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VISAS

To obtain a Russian visa, you need:

  1. Your Passport
  2. 1 x Passport-type photo
  3. Application form
  4. Invitation

The information below is accurate for British passport holders. Other nationalities may pay higher fees and/or face further restrictions on acceptability of invitations etc. They may also need to supply further documentation. Please contact us for details.

The Russian Consulate is open 0900-1230 Mon to Fri. Visas issued on the day of application are collected 1600-1700. The fee charged by the consulate depends on how quickly you need the visa issued. Your passport will remain with the Consulate during this period. The scale of fees is below, but be aware that, during busy periods such as June/July,the timescales can be more aspiration than reality. Those paying the £45 fee may find themselves waiting for upto 3 weeks:

NEW EMBASSY FEES FROM 12FEB2007 (Prices in pounds sterling)
 Processing Time: Same Day 6 days
Single Entry 95 45
Double Entry 105 55
Multiple Entry 160 110

Passports

Must be your actual passport(photocopies no longer allowed). Must be valid for six months beyond dates of trip and have at least one blank page for attachment of the visa.

Application form

There are still some old Soviet Union forms in circulation - these are not valid.  The latest version of the form must be completed online.  Please call or email us for the relevant link.

Invitations

There are various types of visa - determined by the type of invitation. The most common are:

Business visa

The invitation will be one of two types: either a letter/fax from the inviting organisation or an official invitation issued by the Russian Foreign or Interior Ministries.

Letters

The letter type invitation has been almost entirely phased out. Very few organisations are still accredited to issue them and each one has to be referred to the Consulate on a case-by-case basis.

Ministry Invitations

All other types of invitation must be issued through one of the the Ministries. Be aware that:
Your Russian partners must invest time and effort with the Ministry :The Ministry charges a fee : It takes time - 2-5 days for single/double and 14-28 days for multi.  Ministry invitations can be certificate or telex. Certificate: for single or double, a faxed copy is acceptable; for multi the original is required. Telex: as it's an internal electronic document, no copy is required (but it can sometimes be helpful to have the telex number)

Tourist visa

Tourist visas are only issued to those booking accommodation for the duration of their stay. The booking must be made through a registered Russian tour operator or hotel and be paid for. The Russian supplier must provide you with their own confirmation and an official confirmation on a form provided to them by the Foreign Ministry. In practice, the simplest method is to make your booking through a company such as Scott's Tours which will obtain the necessary paperwork from Russia. If you need accommodation, this is the simplest visa to obtain as it removes the need for an invitation as such.

Private visa

A Russian national living in Russia can apply to their local "OVIR" (department of visas and registration) office to issue a personal invitation. The OVIR will issue an official document as the invitation. There are three disadvantages to this type:It takes anywhere from three weeks to three months to be issued; the original document (not a fax copy) has to be presented to the Consulate; it involves a large amount of your inviter's time in Russia.

Transit visa

The only type of visa not requiring any paperwork from Russia. A transit visa is for a maximum of 72 hours and is issued on presentation of airline tickets to a third country routed via Moscow. Transit visas can be purchased on the spot in Moscow Sheremetyevo and St Petersburg Pulkovo 2 airports. However, passengers travelling from western countries will not be allowed boarding by most airlines unless in possession of a visa. The visa should be obtained before travelling. A passenger travelling from, for example, Almaty, will be able to fly in without a visa and obtain one in Sheremetyevo or Pulkovo( not if flying into other airports). It should be remembered, however, that there are many ways for this to go wrong. This method should only be used when there is no alternative.

HOTELS

CityHotelSingle roomTwin room
Moscow Ararat Park Hyatt from £282 to £386 from £334 to £448
Baltschug Kempinski £197 to £286 £230 to £313
Cosmos £70 to £98 £76 to £110
Golden Ring £141 £158
Iris Congress £82 £97
Katerina City £74 to £120 £100 to £150
Metropol £161 to £209 £182 to £205
National £149 to £197 £221 to £294
Ritz Carlton £297 to £423+ £352 to £479+
St Petersburg Angleterre 122-143 160-182
Astoria 142-166 182-208
Deson Ladoga 62 76
Grand Europe 160-244 190-270
Moskva 31-44 42-54
Nevsky Palace 149-209 168-226
Pribaltiskaya 32-56 40-66
Pulkovskaia 33-69 42-80
St Petersburg unrenovated 39-44 50-60
St Petersburg renovated 70 84
Irkutsk Baikal Business 73-82 105-120
Intourist 53-72 65-80
Ekaterinburg Atrium Palace 134-147 265-285
Oktyabrskaia 35 49
Kaliningrad Chaika 49-70 55-75
Khabarovsk Intourist 64-78 65-81
Rostov on Don Intourist 50 60
Samara Rossiya 57 65





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