Help Please!!!Visa free travel to St Petes question.
 

Hi Everyone,
I booked our round trip ferry from Helsinki to St Petersburg with a 72 hr visa free stay in St Petersburg. I received an email from the St Pete line that the schedules were changing and I should change my booking or cancel.

So........ here is my question: The new schedule does not coordinate with our other bookings and flights but I really want to see St Petersburg. I do not want to have to get a visa for 72 hrs though. What will work for us is to ferry from Tallinni to St Petes and then train back to Helsinki before the 72hrs is up.

Does anyone know if this is acceptable with regards to staying the 72hrs? Do you have to ferry round trip or only enter St Petes on a ferry? It's really strange because the schedule used to coincide perfectly for 72 hrs stays and now it does not. It is not coordinated at all.

Thanks for any help you can give. I've emailed the St Pete line but have not heard back yet. There are hotel reservations I need to change so I'm trying to find out ASAP.

Anybody??? Help!!! Does anyone have any idea who else I should contact for answers?? Thanks

I may be wrong -- but I was under the impression a visa is mandatory <u>unless</u> one is taking an authorized tour.

janisj,
Yes, you are correct. We will be taking a city tour that we sign up for through the St Pete Line. It does state on their web site that the tour is a requirement for the 72 visa free stay.

The email from St Pete is very confusing due to the language barrier. It is difficult to understand if the schedule on the site is going to change in Feb. or if you have reservations after Feb. that you need to check to see if they are still correct.

Thank you, Michele

72 hrs visa free waiver is good for any accredited tour company as long as they pick up passengers. If interested in researching other tour providers check http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=192 however that 20 euro bus fare offered by your line is very cheap.

“Citizens of foreign countries may arrive to Russian Federation by ferries and stay in the country without Visas up to 72 hours in case they are participating in tours organized by tour operator authorized by Immigration Authorities.”

hkto,

“Citizens of foreign countries may arrive to Russian Federation by ferries and stay in the country without Visas up to 72 hours in case they are participating in tours organized by tour operator authorized by Immigration Authorities.”

Where did you find that wording? There is similar wording on the St Pete website. It states ARRIVE but not arrive AND depart so that is why I was hoping we would be able to depart by train if necessary. I like that the tour is only 20 euros, many others were quite expensive.
Thank you

Yes it's a quote from St.Petes site, not the greatest English translation from Russian. My understanding of the rule that tour company has to go back to port and you have to depart by the ship. There are exit passport controls in Russia and I wouldn't take any chances if entry visa is not there.

You definitely need to come and leave with the same ferry boat/cruise ship to be able to use that 72 hrs. visa waiver. Moreover, normally, a visa-free passenger is only allowed to go ashore on tours arranged by the authorised tour operator, this is how it works with cruise ship passengers. The procedure seems to be more flexible for those arriving with the ferries - they only have to buy at least one tour and then can often go ashore independantly.

Thanks 19cruise80,
I'm really hoping the ferry schedule will stay the same as it is on their website right now. It would be so much easier if it was.

I know we have to show our hotel confirmation of payment when we disembark the ship and go through the entry process in order to stay longer than the day. We have also signed up for the city tour, and then I guess we will be on our own for the next 70 hrs or so.

I will give it few more days and then I will send a general email to all the emails listed on their site in hopes of getting a reply. Thanks again.

US State Dept statement:International Cruise Ship/Ferry Passengers: You are permitted to visit Russian ports without a visa for a period of up to 72 hours. If you wish to go ashore during port calls you may do so without visas, provided that you are with an organized tour at all times and accompanied by a tour operator who has been duly licensed by Russian authorities. These special entry/exit requirements do not apply to river boat cruise passengers and travelers coming to Russia on package tours. These travelers will need to apply for visas prior to entry, and should follow the general guidelines for entry/exit requirements.