Where is your registration? I have to arrest you. :-)
Mar 18th, 2004, 04:34 PM
#1
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Where is your registration? I have to arrest you. :-)
Question for people who just returned from Russia and still remember the visa stuff.
There is visa and I believe other forms that you have to keep until you leave the country. Which forms should be stamped (registered) at a hotel or by a travel agency?
Should the registration (from... to...) show the days when your visa is valid or day of arrival and day of departure from the country? I just want to be sure that the registration is done correctly and avoid any potential problem at Sheremetevo airport on my way back to the US.
There is visa and I believe other forms that you have to keep until you leave the country. Which forms should be stamped (registered) at a hotel or by a travel agency?
Should the registration (from... to...) show the days when your visa is valid or day of arrival and day of departure from the country? I just want to be sure that the registration is done correctly and avoid any potential problem at Sheremetevo airport on my way back to the US.
Mar 18th, 2004, 05:56 PM
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You will first have the visa, which you apply for and have pasted in your passport. You have dates on your visa, you can visit between these dates, I always make sure that my visa is for the full 30 days. Normally a tourist visa is issued for a 30 day period. The last time I got a visa I had another piece of paper stappled in my passport, called an arrival card/departure card - it is still stappled in my passport - it was not used.
On arrival you must fill out a migration card, make sure that you enter the information that you have on your invitation and vouchers.
For more information see waytorussia.net
I found it much easier if you print out the emigration card from waytorussia.net and fill it out in rough before you arrive in Russia. The actual forms are small and leave very little room. If you are not given them on you flight you get them just before passport control in SVO2 and the area has very poor lighting. The emigration form is keeped in your passport with your visa until you exit Russia.
Registration of your visa is usually done at the hotels that you are staying, it is different if you are staying privately, then you may become involved with travel agent or Russian official (OGIV I think it's called). The hotel will take your passport and register your visa, they will then add another piece of paper to your passport, which will have your name, passport number, country and date of stay at that hotel as well as the all official stamp on the piece of paper - it is in Russian, some hotels will cover complete period of visit to Russia. In theory you only need to register in a city that you stay for more than three days. By the end of your stay in Russia you end up with pieces of paper for each place you stayed - these were left in my passport when I left Russia- I dont think they were even looked at when I left.
Declaration of money has now become a thing of the past unless you are carrying large amounts.
It is not as bad as it sounds.
I start the visa process tomorrow for another trip to Russia.
If you have any questions, let me know and I will try to answer or give you a source for information.
On arrival you must fill out a migration card, make sure that you enter the information that you have on your invitation and vouchers.
For more information see waytorussia.net
I found it much easier if you print out the emigration card from waytorussia.net and fill it out in rough before you arrive in Russia. The actual forms are small and leave very little room. If you are not given them on you flight you get them just before passport control in SVO2 and the area has very poor lighting. The emigration form is keeped in your passport with your visa until you exit Russia.
Registration of your visa is usually done at the hotels that you are staying, it is different if you are staying privately, then you may become involved with travel agent or Russian official (OGIV I think it's called). The hotel will take your passport and register your visa, they will then add another piece of paper to your passport, which will have your name, passport number, country and date of stay at that hotel as well as the all official stamp on the piece of paper - it is in Russian, some hotels will cover complete period of visit to Russia. In theory you only need to register in a city that you stay for more than three days. By the end of your stay in Russia you end up with pieces of paper for each place you stayed - these were left in my passport when I left Russia- I dont think they were even looked at when I left.
Declaration of money has now become a thing of the past unless you are carrying large amounts.
It is not as bad as it sounds.
I start the visa process tomorrow for another trip to Russia.
If you have any questions, let me know and I will try to answer or give you a source for information.
Mar 18th, 2004, 09:18 PM
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Thank you Garfield for your quick response. One more question for you:
do you have to carry your passport with visa or a copy of passport front page,a copy of visa, a copy of migration card and a copy of registration is good enough for a policeman if he asks to show your documents?
do you have to carry your passport with visa or a copy of passport front page,a copy of visa, a copy of migration card and a copy of registration is good enough for a policeman if he asks to show your documents?
Mar 19th, 2004, 09:23 AM
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I always carried the originals as well. I had several copies made, but never used them. You probably won't have any trouble. I noticed in August when I was there that there were alot more random document checks than the year before, but the militia were nice and polite, although I've heard all the horror stories as well. I think the importance migration card/customs forms are dependent upon where you enter & exit the country and by what means. If by air it's more by the book, while by train it's a bit less so, the Finnish border is not as lax as the Estonian, etc...You won't have any trouble. Garfield was right about all of it.
