kopp

I've looked through many postings regarding obtaining visas on your own or through an agency, and I still have questions.

I made a hotel reservation at the National for a week in July. Now I'm working on the visa stuff. Here is the wording from the Russian Consolate regarding info to supply:
"Standard tourist confirmation (visa support letter) from the authorized hosting Russian travel agency."

When I called the hotel directly and asked for this, all they sent me was an email confirmation in English of my reservation. Should I be looking for something else? Since I made the reservation directly with the hotel, I did not use an "authorized Russian travel agency" at least in my thinking.

I do not think this should be so confusing, but I'm beginning to wonder..please help! Thanks.

Garfield

For information about visa support have a look at:

http://www.waytorussia.net/Travel/VisaSupport.html

easytraveler

For many of the Communist or ex-Communist countries, you need not just a visa (permission to enter and remain in the country for x number of days) but you also need an INVITATION.

In other words, you have to have a reason to be going to Russia and someone in Russia is, on the face of it, "inviting" you. It's this "invitation" that the travel agencies will give you in support of your visa application.

Of course, a fee is charged.

I'd check very carefully in what the latest requirements are, since things tend to change, before you hand over your application to one of these travel agencies. And make sure it's a legit organization.

Otherwise, have fun! Interesting country!

easytraveler

Oh, BTW, forgot to add:

If you are planning to go by train, you may need an "invitation" and a visa for every single country you train through, e.g. Belarus. Even if you don't get off the train.

Countries have to make money somehow!

kopp

Garfield, I have read over your numerous posts regarding this subject, and I appreciate the info on the websites you recommend. Do you know if a hotel confirmation letter and tourist voucher is the same as the "invitation" required as noted on many websites? Thanks.

Garfield

I have never booked directly with a hotel to obtain visa support. I have always used the services of Go to Russia Travel at http://www.gotorussia.net/
with good results for both full visa service and only visa support

Visa support consists of two documents: A Voucher, which details services provided for in Russia and an Official Confirmation, which is an official confirmation of your visit to Russia.

With the Voucher you do not pay for the services and they are only provided for on paper.

The visa support service provided by Go To Russia Travel cost $30, the company has offices in Atlanta and is part of the Russian agency IntelService Center in Moscow. Visa support can be done via internet and the support doccuments will be sent in as little as one day.

nytraveler

This all seems very complicated. We just got visa applications from the consulate, filled them out and attached a copy of the hotel voucher (not a reservation - a voucher proving payment in advance) and mailed it with the fee. We got the visas back in about 3 weeks - no questions or problems. Perhaps if you only have a hotel reservation it's more difficult.

vagabond65

You need an invitation and voucher. It's two seperate documents, usually faxed to you on one piece of paper. There are numerous places to get them online, I've used ryh.ru a couple of times. It will cost you around 40.USD but registration is free once you arrive. Although they are a hostel you do NOT have to stay with them; there is a visa support fee only if you wish. ryh.ru is in St. Petersburg but the Travelers Guest house in Moscow is affiliated with them and the same procedures and fees apply. They are at TGH.ru and are fairly close to the Prospekt Mira metro in Moscow. Alot of places may have cheaper rates for the visa support but then charge 20.USD or more for registration and you must register with teh same people who issued your visa support. Some places will register you on the spot while others will take your passport and have it back to you in a day or two. Don't worry. If you're concerned that everything may not be correct when you send it to the embassy, or just a constant 'cover all possibilities' like me, you can go through an agency to do the actual legwork in dealing with the embassy and getting the actual visa. Try traveldocs.com. It's a confusing, but really not that bad of a process.

EugeneNY

kopp,

Where are you located? Is there a Russian travel agency in your vicinity? Last time I went to Russia (May '02), I bought the invitation/voucher from one of the websites (I think it was www.visatorussia.com) for $30 and then did all the legwork myself. This time I just went to a Russian travel agency in Brooklyn, NY, dropped off my passport and picked it up, with the visa/voucher 2 weeks later. All they charged for a double-entry tourist visa was $35 (plus $100 for the visa itself). Real bargain!

kopp

Thanks for all your wonderful responses. I think of myself as being fairly well-traveled, but this is getting so very confusing. Last time to St. Petersburg, we had Intourist take care of everything, but this time I had in mind to tackle it myself.

