Thread: Immagration cards.

I havea question about what happens as soon as i get off the plane in russia. Will i need an immagration card ? What is it? Where do i go ? what happens when i step foot off the plane? Am escorted by ФСБ to customs or what ?

You'll be arrested at once as an american spy. Then, in a couple of days in a court the judge will sentence you to be shot in Siberia...

With my luck, it would not be at all suprising. I probly wont even make it into russia anyways. i bet the mail man will chose my visa at random out of 5,000 letters that day and just throw it away becuause he's mean. I have the worst luck with things that i really want.

Wait a little. I am looking for a text of the federal law about forieners.

I recommend reading in detail the info at waytorussia.net about visa procedures etc.

This is actually a very good question, at least it has been in the last year because of problems with them not issuing the immigration card to visitors. You're supposed to have it and keep it and give it back when you leave. Anyway, read that site.

Btw, since the visa will be attached to your passport, I don't recommend receiving it by mail. Well, courier is prob. OK.

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О МИГРАЦИОННОЙ КАРТЕ
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6. Выдача прибывающим иностранным гражданам бланков миграционных карт осуществляется:
а) при следовании воздушным (морским, речным) транспортом - членами экипажей воздушных (морских, речных) судов;
So, if I get it right in the plane they have to give you an immigration card.
9. Иностранным гражданам, въезжающим в Российскую Федерацию, должны быть обеспечены своевременное информирование о необходимости заполнения миграционных карт, возможность беспрепятственного доступа к бланкам и время, необходимое для их заполнения перед прохождением пограничного контроля (в том числе вывешивание соответствующих объявлений и оборудование мест для заполнения бланков в залах прибытия).
According to the regulations they must give to forieners information, forms, places and time to fill up the forms before the border checkpoint.
10. Въездные и выездные части миграционных карт (талоны "А" и "В") заполняются лично владельцами документов, дающих право на въезд и пребывание на территории Российской Федерации, разборчиво, без помарок и исправлений чернильной или шариковой авторучкой с чернилами (пастой) черного, синего или фиолетового цвета.
В случае, если иностранный гражданин не владеет русским языком, допускается заполнение им сведений о себе буквами латинского алфавита в соответствии с данными, указанными в паспорте или ином документе, удостоверяющем его личность.
The foriener should fill up the form personally using the pen with black, blue, or violet ink. In case if the foriener cannot speak Russian it is possible to fill up the form using latin letters according to the information that mentioned in the passport.
That's what will happen to you when you come to Russia.

hmhmhmh. So, how do they know who is a foriegner and who isn't on the plane ?

On BA they only give them to those who need it, so presumably they check the passanger list (which obviously contains information on nationalities) before dishing them out, but on Aeroflot they seem to just hand them out to everyone, and if you're Russian you don't accept it or throw it away.

When I was there, I went to Passport Control. It's impossible to miss, you have to go through in order to exit the terminal or get your bags. Anyway, you give them your papers, and they say something incomprehensable, (seriously mumbling) and give you an immigration card, which you fill out, and then give the half marked Arrival to the clerk and keep the other half til you leave. Else they don't give you one, and when you try to leave they conscript you, give you an AK and send you the Chechnya. (I saw it happen in SPb.)

Hmm. So, if i DONT have my card they send me to chechnya ??? Well who the hell in their right mind would want to keep their card ?!?!

Anyways, i don't plan on bringing any luggage for 2 reasons.
1) Im too lazy to pack hella crap and cary it around
2)Im trying to look as non trouristy as possible.

My backpack is big enough to hold a weeks worth of clothes, and a CD player. Which is all i need, so... i guess i'll be skipping the baggage claim. But i will be on Aeroflot, so hopefuly they give me the card on the plane. In which case i wil throw it out and insist i am russian (Joke).

I think you're going to look far more touristy with a backpack than when you pack hella cr@p and leave it in your hotel...

Dogboy, the migration card will be given to you on the plane before you land in Russia. On Aeroflot they always pass it out early in the flight, on Delta they seem to forget or pass it out the last 45 minutes. (I hate Delta!) It is a small white paper in Russian and English with lines to be filled in with info such as passport number, your name, name and address of your sponsoring organization etc. Fill it out in pencil or erasible pen and put it in your passport. When you land you will follow the crowd to passport control booths and stand in line. When it is your turn just give the person in the booth your passport with the migration paper inside. they stamp the visa and stamp the migration card, tear off 1/2 the migration card and give the other 1/2 with your passport to you. You then go into the baggage room, take a customs paper and fill it out, (I always slip a few blank ones into my pocket for the trip home ) and collect your bags. When you register your passport you must have the migration paper inside. When OVIR returns your passport and migration paper keep them together and with you at all times. When you leave the passport control will stamp an exit stamp in your passport and collect your migration card.

They didn't give it to me on the Aeroflot flight from London, I had to find one in Sheremetyevo (actually I nearly had to fight a horde of Japanese tourists to get one) .. one of my friends in Izhevsk didn't know about it (he'd been here before the new rules) and he just breezed into the country, then had to faff around at OVIR and sign forms saying he wasn't a criminal or some such nonsense.

But this was all back in September and it's probably a lot better now. The lesson is, don't count on anything when it comes to Russian bureaucracy. You're to be commended for already knowing about it..

Heh, remember to take a pen too! On two of the occassions I've flown into SVO there's only been one pen between all 100-odd foreigners and the airtport staff and security (the cabin crew and Russian nationals are long-gone by the time most people realise they need one). The first time I had to wait until last to use it, which held me up for at least half an hour unecessarily. The second time it wasn't my problem, as it was my pen

Originally Posted by Jasper May

I think you're going to look far more touristy with a backpack than when you pack hella cr@p and leave it in your hotel...

I'm not gunna have my backpack with me 24/7 foo ! Just to put my clothes in it. I'll look like a student, or soldier. Either one.

a soldier eh? i guess alot of people would make the mistake to thinking that