Flight departs on last day of Russia visa validity - what if flight is cancelled?
I just got my (American) passport back from a visa service, with my Tourist Visa for Russia in it. I noticed that the "exit date" for the visa corresponds exactly to the date of my flight departure. This should not be a problem if everything goes OK. But, I was thinking, what if the flight is cancelled? Or there is some kind of problem on the way to the airport that causes me to miss my flight (believe me, I'll allow a LOT of buffer time to get to the airport).
Of course, if Russian immigration bureaucrats were reasonable people, they'd extend the visa by a day or somehow accommodate a slightly longer stay. But I have heard horror stories about Russian rigid adherence to rules, with no sympathy or empathy . . . once a case where a delayed train crossed the border a few minutes after midnight and travelers whose visas had expired at midnight were detained.
In retrospect, I would have indicated a longer intended stay in Russia on my visa application. Most countries grant visas of 30 days. I had no idea that Russian visas carry entry and exit dates precisely aligned with the travel dates specified on the visa application.