Thread: US - Russia Visas

Originally Posted by Basil77

(...)Russia is not the ONLY bad player in this game.

Yes, totally agree and I have read other stories about Russians being denied visas for absolutely no good reason. Your mother's experience is terrible, there is no other word for it! Europeans should not have to be humiliated when they want to travel in Europe. What was she going to do in Sweden by the way?

I think it would mean so much, symbolically, for friendship and understanding in Europe, if anyone could travel anywhere without visa. Personally I have no interest in denying Americans visa free travel in Russia, but that's a matter between Russia and the US and not my business. Americans don't need a visa for Europe (apart from Russia and Belarus) anyway.

If anyone is going to Scandinavia the land route, then it's probably easiest to get a visa for Finland - they give visas to all Russians with no hassle, I have heard.

The reason I am having trouble now, is to a large extent my own fault - it can't be denied. I am sure I would have no problem at all, if I had simply started the process 3 weeks before leaving, while still in London.
The problem is that I was really busy in the period leading up to this journey. I thought that a Russian visa was a mere formality, "pay& go".... I didn't even research it because I was so sure that it would be easy. I also assumed that the procedure was the same regardless of which embassy I went to.
As it turns out, it is significantly easier (less paperwork) to get the visa in the country where you live, or in the country where your passport is from. If not, then a whole host of other conditions kick in, and they are not really well known or well documented. There are a few cumbersome formalities too.
But certainly, nobody has asked for the kind of stuff that your mother got asked for.

But I feel very strongly that this visa requirement creates problem for NORMAL people who just want a holiday, whereas it does nothing to prevent crooks, spies and undesirable people from entering either the EU or Russia.

America, is "protected" from suspect Europeans by the Atlantic, in a way, but illegally crossing one of the land borders into Russia or the EU is reputedly not hard at all.

I am leaning towards passing on Russia actually. I just simply can't be fussed hanging around Minsk anymore waiting for stuff to happen. I might try again in Riga, just in case the embassy there is more relaxed about wanting original invitation. It's a real shame, because going to Russia was the main plan for this trip.
But I can go later, I suppose.

Originally Posted by Hanna

Your mother's experience is terrible, there is no other word for it! Europeans should not have to be humiliated when they want to travel in Europe. What was she going to do in Sweden by the way?

As far as I know it's a common requirement for all Schengen countries for Russian citizens. They wouldn't give you a visa if you haven't a certain amount of money on your account or haven't certain property or haven't a stable and well-payed job. It was an ordinary tourist trip, my mom went on ferry from St.Petersburg to Stockholm and spent several weeks in Sweden and Norway. She likes to travel and spend every vacation in some trip. My wife always complains about the fact that she does not want to act like a typical Russian 'babushka' spending her vacations at dacha with grandchildren.