Thread: Travel Blog; CIS/ex-USSR countries (i.e. Russian speaking)

Originally Posted by Hanna

tell them that "Igor Yurievitch says it's fine"

Congrats! You started to discover how the stuff worked in the former USSR. But if you forget the Sesame's name (=Igor Yurievitch) the magic door will not open for you as you'll still be just one among the crowd who needs something.

Originally Posted by Crocodile

Congrats! You started to discover how the stuff worked in the former USSR. But if you forget the Sesame's name (=Igor Yurievitch) the magic door will not open for you as you'll still be just one among the crowd who needs something.

She didn't get the surname though... and also, why is there a consul for a city that has an embassy? Normally consuls are in cities that don't have an embassy, I think. I am not completely convinced about this yet. I mean, they didn't even let me through the gate at the consulate!
The other problem is, I can't hold down a serious conversation; nobody's going to take anything I say in Russian very seriously since it'll be riddled with grammatical errors.

Anyway, I will have some copies of the application form printed out, and keep calling the RU embassy.

I can't find the REAL homepage of the Russian embassy in Belarus, all I am getting is search optimised sites selling invitations, that have names purporting to be the real embassy, but are not, for example russianembassy.biz etc.

Oops, here it is, in Russian only. ПОСОЛЬСТВО РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ В РЕСПУБЛИКЕ БЕЛАРУСЬ THANK YOU YANDEX!!! I got only spam and junk from google.

Originally Posted by Hanna

She didn't get the surname though...

That's right, and technically you're not supposed to know who that is. Typically, it's a current decision-maker at that level, tomorrow it can be someone else.

Originally Posted by Hanna

and also, why is there a consul for a city that has an embassy? Normally [...]

Huh? Normally? Are you still asking questions? Clear your mind from questions and enter the world of Zen!

Originally Posted by Hanna

I mean, they didn't even let me through the gate at the consulate!

That's because the magic door to riches opens only to those who know the current password (Sesame).

Originally Posted by Hanna

The other problem is, I can't hold down a serious conversation; nobody's going to take anything I say in Russian very seriously since it'll be riddled with grammatical errors.

Use your weakness to your strength, my young padawan learner. The next time you approach that evil speaker-phone by the magic door speak only English with confidence (and don't speak Russian at all, don't even show them you know Russian) and you'll be taken seriously. Don't ask for someone who speaks English, but openly say in clear and confident English: "Good morning! I'm a Swedish tourist and I'm here to obtain the visa." And if they say anything in return (whatever) finish them with the calm and confident "Igor Yurievich said I can apply here and I have my application filled in". That will work. Be tough and may the Force be with you!

Originally Posted by Crocodile

Use your weakness to your strength, my young padawan learner. The next time you approach that evil speaker-phone by the magic door speak only English with confidence (and don't speak Russian at all, don't even show them you know Russian) and you'll be taken seriously. Don't ask for someone who speaks English, but openly say in clear and confident English: "Good morning! I'm a Swedish tourist and I'm here to obtain the visa." And if they say anything in return (whatever) finish them with the calm and confident "Igor Yurievich said I can apply here and I have my application filled in". That will work. Be tough and may the Force be with you!

Thank you oh wise Master Crocodile!
That sounds like a strategy that would work!

EDIT: The truth about applying for Russian visas in CIS countries:
Finally I found a number for the embassy that worked. AND I managed to get myself connected with someone who spoke English. The address for the visa section is different from the place I went to, I think. Perhaps they changed the address or something. I spoke with a really nice man who told me that EU citizens can apply for a Russian visa in Minsk. However this does not apply for non-European nationalities. Hence the confusion; a lot of the info online is targeted at Americans.
He also gave me the name of a tourist company in Minsk that can sort everything out for me. It takes 5 days to get the visa (maybe there is a fast track service).

For a 30 day tourist visa, an insurance, an invitation and the visa application form is all that's needed. A business visa offers more flexibility, but if I plan my trip properly it might not be needed.

Hurrah!

Originally Posted by Crocodile

That's because the magic door to riches opens only to those who know the current password (Sesame).


Use your weakness to your strength, my young padawan learner. The next time you approach that evil speaker-phone by the magic door speak only English with confidence (and don't speak Russian at all, don't even show them you know Russian) and you'll be taken seriously. Don't ask for someone who speaks English, but openly say in clear and confident English: "Good morning! I'm a Swedish tourist and I'm here to obtain the visa." And if they say anything in return (whatever) finish them with the calm and confident "Igor Yurievich said I can apply here and I have my application filled in". That will work. Be tough and may the Force be with you!

Hanna... Croc is right about this last part... at least from my experiences in Salvador at the Embassy. There they have supposedly only Spanish speaking guards at the entrances and only wanted to let my husband in as he had the appointment. I showed them my US Passport and my husband explained in Spanish that I was his wife. They did not seem to care at all. My embassy and they would not let me in. Hubby went in without me and I went around to the American entrance side and stormed in and explained the situation. They said to go back and just tell them in English to let you in. Went back over and just glared at the guards and said, "Let me in, NOW." and showed them my passport again. They let me in without a blink of an eye. Really stupid the games they play.

They also had a big scandal a few years ago with the officers making you pay cash when you applied for your Visa and then pocketing the money and marking your application that you had not paid so you had to pay the fee again when you picked up the Visa. Most of the locals going to the U.S. never complained because they never knew that they were getting ripped off. They all thought there were 2 fees. It wasn't until some of the more educated folks started to complain that they figured out the scam.

So be strong!