DoonTheSlope Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 (edited) Does anyone know how easy it is and what to do to get a Russian visa and roughly how long it takes to receive it?? Different websites say different things. One is saying its a long drawn out affair while the other is saying you could have it within a couple off days!! Edit: it's for a couple of nights before flying to Tblisi on the Wednesday Edited May 6, 2015 by DoonTheSlope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 (edited) How long you in Russia for? If it's only a couple of days you might be able to get a transit visa (which is cheaper and slightly easier to get). There is a agent in England who will do all the leg work for a fee (name escapes me just now.... Holidaystorussia or something...) but sure someone was telling me recently that these agents are being clamped down on now and you have to do everything yourself. Think comes down to how much you want to pay... Do you want to pay extra and have passport back in a couple of days, or just standard, which will be a week..... Would not say it's a hard process, just time consuming..... Edited May 6, 2015 by wanderer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoonTheSlope Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 How long you in Russia for? If it's only a couple of days you might be able to get a transit visa (which is cheaper and slightly easier to get). There is a agent in England who will do all the leg work for a fee (name escapes me just now.... Holidaystorussia or something...) but sure someone was telling me recently that these agents are being clamped down on now and you have to do everything yourself. Thanks!! It'll be a couple off nights at the most. Basically for a walk round red square and the kremlin and that sort of stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 You will qualify for a transit visa then (gets you 72 hours in the country IIRC). Was researching for a Helisnki-St Petersburg-Tallinn trip few years ago and was something like if I enter by train and exit by train I get 10 days in the country, but if fly in and fly onwards its 2/3 full days.... IIRC all I had to provide was the application form, travel tickets and a letter explaining all my travel plans (something to that effect). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euan2020 Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 these guys not still active ? http://ru.vfsglobal.co.uk/contact_us.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoonTheSlope Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 Top tips!! Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarthacleanerFC Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 You can sort it yourself at the Russian consulate in Edinburgh. Think it took us about 3 days and was something like £80 to £100 each when we stopped in Russia for 30 hours last year. You can phone them for guidance then go get the form. Hardest bit was remembering every country I have been to in the last 10 years. Wouldn't pay a company to do it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarthacleanerFC Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Oh and you need sponsored for entry but your hotel should do that for free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairyscotsman99 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Oh and you need sponsored for entry but your hotel should do that for free once you book a hotel, you get them to send you the "invite document" you need this for your visa you can apply for a visa via post to the place in London or go in past the office in edinburgh but you will be sending off your passport you will be able to fill the form in online you cannot roll up and get one , you can pay extra to have it processed quicker but it still took me 3 days to get the 'same day' visa MOST IMPORTANTLY the question "what type of passport do you have ?" the answer you require is TOURIST - do not put official, diplomatic or other , it opens a huge can of worms as i found out Oh and they will ask you to list every time you've been to a foreign country in the last 10 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flure Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I don't know that I could remember every foreign country that I've been to in the past 10 years...... England Wales ....erm..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 once you book a hotel, you get them to send you the "invite document" you need this for your visa Are Hotels like these not worth their weight in gold? Remember I had to ask about 4 or 5 hotels when I was doing mine if they would supply one, with most of them not bothering to reply, or would just reply with a email saying to contact this agent (who was on commission with them no doubt) who would get the invite (for a fee........) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deecie Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I don't know that I could remember every foreign country that I've been to in the past 10 years...... England Wales ....erm..... I'd go with whatever your passport says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairyscotsman99 Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I don't know that I could remember every foreign country that I've been to in the past 10 years...... England Wales ....erm..... and the dates ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairyscotsman99 Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Are Hotels like these not worth their weight in gold? Remember I had to ask about 4 or 5 hotels when I was doing mine if they would supply one, with most of them not bothering to reply, or would just reply with a email saying to contact this agent (who was on commission with them no doubt) who would get the invite (for a fee........) i went to St Petersburg and stayed in the Ibis and they no trouble at all they build in a clause that if you get the invite and then cancel the hotel , they don't do refunds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarthacleanerFC Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 We had no problem for Moscow and are going to St Petersburg next month and the hotel we got through booking.com agreed without problem. Agree it takes a few days to process, I just prefer handing in my passport than trusting the post as I would be scunnered if that was ever lost as I have a lot of trips booked up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaid Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 (edited) You have to ask yourself - with all the hassle, why bother? Mind you I've been to both Moscow and St Petersburg and am in no particular hurry to go back to either. Edited May 15, 2015 by aaid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doonhameronthedon Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 We rented a flat in St. Petersburg but used the voucher for Moscow to get the visa. Wouldn't recommend that route though as I spent the days imagining the Kafkaesque grief that could befall us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deecie Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 You have to ask yourself - with all the hassle, why bother? No you don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoonTheSlope Posted May 17, 2015 Author Share Posted May 17, 2015 Thanks for all the advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoonTheSlope Posted May 30, 2015 Author Share Posted May 30, 2015 (edited) This is probably a stupid question but I read on a thread either on here or p&b about Kosovo and if you travel to another former Yugoslavian country (which one I can't remember) where if you have a Kosovan stamp you will be refused entry in that Former Yugoslavian country My worry is that I'm looking at going to Tbilisi via a couple of nights in Moscow and fancy coming home via Kyiv but with the troubles going on at the minute will the Ukranian authorities be doing something similar I could get alternative flights via Baku but when am I ever going to get the chance to go to Ukraine again!! BothBaku and Kyiv interest me but Kyiv more so just now. Edited May 30, 2015 by DoonTheSlope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deecie Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 If you have a Kosovo stamp and enter into Serbia they will stamp over it with a Serbian one. They won't deny you entry based purely on that. I've also recently learned that Azerbaijanian Visas are expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 No problem with a Russian visa in your passport (there is still flights between Russia and Ukraine) so will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CallumAyr Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Think it has been answered somewhere, but do you need a Visa for Georgia? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Think it has been answered somewhere, but do you need a Visa for Georgia? Nope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoonTheSlope Posted May 30, 2015 Author Share Posted May 30, 2015 Wanderer & Deecie ?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.