Yes, I have used this company several times (for Russian visas at Russia-visa.com) same company. I have never had any problems.
No matter which company you use, be sure your visa is stamped and registered after you arrive. If you are staying at a hotel they will take care of this. I had a small problem with this when I stayed with my girl, and only had mine stamped for one night. It cost me a $20 bribe at the airport before I could leave her town. It could have cost me a lot more however.
I have been doing some rereading of visa info and am getting conflicting info. I have made 2 trips to Ukraine and in neither case did I register. One stay was with an apartment rental agency and the second was by private invitation. In neither case was it an issue coming or going.
I had originally thought that you only needed to register, if you were staying more than a month, but I have found several sites that state greater than 3 days.
I have also found that for US, Canada, Japan citizens and citizens of the countries of the European Union, no invitation is required. The passport agencies will not tell you this.
Does anyone have the final word on the registration issue?
I don't know what is required in Ukraine. I do know that I got nailed in Russia boarding a domestic flight. After a heated exchange between my girl and the authorities she asked me for a US $20 bill and gave it to him in a seperate room. I was then cleared thru security! After that problem I was very nervous what would happen when I was leaving the country to return to the US. No problems leaving in Moscow, but I did have 2 more days of registration stamp on my documents from the hotel there.
I know there are some differences in the visas also. Ukraine tourist visas are cheaper and are good for three months.
I have to go to the OVIR on Monday to have my registration. Marina is a lawyer and she will handle it. Thank God. I dread the thought of even going here by myself. Too many memeories of the INS I am afraid.
If you think the US system for visas is complex, guess again. We are in Greece for ten days now and all hell has come loose. It happens that I had a marriage a looong time ago in the USA. I have kept my divorce decree with me, but not my marriage certificate from the first marriage. Apparently, in Greece you cannot have a second marriage recognized by the government unless your first marriage has been offically recognized and been approved and dissolved by the local byreaucracy. Furthermore, I discovered to my surpise that decisions of American courts are useless in Greece unless approved by a Greek court. Therefore, if I find my marriage certificate and register it with the local government, I will be considered married with two women simultaneously until my divorce decree is approved by Greek courts, a process that takes 6-12 months (unless I go to a little court in a little town near the borders where they don't get many divorces). Furthermore, the Greek court will not even start a case unless they have official paper from US court to say that the decree has not been appealed!!! Of course, the decree is final by state law in the USA but explain this to the local bureacrats. My second marriage has already been registered and the idiots at Vital Records in Athens said nothing. Then we had to go to the Municipality of our residence to open a family file as requested by law. The "experts" there determined that the translation of my marriage certificate contains information that I had a first marriage and from there my nightmare began. So far, a minister and his whole office has been involved, the director of the Vital Records office, a mayor and we cannot have a solution. Viva Greece! Hey maybe I should move to the Middle East where they allow multiple female spouses. Dubai sounds good!
Now I know that there is and "age of majority" in every state - where you have to be so old to get married. Its assumed that you don't know enough before that to get married.
Isn't there (or shouldn't there be) an "age of mojo-rity" or something indicating that if you haven't taken the plunge by now - you OUGHT TO know better!! Like somtime around the age of 49.
Its true I am 47 and am considering the same thing - but the law would not apply to me, having done it already before, I'm a lost cause.
Toad, you're always unsurpassed on your anecdotals::)) Hired a lawyer, she'll get this and this and the other papers and she'll get it done she says ... we may survive the prison or if not, I will need someone to stop by every now and then to drop some cigarettes::))
Jet, I believe 80-90% or so of forum members had a at least one previous marriage. You have to try junk food first in order to appreciate gourmet meals. How did it go with your fiance in Moldova?? I know I should go back and read all the other threads ...
On a positive note, a very good friend is married to a Russian Elena and have a four-month old daughter, so my Yulichika has made a new friend here, but also is becoming increasingly impatient to have a child ... Greece is quite different and the first ten days seemed like two months. We were pleasantly surpised by the very efficient trasportation systems in Athens, which is truly world class (thanks to the Olympics), but we also discovered bureaucracy and some cultural factors are truly unusal. Cars are tiny like little bugs, the tiniest car, called "Smart", is the size of a toy, you can literally park it horizontally or vertically since its length is no more than the width of the other tiny cars ... (it only fits 2 passengers and has no storage space).
I know it will sound ridiculous, but that tiny Smart you should actually try once. You like bikes? If yes then you'll have a smirk on your face when pulling away I promise, but you'll discover another fact - it is the roomiest vehicle BY FAR, admittedly for only 2 persons but they have an incredible lot of room anywhere!
I've driven one for a month and also found that the standard quirky (like the rest of the interior) looking radio produces the best sound I've heard in a (any!) car, and it goes loud also - lovely :) There's no space for a large suitcase, but there's LOTS of storage space anywhere, and your weekly groceries are no problem.
The minute engine/drivetrain is under yer ass, the wheels on the very corners, and the rest is space for the passengers - really a lot, and the doors are massive. Goes like a bomb in town, sticks like glue, in Greece I've got no doubt that a lot of them have the openable top, and they're quite safe also with airbags and ABS.
Just don't brake in front of a 40-tonner eh, because behind you is only the backrest ;-)) Have fun!