Thread: Visa's for travelling

Am I correct in assuming that getting a visa to stay with a friend within Moscow would be different to getting a regular travel visa? Or could I get away with just using a travel visa? And does anyone know anything about attaining such visa's?

And is there anything else I need besides a current passport?

Short of checking with a travel agent it’s rather difficult finding what I need to do in order to travel there.

http://www.russianvisa.org/
Also go to the Russian consolate page for requirements. It is pretty hard to get a visa, and more so if you are not staying at a hotel. You need an official invitation from your friend, health insurance, and the owner of the flat you stay in has to fill out paperwork and go with you to register you within 3 days of your arrival.

There are hundreds if not thousands of sites on line where you can have all your visa questions answered. This is not one of them. =:^(

Technically you're supposed to get a visitor's visa, but they're a pain to get, especially for your sponsor. Much better to find an agency to process a tourist visa for you instead. There are dozens of them in the Uk so I assume there must be an equivalent in Oz. Just make sure the one you choose offers support for registering it when you get to Russia (shouldn't be a problem if it's Moscow you're going to) and they don't just issue the accredited invitation and then leave you to your own devices when you get there.

Expect to pay about 2x the basic cost of the tourist visa in addition to the visa fee itself, unless you need it quickly (within a few days) in which case the sky's the limit.

The Visa requirement, is that for visitors from all countries? I was in England and a number of British paintball players wanted to go to a game in Russia in June, and they needed Visa's. Someone told me that as an American, I do not need a Visa. True or False?

Second, in booking flights, sometimes it is cheaper to fly through Moscow, but I would have to change airports. I would have to claim baggage and exit the airport to change airports. Would that be a problem without a Visa?

If a person wanted to do the Trans-Siberian Railroad, and did not go through someone like Mir, do they have to stick with a set schedule, all cleared with the authorities in advance?

If you haven't been reading the news lately, you might have missed the problems US and Russia are having. Westerners ALWAYS need a visa, and ESPECIALLY if you are an American these days. =:^)

Visas for US citizens are more expensive than for europeans, and the application forms are much longer.