I have heard nothing very good about the police in Russia. You know things like you should cross the street if it is late and they are walking down the side walk on your side. And if you get into trouble over there it will be more likely to be from police than thugs. Well, it turns out that the girl I am talking to is some sort of police woman. I don't know if this is good or bad. I mean I don't have a problem with cops but this isn't Russia. Her uniform is olive drab. Whaddaya think?
Why dont you ask her what her job involves exactly? There are many women out here that have an office job in law-enforcement.Yes they wear a uniform but its nothing like being a cop in a meaning you are used to ;-)
Yes, I have tried to get the details but they seem to come out slowly. Is olive drab / kahki, the colour of a city cop uniform? She did not want to tell me right away.
I will try to explain to you as best as I can. In Russia in a police station (it is called MILICIYA) there is a department where they process visas, foreign passports and other legal documents. So as far as I know people who work there wear olive/ kahki uniform. Anyway she is not a city cop, I assure you. In Russia city policemen wear dark grey uniform.
Del` Im dashing about a bit tonight mate, got people to see and stuff to do, so please forgive me if I dont have time to answer your mail before I leave, Just a quick point to answer your main question, Book a hotel in her city for the first 2 nights of your stay, then they will arrange visa support, once you arrive, look for find and rent an apartment and move there on day 2 or 3, that way you will have registered as required and have the document when you leave to prove it ;o)))
Having a hotel room as soon as you get there will enable you ro look for a flat yourself, knowing you have at least a place to crash if you dont find one immediately, also negating sending lots of cash to anyone else to get a flat for you, always a risky thing to do as you may never see the cash or the flat, or they could rent youa cheap dump and tell you it was $30 a night, you wouldnt know the difference if you have never been before, I would :o)
I am likely to pre-book a hotel, however, most likely in Moscow for the first weekend getting my docs registered there then catch a train out, and FIND accommodation otherwise pimp myself on the streets. I am once bitten twice shy about pre-booking accommodation after spending a small fortune for a place in Florida when the place next door was twice as gorgeous and cheaper! Needless to say I was straight on the phone for a refund, and bags were packed within 24hrs.
I now like to see what I am getting and shop around. I am happier now nowing that all my visa stuff can be done without accommodation and 'make something up' when I am there.
£69 all-in, visa support + visa : done in 2 weeks!
completely separate from the Hotel but maybe as you say I should get the Hotel on the first weekend to deal with my visa as they will do the invitation as part of the package, leaving me to chase the papers here. More manual, but that doesn't bother me.
4 years ago (age 31) I was a few weeks inbetween partners - up for it, in otherwords - and found myself in quite a social circle of yound ladies - one introduced me to a friend of hers who said she fancied me (a girl with taste. lol)...anyway, I took her for a drive and she asked me to pull in for a few mins as she needed to drop something off...no problem, I thought...we pulled in at the local high school! she was a few weeks off being 16 - I thought she was about 20! (embarrassed) Still, I took her to the beach the next day. ;)
Del` !!! Have you read nothing about the trains in the FSU !! Ive posted enough warnings about them mate !!
As I told you mate, visa from the Embassy in the UK is only 30 quid if you dont mind waiting for 10 days or so for it, its only 120 quid if you want it the same day ;o) So add 30 quid to $25 for the support and its only a few quid more, and at least You have the control of the purse strings and the hotel wont screw you because they want you to stay there and pay them for doing so !! I wouldnt send any agency money for visa`s, I used one the first time I went, but they dithered abnd buggered me about, and in the end charged me $50 just for the visa support faxed to me !! So I went direct to the hotels I knew for support every time after that !!
Chasing the papers here is a doddle mate !! You wait for your visa support fax, fill in the application form, take it, your travel insurance docs and the fee with your passport to the Embassy and 10 days or so later you get your passport back in the registered post all done and dusted, what could be simpler ?!!!
And because it wasnt a legit letting (we were only there for 2 days to see Registan etc) the larger **** and ***** hotels didnt dare take us !! Back to the "Registration" problem again !!!
I've read the train stuff, and? They're welcome to have a go. :)
I am sure I will survive. You could argue the London underground is equally as dodgy. Just be alert.
I know the Embassy cost is about 30 quid and $15 (10 quid) at the hotel. I may well go that route, only they ask for check-out dates.
Does that get put in your visa or invalidate the visa support?
At least now, I am worrying less about actually getting there in the first place.