I know the answer - just wanted a punchy heading :-))
The "No Visa" entry into Ukraine for USA and Europe citz has all but wiped out visiting Russia - Yes ??
Now - question and reason for post !!!
Has anyone here got any updates on this F~~king "invitation letter" that is required to obtain a 30 day Tourist Visa entry into Russia.
Last few years I have transited trough to Kiev, but this year we want to spend a few weeks visiting my wife’s friends and Aunties etc in Russia.
Last time I got a Visa for Russia I applied and got it (no problems) via the Russian Embassy in Kiev.
But this bloody invitation letter is a pain in the arse !!!
It also feels like extortion when you have to pay for something that has no value
Has there been any changes to this totally ridicules part of Visa application and/or has there been any changes to the "pain in the arse" registering process within the 3 days on arrival into Russia. This is major problem, especially when you are hitting Moscow for just 1 day and then heading on to another town etc. Its not just a mtter of walking into a office and them stamping it, but you have to leave your Passport and collect the next day.
Lastly - has anyone got updated ideas or tricks to get this invitation letter other than paying some company $$ for FA !!!!!!!!!!
Sorry no help there Max.
I dont care too much about paying $30 for the invitation but having to register when staying with friends or family is a pain in the arse. Can take a whole afternoon.
I have a worst time trying to get a visa for Ukraine. From NZ it seems , I have to apply through Australia and go through all the hassle. Australia is the only Western embassy still needing invitations and visa to Ukraune. I blame Australia for this. They have obviously messed things up somehow.
Any ideas on the best way of getting a visa and invition for Ukraine when travelling from NZ?
As I think you already know - I travel on a British Passport so don’t need anything to enter Ukraine from NZ.
There is a Ukraine women in Auckland that does Visa applications but she will charge extra, so your best option is via Canberra Embassy. I used that option on my first trip b4 Kiev changed the entry rules and also found out I could get a British Passport because my Papa was born in Scotland.
I don’t recall having to get an invitation letter for Ukraine Visa application ??? Maybe I cant remember it was 6 years ago.
That’s about the same level of validity as Aussies blaming the “Poms” for every ill that ever befell Australia, or Russia blaming America for every financial ill they are/will encounter henceforth.
Maxirat: Invitation letter for Russia is a must, registration within 3 days is a must, registration can be in any city. There have been several posts floating around the net advising this isn’t necessary. I can assure you, it is. The substantial cities all have an appropriate office where you can register your visa, you do NOT need to do so via the police and for me it takes about 15 minutes. You can do it via the police but unless you have your wits about you, most likely you’ll have “A problem” which will require a “Fee” to rectify.
If you are visiting family and friends, why do you not have them apply for the letter? I go through this process every time I travel to Russia and have done for years. Mother-in-law applies, it usually takes a couple of weeks and costs nothing.
The other alternative is simply to locate “Tour Host” connected with a hotel near to where you want to be who provides visa assistance. There is dozens listed around the net and mostly they don’t charge for the letter if you book a hotel through them for a couple of nights. You’ll generally find the hotel can register your visa for you. You might pay a couple of coins for the hotel but in the bigger scheme of things it works out for the best for the one time visitor.
As for this issue diverting the punters to Ukraine rather than Russia, I think you might get a surprise with what you see if you enter via the Moscow airports.
Funny you should mention it, I have never been to Russia, never even attempted to previously, but I have been invited to a business meeting with an airline at Pulkova airport (SPb) and only yesterday and today I have been learning, and going thru, what is required.
I don't want to inconvenience my client by asking them to sponsor me for a business visa so I'm going the tourist visa route. The RU Consulate website says they must have an original copy, not a fax or email copy, ot the Travel Agency invitation (or whatever it's called) and the apartment company I have booked my accommodation with can provide the Tourist Visa Invitation and Voucher for a mere USD28 (ish) and they say that, despite what the consulate website says, they nearly always accept a fax copy and they have a 100% success rate with fax copies.
Well I'm going to be on the phone to the RU consulate in the morning to get the official version if this is correct or not but, worse case scenario, the apartment company will need to special post or courier it to me which I shall need to pay for.
Like I say, I have never tried an RU visa application previously so I cannot compare to what has gone on before but, once I figured it out, my application procedure, collating the required bullsh1t paperwork, seems to be proceeding quite easily.
