How Do You Get a Russian Visa?
Mason Barge
departs Harwich Int'l on May 10, returning to Dover May 24, and sails the Baltic
capitals.
My question concerns the two-day stop in Russia. Unless you want to take
Celebrity excursions, which are quite expensive (but you don't need a visa), you
have to get your own visa in order to even get off the ship in St. Petersburg.
(A car and tour guide can be had for $20 per hour, but Celebrity charges $700
per day for a car.) Also, I have to say, the idea of not being able to just get
off the ship and walk around if I want to, when I want to, does not suit me.
Has anybody done this? Hints are welcome. Visa services are available for an
extra $50 per visa (on top of the $70 for the Russian consulate) but I'd really
just as soon avoid the extra $100 to get a visa service to do it. Or if
somebody wants to tell me to take the Celebrity excursions, I'll certainly
listen.
Also, has anyone traveled from London to Harwich? The Celebrity coach is $67
(and I don't relish the experience). Great Eastern Rail seems to run a train
every hour from Liverpool Station (which is way in the east end of London and a
long trip from our hotel) for about $20-25; the train trip is scheduled for 1
1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Any comments and suggestions are welcome. Our hotel is
near the V&A -- we are spending a little time in London before and after the
cruise.
Best to all :) BTW we got one of the big balcony cabins overlooking the stern
of the ship at the regular premium outside cost -- it pays to book early and use
a good TA!
--
"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
- Abraham Lincoln
Jeff Coudriet
I would highly recommend using a visa service, but I don't have one in
particular to recommend. It's the easiest way. I know folks have
recommended (search cruise critic port info??) various car services that
they have booked in advance for their own custom tours, but we never did
this. I don't know about walking off the ship and just "walking
around"....not something I would recommend! It's not a great area of
town. There is a subway station about a mile away though. We just got
an overpriced cab from the port area to ferry us downtown (about
$10...no doubt greatly increased by now...this was in 1994 and 1995),
and hailed a car back from downtown. Back in those days regular cars
would stop for you (something they don't recommend tourists do....) but
I have a great sense of direction and speak passable Russian. In fact,
I corrected one of the drivers turns to get us back to the port. You
can get to Peterhof on your own via the boat that docks right in front
of the Hermitage/Winter Palace. Just make sure you leave early enough
in the afternoon to get back into town or it is an
interesting/complicated train ride back. Getting to the other summer
palaces on your own is more complicated....but there is PLENTY to do in
the downtown anyhow, and very walkable. The $700/day for a car service
is outrageous....highway robbery! So many things to see and do
there....need to go back!
Jeff
Sunniebgi
We send most of our passengers to a Visa Service in New York more for the
convience of having someone else help.. I can't remember the name off hand
but will see if I can find it. (starts with a Z but I don't want to give you
the wrong name)
try the following
http://www.visatorussia.com/russianvisa.nsf/index.html!openform&38696
got this link from a Russian Embassy/ Consolute website.
Good Luck and have a great cruise.
Sarah Layne
Cruise consultant
Foster and Ince Cruise Services
Barbados
"Mason Barge" <masonbar...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:jl686vkchuvseh3i5...@4ax.com...
Thomas Smith
Information Sheet on Russia.
BEGIN QUOTE
ENTRY AND EXIT REQUIREMENTS: U.S. citizens must possess a valid U.S.
passport and appropriate visas for travel to or transit through Russia,
whether by train, car, ship or airplane.
Russian visas should be obtained from an embassy or consulate in the U.S. or
abroad in advance of travel, as it is impossible to obtain a Russian entry
visa upon arrival. Travelers who arrive without an entry visa are not
permitted to enter Russia and face immediate expulsion by route of entry, at
the traveler's expense. Errors in dates or other information on the visa may
result in denial of entry, and it is helpful to have someone who reads
Russian check the visa before departing the United States.
Visas are valid for specific dates. An entry/exit visa reflects two dates
written in the European style (day, month, year). The first date indicates
the earliest day you may enter Russia; the second date indicates the last
day you are permitted to be in Russia using that visa. Sometimes the length
of a visa may not correspond to the length of your planned stay. Before
starting your trip, be sure your visa is valid for the dates of your planned
entry and departure. Travelers who spend more than three days in the country
must register their visa through their hotel or sponsor. It is helpful to
make a photocopy of your visa in the event of loss, but note that a copy of
your visa will not be sufficient for leaving the country, as Russian border
officials always ask for the original.
