another question ---and im puzzled as to why our agent hasnt stressed this yet

i know that when you come into any city that you will be staying for three days plus you need to register - the hotels do it for you and of course youre fine if youre with a tour group

but what about the independent traveller who gets an apartment ( through an agency)?
where do we register?
and how long does it take?
where are the nice police stations around moscow- in particular the arbat region

i have been reading about the way some unlucky folk get hassled by police making extra money to supplement their income

i know that there may not be a lot of people here on this forum who have encountered this but it is still best to know the ropes and how to avoid a confrontation- do everything by the letter and avoid being waylaid/delayed

what about passports???
i will carry one on my person but i also intend to have photocopies that i will produce, if asked...., first

look........ and.... before any of you start laughing at my paranoia ( LOL)
i am (seriously) the one who gets picked on REGULARLY at airports- even on domestic flights!
yep im the one who gets singled out to get a spot check
cos i so obviously look like a drug courier or worse

must be something about my 'momsy' appeal that screams "CRIMINAL INTENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GRAB HER !! !

same with st petes - where is the best place to register if youre staying on nevsky?

and it is ok to go on daytrips if we do go to novgorod right? seeing as we are returning to our apartment the same night


maybe im worrying for nothing because the invitation and visa are being arranged by the russian agency through our own agent here at home and maybe that will be taken care of when we are transferred to our apartment by whoever is doing that for us

id love to go to the local russian embassy here at home but judging from their website theyre not the most welcoming of organisations
very stern wording in their information- kinda cute and funny if youre not seriously in need of help

i must get the phone number of our own embassy in russia, too ...tell em we are coming and prepare them for bailing us out as we inadvertently take the wrong pics of the wrong kinda people lol lol

No, you're not being paranoid, you absolutely must get your passport registered. I did homestays, and I had a problem with the agency handling my reservations. Eventually they got a hotel to register me in St. Petersburg, and then registered me for the whole trip in Moscow, but I was never sure the first registration was legal!

I very much doubt there is any such thing as a "nice" police station in Moscow, but in any case you don't register at the police station. See blogs.waytorussia.net/item/59 for all the gory details.

I had a short-term apartment in St. Pete's and I insisted that the owner do the registration. (Could have be the owner's agent - he was the guy I dealt with all the way.) He agreed after I greased his palm nicely by encouraging him to have a drink on me on the way as long as he would bring back my passport. He took my passport and - if I remember correctly - those other papers you get when you apply for the visa and the "invitation", and after a few hours he came back and that was the end of it.

I'm pretty sure it was not a police station, I read the papers before asking him to go, it was some agency or other, not a cop shop.

thanks guys
i think you can also register at a post office
i guess if there are queues youd have to count it as sightseeing time gone

Independent travellers who book their own hotels and are not part of a tour group will have their hotel register them on check-in. This is usually done without charge but smaller establishments may have a fee.

If you rent an apartment, the landlord is supposed to do it at the FMS or post office. Check whether you can hand over photocopies of your documents rather than originals.

http://www.visahouse.com/howtoregister.asp

Each to their own, I prefer not to stay in apartments for short stays, too many unknowns, not very cheap if you want something decent, no safes and unknown security. I'd rather stay further out and take the metro into the city.

Hopefully the Russian agent has taken care of everything so time is lost waiting around for registration.

hmmm - security might well be a problem i suppose Odin but i dont trust hotels either and just carry things on my person for the most

no jewellery ever

dont know that theres anything of real interest to a thief in my baggage- theyd have to mug me to get the real goods- and apart from small amounts of cash everything is retrievable with a bit of trouble, i guess

as for cost
this is how it has worked out for us

at 355 a night for BOTH of us - this is a great price compared to the hotels in the same area of arbat in moscow and nevsky

comparable addresses wanted at least that EACH

but live and learn - we may regret getting an apartment
and not having the support system of a hotel

but as for staying out of town - not for me - no for a short visit
much prefer to stay close to the sights