To EugeneNY, I live in Austin, Texas. I liked your suggestion about the Russian travel agency. I'll make some calls tomorrow to see if there are any around here. The hotel has emailed me back, telling me what I need for the visa support, so this may be a good option for me.

I guess one of my big thoughts on doing it myself is I'd like to not have to send my passport away in the mail for a few weeks. Guess there's no way of getting around that, though, from where I live.

Garfield

Don't forget that all male US citizens age 16-45 are required to fill out a supplement (form 95) to the standard application form. In Form 95 you must indicate in what countries you have lived in.

guldklump

I've travelled to Russia many many times and organised my own tourist visas without problems. I have always made my own hotel reservations and I don't prepay them. Ask the hotel to fax documentation to you to support your visa application. They may ask you to complete a form to fax back to them along with photocopy of your passport and a credit card (the support documention is free but hotels like to have the credit card as they will charge for the hassle of sending this if you cancel) you will receive a confirmation of reservation plus a separate voucher which will mention the 'hosting travel agency', both docs should be stamped, check the details carefully as mistakes such as passport # etc can happen. Once you have this you can send your application to the embassy along with a completed/signed visa application form, 3 ID photos, consular fee, support documentation and of course your passport.

Good luck

JJH

To EdwardNY, What Russian travel agency in Brooklyn did you use for your visa support? I'm in Brooklyn, and I'm traveling to StP this summer. Info would be very helpful. Thanks!

Marc_David_Miller

As of April 1, 2004, the form used by Americans has been revised; copies are available at

[h]www.RusCon.com[/h]

There is no longer a separate form for 16-45 year old males (all of those questions are consolidated onto the main form).

At least at the New York Consulate the lines have become longer and longer, and it pays more and more to use a visa service (such as [h]www.RussiaGateway.com[/h])

fbeifeld

I am trying to complete my visa application and it asks what countries have you visited in the past 10 years. There are only 4 lines and we travel quite quite a bit. Do you just attach an extra piece of paper?

Also, it asks about military service. My husband is 67. He spent 2 or 3 years serving when he was 18 - stateside. Do you have to put that in also? Very confusing form. Thanks.

dmahalek

Yes, fill in the military service. I had a problem with the dates of post secondary education.....who remembers what day they enrolled in college back in 1960?????? I filled in the info to the best of my ability.

Marc_David_Miller

As dm said, fill in the military service, as well as every other question. I recommend to clients also that if they need, attach another piece of paper listing the trips (remember this can be seen on the passport).

And don't despair-if you want to see confusing, look at the form that Russian citizens are required to fill out for an American visa!

kopp

To fbeifeld - Just a little over a week ago, I sent my visa application into the DC embassy, with an attached paper for all the places we've visited in 10 years. I'll post back when (hopefully) my visa gets to me. Then we'll know for sure if that's acceptable! I keep checking the return mail tracking, but yet nothing...10 days and counting from when I submitted, but we don't go until July. Hopefully I'll have time to resubmit if anything was wrong.

Happy travels!

JaneB

kopp,
How did you visa application process go???
I'm planning an August/September trip to St Petersburg and Kaliningrad, so I am researching old threads!
Thanks, Jane

kopp

Hello jane. Yes, you sure have been going through old posts. This one was from 2004.

The trip was fabulous, and getting the visa was frustrating at first but then everything worked out smoothly. We did it all ourselves, downloaded the applications from the Russian consolate website and got the necessary invitation letters and vouchers from our hotel (and the hotel was not prepaid, only guaranteed by cc). The money for the visas were money orders as requested. And yes, we did send our passports to D.C. along with everything else by Federal Express. They asked for a cover letter, so I just typed one up myself, stating when coming, going, hotel, etc.

Seems like ages until we got the visas and passports back, but in actuality it was only a few weeks.

Since this time, my DS has married a wonderful gal from Kaliningrad, and they are planning a trip there this fall as well, a "meet the parents" type trip.

You'll have a great time. St. Petersburg is spectacular. So much reconstruction going on, the churches are brilliant, the Hermitage - oooh la la - and the palaces. Oh my. I loved seeing elderly women cleaning the streets with homemade brooms, while a sidewalk was being constructed one brick at a time with cement being mixed in a bucket. And they've got BIG sidewalks. Amazing city.

Happy travels!