The office that issued your visa must approve amendment of a visa
necessitated by illness or changes in travel plans. If travelers experience
entry and exit visa problems they and/or their sponsor must contact the
nearest Russian visa and passport office (OVIR) for assistance. Visitors who
overstay their visa's validity, even for one day, or who neglect to register
their visa will be prevented from leaving until this is corrected, which
usually requires payment of a fee and results in a missed flight or other
connection.
Due to the possibility of random document checks by police, U.S. citizens
should carry their original passports and registered visas with them at all
times. Failure to provide proper documentation can result in detention
and/or heavy fines. It is not necessary for travelers to have either entry
or itinerary points in the Russian Federation printed on their visas.
All travelers must continue to list on the visa application all areas to be
visited and subsequently register with authorities at each destination.
There are several closed cities throughout Russia. Travelers who attempt to
enter these cities without prior authorization are subject to fines, court
hearings and/or deportation. Travelers should check with their sponsor,
hotel or the nearest Russian visa and passport office before traveling to
unfamiliar cities and towns.
Any person applying for a visa for a stay of more than three months must
present a certificate showing that he/she is HIV-negative. The certificate
must contain the applicant's passport data, proposed length of stay in
Russia, blood test results for HIV infection, including date of the test,
signature of the doctor conducting the test, medical examination results,
diagnostic series and seal of the hospital/medical organization. The HIV
test must be administered o later than three months prior to travel and the
certificate must be in both Russian and English.
Russia issues visas (with the exception of transit visas) based on support
from a sponsor, usually an individual or local organization. Generally
speaking, visas sponsored by Russian individuals are "guest" visas, and
visas sponsored by tour agencies or hotels are "tourist" visas. Note that
travelers who enter Russia on "tourist" visas, but who then reside with
Russian individuals, may have difficulty registering their visas and may be
required by Russian authorities to depart Russia sooner than they had
planned. Student visas allow only for one entry. The sponsoring school is
responsible for registering the visa and obtaining an exit visa. It is
important to know who your sponsor is and how to contact him/her because
Russian law requires that your sponsor apply on your behalf for replacement,
extension or changes to your visa. Even if your visa was obtained through a
travel agency in the U.S., there is always a Russian legal entity whose name
is indicated on the visa and who is considered to be your legal sponsor. The
U.S. embassy cannot act as your sponsor. U.S. citizens should contact their
tour company or hotel in advance for information on visa sponsorship.
Persons holding both Russian and U.S. passports should be aware that if they
enter Russia on a Russian passport that subsequently expires, Russian
authorities will not permit them to depart using their U.S. passport. Since
it may take several months to obtain a new Russian passport to satisfy
Russian requirements for departure, travelers are advised to ensure that
their Russian passports will be valid for the duration of their stay or that
they travel on a valid U.S. passport and Russian visa.
For additional information concerning entry and exit requirements, travelers
may contact the
Russian Embassy, Consular Section, 2641 Tunlaw Rd., NW, Washington, DC
20007, telephone
(202) 939-8907, web site - http://russianembassy.org, or the consulates in
New York
(tel. 212-348-0926/55), San Francisco (tel. 415-928-6878, 415-929-0862,
415-202-9800/01) or Seattle (tel. 206-728-1910).
END QUOTE
Source: http://www.travel.state.gov/russia.html
Tom Smith
"Mason Barge" <masonbar...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:jl686vkchuvseh3i5...@4ax.com...
Linda Coffman
> My question concerns the two-day stop in Russia. Unless you want to take
> Celebrity excursions, which are quite expensive (but you don't need a
visa), you
> have to get your own visa in order to even get off the ship in St.
Petersburg.
> (A car and tour guide can be had for $20 per hour, but Celebrity charges
$700
> per day for a car.) Also, I have to say, the idea of not being able to
just get
> off the ship and walk around if I want to, when I want to, does not suit
me.
I highly recommend using a Visa service. I'm just not comfortable sending my
passport off to a foreign consulate--the Visa services walk the paperwork
through the processing. I think you need to send two passport-size photos
with your application. One of the photos was attached to the Visa when it
was returned. Kinkos does an okay job of passport photos.
