RUSSIAN VISA SUPPORT

We shall provide you with invitation letters for receiving visas in Russian Embassies in your Country. The cost of invitation letter is 10 euro per person and you have to pay upon your arrival only.

Unfortunately, almost every foreign visitor still needs a visa to enter (and exit) Russia. To apply at a Russian consulate, you need an invitation from an inviting party (your hotel, a travel company, business partner, or Russian friend). A tourist visa is valid for maximum of 30 days. For longer stays, a business (multiple entry) visa is the best option; such visas can be had for 3, 6 or 12 months. But don't forget you need proof of the health insurance and a document certifying that you are HIV-negative if you want a visa for longer than three months. Remember to register your visa and immigration card within three working days after arriving in Russia. In the hotels which I will recommend to you they will register you free. For receiving visa in the Russian embassy in your country you need invitation letter which you will receive from me within 2–3 days by e-mail. But for this we need the following information from you:

• the exact days of your being in St Petersburg
• your full name 
• the date of birth 
• the number of your passport and its expiration date
• your citizenship

General Information on Visas, which was copied by us from the official cite of Russian Federation Consulate in New-York city, http://www.ruscon.org/ :

Travel to Russia requires an entry visa. The following documents should be submitted in order to obtain a visa: Completed visa applications (two per person), signed by the Applicant. All entries on the form must be typed or printed in block letters in English or Russian. Incomplete visa application forms shall not be processed. Application forms can be downloaded.

Effective April 1, 2004 US citizens are required to submit a new visa application form to Consulate. The new form is implemented on the basis of reciprocity and replaces the previous Standard Application Form and Supplemental Form.You can print visa application out right from the abovementioned site

Valid national passport (original only and it should have at least two clear pages). It must be valid no less than six months after the visa expiration date. Holders of travel documents other than passports (Permit to Re-Enter the United States of America, Travel Document, etc.) must submit valid Permanent Resident Card.

Two passport size pictures of the applicant. Pictures can be black-and-white or color, full face, stapled to the upper-corner of an application. Digital copies are not accepted. Money Order or Certified Bank Check payable to the Russian Consulate for visa processing. Please note that we do not accept cash, personal or company checks. Visa processing fees are:

Single-Entry visa:

• 0 — six -ten business days(*)
• 0 — three-five business days(*)
• 0 — next business day
• 0 — same day

(*)The day of submission/delivery is NOT INCLUDED in processing time.
(*)Starting May till September due to the increasing workload of applications visas are issued in respect of the longest limit of processing time.

Visa processing starts only after the Consulate have collected all the necessary documents.

Visa Processing Fee is not Refundable.

Type of visa or dates of entry/departure can not be changed or extended.

Once application is accepted, a numbered receipt indicating pick-up date is issued. The receipt must be presented for a visa pick-up.

Documents for visa must be submitted by an applicant in person, through an authorized travel agency or by an applicant's representative. Documents delivered by messenger services are not accepted. The Consulate does not provide copy, photo or other services.

After the visa is received it should be checked by the traveler (passport number, date of birth, term of validity) and, if necessary, returned to the Consulate for corrections. The Consulate assumes no responsibility for any discrepancies in visas, which were not brought to its attention prior to the departure from the USA. Processing time, requirements and fees are subject to change without notice.

In accordance with the International Law, the Consulate reserves the right to consider visa applications in certain cases as long as it feels necessary. Visa can be denied if the Consulate has serious reasons to believe that an applicant's entry into or stay in Russia will not be desirable.

Tourist Visa

To apply for a tourist visa an applicant should submit a completed visa application, national passport, two passport size pictures, Money Order (see page 1 points 1–4 in General Information) to the Consulate, including:

Standard tourist confirmation (visa support letter) from the authorized hosting Russian travel agency, registered with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The confirmation must contain full name of the traveler, date of birth, passport number, date of entry/departure, itinerary, the agency's reference number, registration number, official seal and signature of the authorized person;

Hotel reservation alone is not valid for obtaining a tourist visa. I can provide you with visa support letter in the case you have desided to rent private appartment or homestay: 10euro per person. But most of the hotels I have mentioned in HOTELS section of my site will do it for you free!!! Voucher issued by an authorized travel agency, indicating full name of the traveler, date of birth, passport number, dates of entry and departure, name of the hosting Russian Tourist Company.

IMPORTANT: Russian tourist visa can be issued for not longer than 30 days! When entering Russia with a tourist visa, you are required also to present at the border checkpoint your tourist confirmation, voucher and a return ticket with a fixed date of departure from Russia. You also will have to prove that you have sufficient funds for your travel.

Russian Consulates in the US and UK
Washington DC
Address: 2641 Tunlaw Road, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20007
Telephone: (202) 939–8907, 939–8913, 939–8918
Fax: (202) 483–7579
Office hours: Monday — Friday 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Open to public: Monday — Friday 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Head of the Consular Division: Vadim V. Saveliev
Jurisdiction: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

New York
Address: 9 East 91 Street, New York, NY 10128
Telephone: (212) 348–0926 Fax: (212) 831–9162
Office hours: Monday — Friday 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Open to public: Monday — Friday 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Acting Consul General: Sergey V. Garmonin
Jurisdiction: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

San Francisco
Address: 2790 Green Street San-Francisco, CA 94123
Telephone: (415) 928–6878, (415) 202–9800
Fax: (415) 929–0306
Office hours: Monday — Friday 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Open to public: Visa Desk : Monday — Friday 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Passport&Legal Desk: Monday — Friday 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Consul General: Victor N. Lizun
Jurisdiction: Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah.

Seattle
Address: 2323 Westin Building, 2001 6th Ave. Seattle, WA 98121
Telephone: (206) 728–1910
Fax: (206) 728–1871
Office hours: Monday — Friday 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Open to public: Visa Desk: Monday — Friday 2:00 p.m.-4:45 p.m. Passport&Legal Desk: Monday — Friday 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Consul General: Vladimir I. Volnov
Jurisdiction: Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Russian Consulate London Address: 5 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QS, UK Telephone: (020) 7229 8027 Fax: (020) 7229 3215. Office hours: Mon-Fri 0900–1200, 1400–1800. Consul General: Jurisdiction: England