Another Russia Visa Question
 

I am arriving in Moscow March 18 and staying at the Marriott. They will be providing me with an invitation letter. However, I am leaving Moscow on the 20th and arriving in St Petersburg on the 21st and will stay there until the evening on the 22nd.

So, my question is, do I need TWO invitation letters (one from the Marriott and then one from a place in St Petersburg)? I will register my visa/passport in Moscow.

The Marriott told me I would need a separate invitation letter for the extra days I will be spending in St Petersburg, but is this just because they are unwilling to include the extra days in their letter, or is this because Russia requires it?

I would really prefer to do this on my own, and not pay an agency to handle this for me. But is there any way to do this without having to get another invitation letter from St Petersburg?

THANK YOU!

I'm by no means an expert - but when we went several years ago we had to have invitations from both. The records shoped both hotels - and we needed some sort of stamp or something from the last hotel to exit the country.

Everything I say may be wrong, but I would think you will not need 2 seperate LOI.
Each hotel will register you seperately upon check-in and both will stamp the exit/departure portion of the migration form that will be returned to you when you clear passport control at Moscow.
The other thing you may want to do given you have until the middle of March is contact a local firm in your home city that specializes in processing Passports/Passport renewals and Visa applications.These firms are usually a little more expensive than trying to muddle through all of the do and don't do requirements yourself. They will process all needed paperwork,including the needed LOI, and submit everything along with your passport directly to the Russian Embassy for Visa approval. I have never had a problem.
Another suggestion is to get make reservations at the Marriott for 2 more nights, have their LOI cover all nights in Russia and simply check out 2 days early.
In any event, the passport control officer upon departure will simply review your migration card to see it has been stamped, and take it when he/she stamps your passport. I don't think they will care if you have 1 LOI or a dozen.

The Russian consulate will most likely only issue a visa with the duration covered by the Marriott invitation. Your visa support documentation must cover the total duration of your expected stay in Russia.
Get in touch at [email protected] if you have more quetions or need help with the invitation.

I got back Dec 1 and I had to provide both letters for both cities before my visa would be processed.