Visa to Russia
Dec 27th, 2008, 02:12 AM
#21
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if youre doing it yourself google for the information on the russian embassy site in your nearest city
they can be very strict and inflexible
they may not accept faxes in certain things
read it all carefully
you get a sense of what these people are like if you read russian lol
these people dont muck around
haha
they can be very strict and inflexible
they may not accept faxes in certain things
read it all carefully
you get a sense of what these people are like if you read russian lol
these people dont muck around
haha
Dec 27th, 2008, 07:50 AM
#22
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"these people dont muck around
haha"
You're not kidding. On the train from Helsinki to S. P. and back, the border check is something else, it reminded me of the trips I took behind the Iron Curtain in the '60s.
First you have to fill in a form - bad luck to those who can't handle the cyrillic alphabet, there is one sample document pinned up at one end of the carriage, you crouch down in front of it trying to make sense of how to fill in yours...
Then the train stops in the middle of nowhere and the show begins. Agents collect everybody's passport, then lots of running up and down the train, inside and out, forms, stamps, agents sticking heads together, more running to and from, doors slamming...
After a half hour passports get distributed again, and if you're not in your seat you get hollered at...
On the way back to Finland, everybody steps out into the gangway and agents get down on their knees looking under the seat benches - for what? Illegal escapees? Pets? Who knows... Another half hour of "shock and awe" show of force, and off we go again...
It's as if the Iron Curtain had yet to come down. Where is that great actor from the sky when we need him, intoning yet again "Mr. Gorbachev - tear down..." etc.
haha"
You're not kidding. On the train from Helsinki to S. P. and back, the border check is something else, it reminded me of the trips I took behind the Iron Curtain in the '60s.
First you have to fill in a form - bad luck to those who can't handle the cyrillic alphabet, there is one sample document pinned up at one end of the carriage, you crouch down in front of it trying to make sense of how to fill in yours...
Then the train stops in the middle of nowhere and the show begins. Agents collect everybody's passport, then lots of running up and down the train, inside and out, forms, stamps, agents sticking heads together, more running to and from, doors slamming...
After a half hour passports get distributed again, and if you're not in your seat you get hollered at...
On the way back to Finland, everybody steps out into the gangway and agents get down on their knees looking under the seat benches - for what? Illegal escapees? Pets? Who knows... Another half hour of "shock and awe" show of force, and off we go again...
It's as if the Iron Curtain had yet to come down. Where is that great actor from the sky when we need him, intoning yet again "Mr. Gorbachev - tear down..." etc.
Dec 27th, 2008, 06:12 PM
#23
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Sounds like what DalaiLlama went through is pretty much the same thing I went through, although I was going to St. Petersburg by bus from Estonia. I suffered immigration twice in one night; once in Narva, Estonia, the other just less than a mile away in Ivangorod, Russia. Both were very...um, thorough. In Ivangorod they make you get off the bus and head into the immigration center for processing.
Thankfully, our forms were in both English and Russian. Even though I had learned the Cyrillic alphabet and had studied a sample of the form online, I was grateful to have the English version.
Thankfully, our forms were in both English and Russian. Even though I had learned the Cyrillic alphabet and had studied a sample of the form online, I was grateful to have the English version.
Dec 28th, 2008, 07:44 AM
#24
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We had no problem going into Russia from Finland. We were with the Finland Tourist Bureau tour to St Petersburg. At the border the agents took our passports and we filled out a form declaring what money and jewelry or valuables we had. At the next stop our passports were given back to us.
Same thing happened upon leaving, howeve, the agents did check what people bought in Russia. They did not check any Americans purchases.
We purchased our tour through Nordicsaga and they obtained the visas for us.
So it was quite easy for us to visit St Petersburg.
Same thing happened upon leaving, howeve, the agents did check what people bought in Russia. They did not check any Americans purchases.
We purchased our tour through Nordicsaga and they obtained the visas for us.
So it was quite easy for us to visit St Petersburg.
Jan 2nd, 2009, 05:44 PM
#25
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Hi
Has anyone gone to the Russian Consulate in person in New York to obtain a visa? If you have is it worth the trip instead of using a service to do the work?
I see the hours are only in the morning to obtain a visa.
Thanks in advance.
Has anyone gone to the Russian Consulate in person in New York to obtain a visa? If you have is it worth the trip instead of using a service to do the work?
I see the hours are only in the morning to obtain a visa.
Thanks in advance.
May 10th, 2009, 06:38 AM
#26
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In many places you CANNOT do the visa yourself as a tourist, only if you are getting a business or other type of visa. Make sure your trip will not be in vain, as I have read on other ocuntries' websites what I just stated.
However, if they are permitting it, and you live close, or can arrange an appointment, I did ours years ago as in those days the agency was going to charge us a lot more than what it cost me in time and travel to do.
However, if they are permitting it, and you live close, or can arrange an appointment, I did ours years ago as in those days the agency was going to charge us a lot more than what it cost me in time and travel to do.