Of course, if you will be staying with friends or similar, then I understand you will need a private rather than tourist visa but I've had enough of a headache figuring out the tourist route, never mind the private route :)
Dunromin, I didn't enter Ukraine via Moscow airport, but I did enter via Moscow airport from Ukraine enroute to the US in November 2007. I was worried if I missed my plane or the plane was delayed since they only allow 12 hours transit (as I recall), and was warned of hefty fines or even jail sentence for entering Russia without a visa. I was met at the plane's door by a representative. She knew my name, she knew where I was going. She escorted me to get my boarding pass and then to the next flight's gate where I went through security. It was the only time I have seen a security screening through an individual gate. The people in line for security told me that it was their third security screening.
At far as I know, the invitation letter does not have to be original, although on russian consulate website it has always said this, unless something has changed since 2007. I just printed letter sent to me on e-mail. I did once get it from a website and other time from hotel. I was more concerned about registering my papers. First time hotel took care of it and last time I was only there 5 days so I didn't have to register( weekend days don't count). It took close to a whole 4 weeks to get my passport back with visa on it. It is not necessary to provide the actual place where staying, the invitation letter just has some hotel on it.
My friend is in St Petes now, maybe I will ask him about his invitation letter.
beemer,
I'm going to be arriving SPb on a Thursday afternoon, meeting on the Friday, a couple of days R&R Sat & Sun and departing SPb on the Monday afternoon.
So in total I'm going to be there for 3 and 2 half days, excluding a weekend then 1 and 2 half days, so am I required to register or not and where might I find this information?
Martin that is exactly how one of my trips to St pete's was.....landed thursday afternoon from kiev and left back to kiev on monday,late morning flight. It is total of 5 days, 5 full days!!!
Dun
Thanx
You mention getting relations to do this letter.
Can you give more specifics on how the Auntie could do this in Moscow for me ??
I know the ropes and what to do regarding registering. My wife speaks Russian – so problem there.
Re – “diverting the punters to Ukraine rather than Russia, I think you might get a surprise with what you see if you enter via the Moscow airports”
I meant talk on this forum literally never mentions Russia anymore – the easy access to Ukraine must have made this happen ???
Martin
Surprise to see you asking for assistance on here :-))))
Even though you will be in SPB only a few days – you might need to register. Otherwise you could have problems when you fly out. If you are staying at a Hotel – follow advice above and get the Hotel to fax you the “invitation letter” They will then stamp it when you arrive to them.
I wont be using Hotels – so that is why I am picking brains to see if other ways work.
Beemer
Thanx also
Are you sure about the 5 day timeframe thing ?????
Not that this will apply to me.
Dun I can agree that we shouldnt look back and dwell on history. I wouldnt mention underarm bowling or anything like that.
I was meaning when people screw up they should put up their hand and say so and then fix it.
Glad you had a better experience than me when registering at the "appropriate office". Some cities appear to be more user friendly than others.
Registering in Volgorgard was a nightmare. The office resembled a dungen and you were never sure you would be leaving any time soon. Looking back it was an adventure in a masochistic sort of way,
If in Volgagrad again I'll give $50 to the main hotel in town to register me, or use another service.
Immigrants are not on the top of Putins favourites list at the moment, so I would not be expecting any changes for good anytime soon.
Yes, Maxi, I was told that weekend days do not count toward the '3 days to register' your papers.
When I left after the 5 day trip to St Pete's, had no problems at Pulkovo. It was in 2007. The last day for me to have to register was day I was leaving. First time in St Pete's, my hotel did register me, I was there 5 days but should have been 6....loooooong story.
By the way, from my understanding martin usually looks to me for inside info!!! :-)))
Maxi...learn something everyday...like (secret rooms in airports!!!) ;-)
Maxirat: I can’t (My terrible Russian) translate the name of the department your host must apply to, but there is a “Pro Forma” application. (Basically, it translates to the Department of Immigration. Have Aunt check with the police, no doubt they will “tell her where to go”). Understand your host doesn’t invite you directly, they apply to the Department of whateverthehell it is (WTF is Mrs when I need her........women..!!!) and once that is approved the department of Whateverthehell it is sends a formal letter of invitation back to the applicant which they must forward to you to include with your application. You are in effect, being invited by dear old Auntie Russian State.
I can’t speak for other Russian embassies, however the Russian Embassy in Au will ONLY accept an original.
Registration is within 3 days, regardless if you are staying 3 days and 10 minutes. Failure to do so carries a mandatory 1000 Rouble fine plus whatever “levy” the particular officer decides to impose at the given moment. The local “levy” is much more of an issue than is the fine. The last time I was caught with this one, the local officer was somewhat green and tried shafting me for a whole 20 Roubles on the side. She stated it was the fee for writing the receipt, but interestingly enough it was going straight in the bottom draw and not being deposited at the bank, where I had to go to deposit the fine. I just laughed and gave her 50. The return look was priceless. I guess that equates to a 150% tip when you think about it. Maybe it was looking at those lovely..........ah, she was a nice lady.
