happynspirited
|
Have fun...I've done this before and it's a bloody nightmare! You can go through an agency but they charge you loads, so I ended up doing it myself for about 10% of the cost.
Step One: before you can apply for a visa, you need an invitation from a Russian tourist organisation. Don't ask me why, but you do. I think it cost me $40US. Generally at least one person who works in these agencies speak English, which is helpful!
Step Two: Wait up to 4 weeks for this to come through.
Step Three: Buy your travel insurance. You can't apply for the visa unless you have it, and typically the visa will take just a bit longer than the cancellation window on your insurance, leaving you sweating at the thought of losing the money.
Step Four: Send everything away to the Russian consulate (with the online forms), complete with a self-addressed proof of postage packet that they can send your passport back to you in, or it comes back to you second-class!
Step Five: Wait a maximum of four weeks until it comes through. The whole process took me about six weeks I think in total.
You also have to know the exact places where you will travelling, as well as the address of where you will be staying. If you are found in a place not written on your visa, you can be fined. Also, make sure that you validate your visa within 3 days of entry, if you're staying in a hotel then they will do this for you (albeit probably for a charge). Again, if you're caught not having done it you can run into all sorts of problems, and (apparently) can also be refused exit out of the country until it's been done!
Once you've got it, you can have fun learning how to spell your name in Russian...(though if you're fluent then this shouldn't be a problem!). If you're going for one month, then you need a tourist visa. If you're going for longer, then you need a business visa, which as far as I could see was no different except you stay for longer. I have to say, I regard managing to get the visa on my own one of my major accomplishments in life!
Good luck, and if in doubt, buy the Lonely Planet guide to Russia which is pretty good. And have fun, it's a pretty amazing country, the first I've been to that seems to have bypassed the European influence.
By the way, I have just looked on the net and things have changed slightly since I went there, follow the link 'way to Russia' below. |
News
Travel Topics
Travel Forum Travel Directories
Dictionary 
Travel
Forum 
Europe 
No Spam
Adult 
Gambling
Unfinished
Deception
Plagiarism
Not English
