Hi,

I am going to Russia with a tour company at the end of August. They sent me a visa application to be processed through an agency (don't have it with me, and I don't remember which one). I noticed that the fees are twice what they appear to be by going directly through the Russian consulate. I'd like to save the money, but also want to be certain that I get my visa in time!

Does anyone here have advice on this topic?

Thanks,

Sarah

I went to Russia 3 years ago and paid $100 through Visas International. I later learned from someone on the trip that she paid $35 by getting hers directly from the Russian Embassy. However, she had more time to work with than you, and she didn't say how long it took. You could call the Russian Embassy and ask. Bear in mind that this is probably their busiest time of year, so it could take longer.

I'm not sure what to recommend, as I'm very risk-averse in situations like this. I suppose you could try going through the Embassy, and if the visa hasn't arrived within 2 weeks of your trip, you could rush one through an agency, but that would involve even more fees. Sorry I'm not much help, but I look forward to reading what others have experienced by doing this directly, because I will give it serious consideration next time I need a visa.

We used Express Visa in Washington, DC. It took about 2 weeks for the Russians to process our application after Express V. delivered it to the embassy. We felt that the service was worth the money as the new visa application can be somewhat confusing...at least to me. The service also checks for errors.

I would assume that you are an American as consulate fees are different in each country.

Full visa service for a Tourist Visa, with 10 day processing time and delivery, through gotorussia.com is $180US.

Consulate fees are $100, invitation and confirmation are $30, then delivery fee.

If your tour company will give you your invitation and confirmation letters, you would still need to pay the $100, but you would save some money.

Sorry I made a mistake on my post...the service was Express Visa Service Inc. The cost was $145 total.

I mentioned this once before: check if there are any Russian travel agencies in your city/town. There're plenty of them in large cities with considerable Russian populations (e.g., New York, LA, Chicago). Their prices are often lower than those quoted on the internet. Last December I got a double-entry Russian visa from one of such agencies in Brooklyn for $135 ($100 application fee + $35 for the travel agency's services).

We are a family of five going on Uniworld river cruise to Russia in 2005.
We are shocked at the price agencies charge for visas (an addiotional $40.00 per person). We live close toD. C. and perhaps could go to the embassy.
Has anyone out there gotten a visa directly from a consulate or the embassy?

Or are there cheaper agencies?

Martin

$40 (in addition to the Russian consulate's visa fees) is about the lowest I've seen for getting the visas from the Russian consulate. Yes, you can go to the Russian consulate on your own, but there are often lengthy lines (2-4 hours) for individuals applying for Russian visas (and you need to go twice, once to drop off the paper work and once to pick up the visas). $200 is a lot of money, but so is potentially several hours of waiting time. Also, sometimes the Russian consulates are more forgiving for mistakes on paperwork submitted by a visa agency rather than an individual. Most of our clients elect to use a visa service for the convenience.