Tour Host letters can be faxed although, again, some embassies will reject faxed copies. Way back when I was going that route, in the very early days of small scanners, I found one company (Well, a doll in a company whom I used to slip something to every now and then when I saw her) who would write the letter, sign it off, stamp it, scan it and email it to me. That never met with any problems at embassy level. There are loads of these Tour Host companies around who will provide the letter and I think most charge around $20-30 USD.
BTW, yes this forum is quite Ukrainian focussed and I have no problem with that because at the end of the day, there is tuppence of difference between the two peoples in the bigger scheme of things.
Martin: From your post, I think you have covered it all off correctly, just watch the 3 day thing. Typically Russia, it isn’t flexible. It is not a difficult process but the first time up it seems rather odd.
RB: I think you are speaking of something “another”. I was simply speaking of the numbers of Western Punters still chasing Russian Skirt as compared to those chasing Uki Skirt.
Yes, I am/was asking for advice but because beemer put it in my mind that I might not need to register which the apartment I am staying in will do for at a cost of, I think, EUR20.
Just thought I might be able to save EUR20, when it comes to my company expenses, I'm travelling on business, the less I spend then the more profit for the company :)
Aside from that I had, just, managed to figure it all out for myself but reading what is required for a private visa I wish you good luck trying to explain that to relatives in RU.
I even had a look at booking an SPb hotel online, one where I could cancel it afterwards with no penalty and once the hotel may have provided the paperwork for me. I gave up, I browsed and couldn't find an SPb Sheraton, Crowne Plaza, Marriott etc. where I could book online and cancel later.
But then I found the apartment I have booked, for USD28 they do the required papers for me.
Maxirat - I got my visa from the Russian Embassy in Wellington without any problem, having paid a travel company the 30-odd US dollars for an invitation, which they emailed to me. I printed this out (in colour) and enclosed it with the visa application (which is SO much easier to complete than New Zealand's!), and had everything back in under 10 days. If you are only overnighting in Moscow you don't HAVE to register, but you might just as well - any decent hotel will do it for free in about 10-15 minutes, but apartment owners generally charge. You have to register anywhere that you spend three or more days.
Martin - you will have to register as well (forget the fact that a weekend is involved - Monday is your third day, and you're still in Russia, so use your hotel in the same way).
In my case, the apartment owner in St Petersburg told me not to bother registering, as I already had in Moscow! Bit of a mistake, as I found out when I tried to register in my next town - "Why didn't you register?...blah, blah, blah,...we're not going to register you here and you will be fined 1,500 roubles when you leave Russia...rant, rant, rant..." - you get the picture! It was the only problem that I had with the police on the whole trip, but I think the poor guy had indigestion (we'd disturbed his lunch hour). As it turned out, although the Immigration Officer looked at the gaps in the dates on my Registration Card, all she said was "Goodbye, and I hope you enjoyed your time in Russia!" Shame that she wasn't single - certainly rated close to a 10!
Quote: “I can agree that we shouldnt look back and dwell on history. I wouldnt mention underarm bowling or anything like that.
I was meaning when people screw up they should put up their hand and say so and then fix it.”
Continuing to raise the subject after 20 years is almost as poor taste as the original act.
As for fixing things with Ukraine, why would anyone bother? Similar to Russia and enjoy the places though I do, what have they to offer us as Non European countries? I can understand Eu forging closer ties for energy supply (Although it will bite them on the butt, if it hasn’t already) but as for the rest of the world and where I live in particular, why bother dealing with someone who can’t afford to pay you anyway. I see Austrade downsized it’s delegation to Ukraine substantially and in talking to one of the footsloggers from Austrade recently, he remarked about the only thing one can sell into Ukraine right now (And hope to get paid for) is Roo skins. I doubt even the dud Rudd is stupid enough to stake Australia’s economic future on that.
Have just spoken to the RU Consulate in London, despite what their website says that they need an original copy of a Tourist Voucher, and before I had even finished asking the question, the lady told me that a fax or email copy of it is perfectly acceptable.
Dun & Martin
Thanks again - I will do Visa application in Kiev. The last time I visited Russia was from Kiev, and we had no problems, just getting this invatation letter is a pain and silly cost. They accepted Fax copy OK
Aucklander
Yes - have also done it via Wellington Embassy - 3 times. Used to go into the Embassy in Karori. Nearly put me off going to Russia the 1st time. The women there were bloody awful and even had BO. Couldn't believe it !!!!!