Two services you might look at are Travisa at http://www.travisa.com/ and
Zierer at http://www.zvs.com/index.html
I've used both of the above and was pleased with their services.
You will want to arrange your car and driver/guide before you leave. If you
dock at the commercial pier in St. Petersburg, you won't want to get off the
ship and walk around ;)
Linda Coffman
CruiseDiva.com
http://cruisediva.com
Mike Cordelli
state are fiction, it took us twice as long as whatever it was to get them
back. It wasn't a huge deal because then all you had to submit was a copy
of the passport information page, not the entire passport for them to issue
a visa, I believe that has changed now and you have to give up the passport.
I would highly recommend using a service just for the control of where your
passport is. I have a real problem trusting it to the mail and the rest.
Of course, if you live where you can drop it off and pick it up again if
they allow that (some consulate offices only do mail visas) that is another
story, but if I had to do it again where I would have to give up my passport
I would use a service. It's not just in case it's lost, it's also because
we travel enough that five or six weeks or whatever is too long not to have
it.
"Mason Barge" <masonbar...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:jl686vkchuvseh3i5...@4ax.com...
ArleneL
> 2 that we're used to getting for passports. I saved the extra one and used it
> for Chile a few years later. They only wanted one.
Arlene
Susette405
Great Ladies! We felt it was best with the times the way they are for my older
ladies to take the excursion from the ship. getting close to sailing time and I
now hear getting a Russian visa is a pain and can take long.
So we thought it was best for them to take the excursion...
You can not just come off the ship and walk around without a visa....
Use a Visa Service if you want to explore on your own...
Susette
Join us on our Annual Group Cruise 29Nov03 Navigator of the Seas
Check out our new website: www.cruiseoutlets.com
RCM
St Petersburg is not a place for the average tourist. It is difficult to
figure out the metro schedules and how to get around. Also the palaces are
far apart.
We did the Constellation last summer and used a company called Red October.
Go to cruise-critic.com and do a search. Red October will send you passes
to use to get through Russian customs and then a guide will meet you and
take you and your party wherever you want to go. We did two days with them
and saw more than the cruise ship tours. We also did not have to wait in
line anywhere as we were ushered in passed the lines. The cost is half the
price of the cruise line charges for renting a van with guide for a day.
You do not have to pay one cent up front, will have a better tour at less
cost. How can you beat that....They are reliable. We searched last year and
found them to be highly recommended on cruise critic site. Best advice we
ever got from researching before we cruise.
RCM
literally a few feet from the dock and people will come over and grap your
bags so it is convenient. It is a slow train but then again the roads could
have traffic. It took some people 4 hours to get to the pier as there was a
concert in some local town creating a trraffic jam. For the little money
extra I think the Celebrity bus is the best option. But check where in
London they will pick you up. They do not have local hotel pick-up, they
only go to hotels to pick up people who prebooked hotel with Celebrity
Bill Fairbrother
$67
> (and I don't relish the experience). Great Eastern Rail seems to run a
train
> every hour from Liverpool Station (which is way in the east end of London
and a
> long trip from our hotel) for about $20-25; the train trip is scheduled
for 1
> 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.
We took the tube to Liverpool St Station and then got the train to Harwich,
with a change in Manningtree. There were a few direct trains running
between Liverpool St and Harwich, but those times weren't convenient for me.
Anyway, the entire trip was a piece of cake and I'd have no hesitation doing
it again someday. The Harwich train station is literally right next to the
cruise terminal.
Enjoy your cruise,
Bill
Mason Barge
This sounds so great! Unfortunately I have not been able to find Red October
after a concerted effort on both Cruise Critic and Google. Although I found a
number of tour operators who would do cruise excursions, they all require visas.
I'll keep trying, but if anyone has a URL or email address for them, I would
appreciate it.
RCM
There is still plenty of discussion about Red October
http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=frm&s=927093444&f=8463082432
Mason Barge
Thanks a lot for this. I finally found their website using your link and have
emailed them.
http://www.redoctober.spb.ru/RedOct800x600/index.htm
I tried pretty hard to run them down using Google or trying various url's,
without success. I got close with www.redoctober.ru :) European url's are just
too different from the ones I'm used to, to make a successful guess.