Very urgent: can you get a Russian visa upon arrival?
 

My mom, a U.S. citizen, is in Prague and needs to make a sudden trip to St. Petersburg for business. We booked her a flight for tomorrow in the far-fetched hopes she can get a visa at the airport when she lands, but everything we have read says to get them in advance. If anyone has successfully gotten a visa on arrival (or tried and was sent back!) please let me know!

thanks,

mp413

I fairly sure she cannot. While it's easier to get a Russian visa than in years past, it's still not that simple.

She really needs to call or visit the Russian consulate in Prague tomorrow morning and verify this. She won't be allowed onto the flight if she doesn't have the proper papers. I hope someone more knowledgable than I will be able to answer you more definitively tonight, but your mother needs to call the consulate first thing tomorrow morning.

As I understand it, in order to get a visa, you must have a "letter of invitation" to the country which specifies your business (or leisure) travel and your arrival/departure dates. This is generally done by a tour company, hotel, or corporate business. THEN - you take that letter with your application to the consulate apply for your VISA.

So - my best guess to your question, unfortunately - is no.

However, if you learn otherwise - please let us all know!

As already stated, it is not possible to get a visa at the airport and it is not possible to board a flight without a valid visa.

For a business visa, a letter of invitation from the company/organization is required. Then this needs to be taken to the embassy with an application form and photos (need to check exact requirements).

It is not clear if this is for a US citizen who resides in PRG or someone who is visiting PRG. Some embassies require proof of residency of the country that they are applying in.

Urgent visas can be issued with the correct support documentation, usually within 1 working day but they cost $$$$.

It is still quite onerous to obtain a visa. I traveled to Russia for business a couple of months ago and we used a visa expediter. It still toook at least 72 hours (and that was after we had filled out the application, which is VERY detailed!). My advice is to contact a visa expediting company and see what they can do on short notice.

I just wanted to thank those who responded to this query. We ended up scrapping the trip, which is too bad but it obviously wouldn't have been possible.

thanks!

Can't believe you thought it was that easy to enter Russia!