: Visas, posted by Rags on May 29, 2002

...at a passport service....with $$$ grease.
If you have your tickets in advance, a passport can be issued in a matter of days...even as soon as 24 hrs.

[juio99]

... in response to I need some hand holding please., posted by dexion on May 29, 2002

Another place that gets a lot of recommendations for helping you secure visa is:

Andrei at Peace Travel Service

www.go-russia.com

[tfcrew]

... in response to I need some hand holding please., posted by dexion on May 29, 2002

I most highly reccomend that you and all other potential visitors, have a visa service walk your passport through (Russian or Ukraine consulates).....Fully documented certified and ...YES...insured. It can't hurt...
Karl

[Philb]

... in response to Ultra Suggestion.....passports and visas, posted by tfcrew on May 29, 2002

The visa service I use no longer requires you to send your actual passport.  You can email a scanned copy or just send them a photocopy.

[tfcrew]

... in response to Sending Passports, posted by Philb on May 30, 2002

How is the visa then legally attached?

[Philb]

... in response to Sounds Good But..., posted by tfcrew on May 30, 2002

I am not sure that I understand what you mean by this.  I have always received the visa via Fedex and just kept it with my passport.  This has never been questioned.

[tfcrew]

... in response to Legally attached, posted by Philb on May 30, 2002

Wants the original. They affix the visa to the passport.
I wish the East would follow the Western European countries and do away with visas !!

[Apk1]

... in response to Legally attached, posted by Philb on May 30, 2002

My tourist visa was always a white paper, with my passport photo on it...folded seperately inside my passport. I always checked for it every time I left the flat while in Russia beacuse you are required to have it on you at all times...passport and visa.

I always wondered what would happen if I missplaced the visa, and how much in bribes I would have to pay to get it replaced....

One thing you have to remember about the tourist visa...you are required to have your passport stamped withen 3 days of your arrival by the agency that invited you. If you stay in a western hotel...no problem, they will stamp it for free for staying with them (if they invited you).
For me, well I broke the rules an bit...I was invited by a Russian travel agency (through my own travel agent) and I stayed in my wifes flat all three times I visited her even though I was not allowed to on a tourist visa. To be invited by your lady requires a long wait for the police to do a background check on you...it takes a month for them to give the invitation, so it was always quicker for me to get the tourist invitation and visa usually withen 3 working days for about $100.

Now I had to bribe a hotel $25 to get my passport stamped,
but that would have been much higher had it not been for my wifes negotations (smile).

[Richard]

... in response to Legally attached, posted by Philb on May 30, 2002

While I have never been to Russia, I am under the impression that a Russian Visa is a separate document that is not permanently attached to the passport because the Russian government retains the visa as one leaves the country.

This is based upon a discussion with fellow travellers last October who were continuing on to Moscow from Amsterdam while I proceeded to Kiev.

[Philb]

... in response to Re: Legally attached, posted by Richard on May 30, 2002

And you are correct, the visa stays in Russia once you leave the country

[juio99]

... in response to Ultra Suggestion.....passports and visas, posted by tfcrew on May 29, 2002

Karl, you say:  "I most highly reccomend that you and all other potential visitors, have a visa service walk your passport through (Russian or Ukraine consulates).....Fully documented certified and ...YES...insured. It can't hurt...
Karl "

Please explain how this 'insured' part works.

e.g. How would this work for the case of Greg below who states his visa had a wrong date (that he apparently didn't notice) and he was fined.  It could have been worse; he could have been denied entry.  So how would the insurance kick in?