<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by uschpr:
Thanks for your advice!
Are you able to get a visa without any difficulty if you rent an apartment? The Russian embassy told me that I have to stay in a hotel for my entire trip in order to get a visa.
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All major hotels will automatically register your Visa with the OVIR, which is the Russian agency which handles such matters. It is an automatic process with a nominal charge of around US$1.
My understanding is that it is only necessary to register with the OVIR (although hotels do it immediately for you) if you will be in a city for more than 72 hours excluding weekends and holidays. I am not sure if you have to re-register if you leave a hotel and go to an apartment.
Anyway, I have a travel agent who specializes in Russia and getting Russia visas. What is nice about the Visa he gets is that you can arrive and depart anytime within a period of approximately one month and you do not need letters or any other documentation except for a Passport. He also says that he pre-registers you with the OVIR. I have never tried that to make sure it works as I have usually stayed within the 72 hour limit or at a hotel, but his Visas have always worked perfectly. I can give you his contact information.
Allow more time in St. Petersburg if you can. It is one of my favorite cities and it takes a few days to see even the major sites (especially the Hermitage, Peterhoff and to go to the Mariinski).