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St Petersburg


Tartan_Don

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Bit of advice needed...

Flying to Tallinn in November for a few nights then over to St Petersburg (bus or train, nae sure yet) for 3 nights 

Fly out of St Petersburg back to Londonshire 

What's the story with Visa requirements for Russia, had a quick look and did nae realise the costs ?

Any other advice appreciated 

 

Cheers 

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In the past you "might" have got away with a cheaper and easier transit visa (as you are entering Russia by land and flying out (if you fly in and out you get 48 hours, but if you arrive by land and exit from a different exit point....in this case St Peterburg Airport.... you got 5 days)..... in recent years though they have clamped down on this and have fine tuned their small print so you can not longer do this and have to get a proper tourist visa.

The actual process is not hard, its just time consuming and a pain in the baws more than anything, but them are the rules...... most hotels in Russia will provide you with the "letter on invite" so worth looking/asking around, as a agent will most likely charge you a fee to provide this.

Not looked recently, but the visa is something like £45 with a £50 admin/process fee? Effectively £100 for a Russian visa.

Given the distance between Tallinn and St Petersburg, its actually surprising how poor links between them are...... used to be trains every day, but when I looked at this route last year, that had been cut to just 1 a week.... Check out Lux Express, as they do buses between the two cities (buses look pretty nice.... comfy seats, drinks & refreshments, free wi-fi etc....) and think the journey takes only 6-7 hours.

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Cheers Wanderer, aye the more a look the more long winded it is 

Edited to say that apparently you now have tae attend the Russian Visa centre tae provide yer fingerprints prior tae travelling 

Edited by Tartan_Don
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Aye read about the fingerprint scan recently.

A stadiumhopper I know was out there recently for the Confederations Cup, but because he did not have a official ticket (which counted as your visa) the whole process put him off, and he only got at the last minute after making a contact at the Russian FA who provided him with a "press pass" to enter the country without a visa.

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Just back from Confederations' Cup and stayed there over three consecutive weekends. Place is fantastic. Once you get to Pulkovo it's a fair jaunt into the city itself. If  you are arriving late at night, get your hotel to book a taxi to pick you up (1000 roubles). At other times of the day get the bus from outside the arrivals hall (45 roubles) to Moskovskaya metro station and sort yourself out from there.

The walk along Nevsky Prospekt is like being in Glasgow, with all of the people from Argyle Street, Sauchiehall Street, Buchanan Street all piled together with a crowd from Hampden. Absolutely mental, but exhilarating at same time.

If you need more exact info, get in touch.

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I forgot to mention the visa aspect.

You fill the form in online, print it, get a recent photograph taken and take all of this along with your passport to the office on Albion St/Road, opposite Easter Road. Go early in the morning, pay the money and the passport will be ready after 4 pm 7 days later. You can pay extra and get it sent to your home. That's what I did, as I didn't fancy a second trek through.

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  • 2 months later...

Working ma way through the visa application...aw the countries a have been in the past 10 years !!!? A am nae Judith Chalmers but f@%k me...canae mind that!

And does anybody ken how tae get yer auld passport details ??? Passport agency are quoting 40 days on receipt of a letter fae me 

 

Cheers 

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6 hours ago, Tartan_Don said:

Working ma way through the visa application...aw the countries a have been in the past 10 years !!!? A am nae Judith Chalmers but f@%k me...canae mind that!

And does anybody ken how tae get yer auld passport details ??? Passport agency are quoting 40 days on receipt of a letter fae me 

 

Cheers 

only tell them about what is in your current passport - I would be fecked - have around 4 PP in last 10 years 

I can remember my old PP 's off top of my head - fill in that many visa;s and landing cards

You might have it logged on your Scottish Travel Club Membership, wedding certificate etc etc  - maybe registered on frequent flyer on airline you don't use often ?  Employer - we all had to give proof of identity 10 years ago so ensure we had legal right to work ?  

Bank might have a note of your PP as well, or if you have had any dealings with a solicitor or financial advisor - sure you will have copy in your outbox on email - i have had to send copies to heaps of folk

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