My wife's passport expires in 2.5 years. Can she still get a multiple visa? I read somewhere (not official site) that the consulate will issue a multiple visa valid through expiration of passport minus six months. Any experience with this?
I'll answer my own questions after visiting ILS and the Russian Consulate in NY.
1) ILS, where most people are encouraged to go to apply for visa, seem to be a nice place (no lines, quick service), but people who work there seem unsure about regulations. They are were not sure whether my wife qualified for a multiple visa. They thought that hotel tourist vouchers I had procured did not entitle her to one (even though the Consulate site says it was enough). So I headed to the Consulate the next day.
2) Consulate is a busier place, but I managed to get all the questions answered in an hour. The vouchers (copies I got by email) were accepted. One can also get a multiple "three-year" visa even if passport expires in 2.5 years. They simply issue a visa valid up to the expiration of the passport minus six months. Fair enough.
3) I applied for visa for my wife and daughter
who were not with me (I do not need the visa), and it was not a problem at all.
Overall, visits to the Consulate are hit and miss. I have been there several times in the last twenty years. The last visit was a pleasant surprise. So is the one before. Of course you have to put up with some people's attitude, but I have encountered it in many consulates over the years (most recently French!) So if I have to review the consulate online somewhere, 4.5 stars. Maybe 5 stars. Definitely 5 stars for their professional handling of one moronic protester outside.