lewinr

yes, Russia introduced the requirement to provide this info only after the US started to require it from Russians

drbobguy

Well I am happy to report that I had my passport returned today with a shiny new 3-year Russian tourist visa using VisaHQ.com. I only submitted the standard documents that was the case for all my previous visas: my passport, a single photograph, and the signed visa application form.

I can report though that both VisaHQ and one of the other agencies (I forget which I called) both told me that the NYC consulate has indeed called in people for interviews, so they recommended I send the application to their Washington, DC office (which I did). VisaHQ noted that they were having more issues at the NYC consulate than in the past. It may be the NYC consulate is still ironing out the kinks and in the future it will be the same as before.

Also I should add that it also took exactly 15 working days (20 days total) from time of submission to my passport being released. I used VisaHQ for a tourist Visa in November 2011 (a year ago) and it only took 3 days for the turnaround, and that was without expedited processing.

Doppy

Can anyone comment on the possibility of getting a 3 year M/E visa on a passport that does not have 3 years + 6 months of validity left? I have a passport expiring in 3 years, 5 months.

Xyzzy

I'm not sure why that would be a problem. The only issue I could see is in three years, trying to enter with your visa and five months of validity left on the passport. That, however, is a separate problem. I think they will be quite happy to take your mney now in exchange for a three year visa.

homelyboy

AFAIK, Russia does not impose the 6-month passport validity requirement. At least, not for Americans.

gopackjo

I've got a trip scheduled to St. Petersburg in June, so I was planning on getting the 3 year visa. But I decided to take advantage of a good fare to SVO for a mileage run. To avoid any confusion in transit in Moscow, I decided to pull the trigger on the 3 year visa a bit early.

I used VisaHQ, filled out everything online, am using their invitation service, and sent my passport next day to them on Monday, 7-Jan. They received it on 8-Jan, and hopefully will submit it to the Washington embassy today.

I need my passport back by Friday, 8-Feb for the trip. 20 working days for the embassy would be 6-Feb, so I will be cutting it a bit close.

Wish me luck!

LivelyFL

Good luck Gopackjo! I just sent my passport to VishHQ last Friday for a Russian Visa also. Hope everything turns out good for the both of us.

gopackjo

VisaHQ received my application (3yr Tourist) on 8-Jan, submitted it to the embassy on 11-Jan. Now scheduled to be completed on 25-Jan.

So that is predicted for 10 working days, in this instance. FYI, the Embassy was closed until 9-Jan because of Orthodox Christmas, so there may have been a back up.

Things are looking good.

woody125

If you get your visa invitations from a government recognized organization (this is pretty much anything other than a home stay or personal visit) then the DC consulate is now demanding the original invitation to process the visa. No longer will they honor scanned or faxed copies. This adds about a week and approximately $70 to the cost as DHL will now need to deliver your invites either to your processing agent or to you personally.

We have a group of 9 leaving in a month that 5 of us got in before all this happened and 4 got caught by it due to application mistakes. We’ll wait now for the originals to arrive early next week and continue the process. Thankfully, we started this effort 7 weeks before our team was to travel. Had we cut it close, we’d be minus 4 on this team.

Not sure about tourist visas and this issue. As a matter of policy we never use tourist visas so I’m not sure. Best to check with your processor and ask them directly. Not sure about NYC, SEA, SAN, and HOU consulates but DC has been turning away applicants since lunch yesterday who did not have original invites. Gotta love that forewarning, eh? Ну, Россия, это Россия.

Of course, there is nothing about this on the www.russianembassy.org page but it is now posted in the consular office of the DC post. Ugh…

*Please do confirm this with your visa processor. It's Russia so YMMV and it may very well not include tourist visas. Most folks here are seeking tourist visas so I don't want to cause stress if it's not necessary. Plenty of stress for those of us on gov't issued visas.

woody125

But a lot of the agencies that process Russian visas do require it.

LivelyFL

I received my passport today with a shiny Russian Visa inside. We are excited.

gopackjo

That makes sense then. Mine shipped out to me yesterday (Monday), so I should have it Tuesday. Shiny is good!

Now I can do an Istanbul mileage run this weekend!.

Orsino

I just received my three year tourist visa. I went ahead and did the paperwork myself and actually found it to be pretty easy. The most tedious part was inputting all the different countries I'd visited in the past ten years. First I arranged for an invitation through my hotel. Fortunately my hotel had an electronic module through which, after paying a $15 fee, I was able to get an immediate invitation. I then filled out the online application here: https://visa.kdmid.ru/PetitionChoice.aspx

I was able to get an appointment the next day at the Invisa Logistics Services office in lower Manhattan. Unfortunately I found out that I had filled in a couple of the responses incorrectly so let me post what I know:
1. for the "issuing authority" of your passport make sure you indicate "U.S. Department of State" (not just "United States")
2. for the duration, list the full three years (i.e., Feb. 1, 2013 - Jan. 31, 2016) I know--the maximum allowable single visit is six months but I was told the duration should refer to the duration of the visa, not the first visit.
3. I had google translated the name of the company arranging for the invitation incorrectly such that some miscellaneous characters came over (I thought it was Russian for "Inc." or "LLC" or some such but they had to be removed). I also was told I didn't need to include the address for that agency, just the name, ID number and city in which they're located.

I was given the option of taking the application home and making the corrections or just paying $25 for them to fix it on the spot. Because the fees had recently been reduced from $180 to $150 I took them up on it just to have all the paperwork done. The folks at ILS in lower Manhattan could not have been more kind or helpful. Maybe it was the fact that I was expecting difficulties but it really couldn't have been easier.

After submitting the application I was told I'd get called to the consulate on 91st & 5th for an interview. This took much less time than I thought (about three business days) and I was given an appointment for the following business day. Unfortunately my work schedule didn't allow such a tight time frame and I had to rebook the interview three days down the line.

For the interview I had to bring a bank statement, proof of ownership of property, a statement from my employer indicating salary and employment history as well as a statement of family status. I had no idea how to prove I'm single so I didn't bring the latter. In the end they only asked to see a copy of my bank statement (but did not make a copy). One thing I was not told to bring but they did ask for was my insurance ID card, which they did copy and staple to my application. The interview was over in about five minutes. Both the guards at the consulate and the interviewer were standoffish but quite cordial.

I then got a call two business days later that the visa was ready for pickup downtown. All in the whole process could have taken about seven to ten business days but the official word is it takes 20 calendar days.

imaglobetrotter

Can anyone recommend a good hotel, 4ish stars, in a central location for touring in Moscow & St Petersburg? Any other tips on tour guides, transportation, etc would be greatly appreciated. Delta into SVO. I'm sure this is in the wrong place, so if someone could move it to the right spot, that'd be great.
Thanks.

Slow_Mustang

Thanks for taking the time to give details about your experiences with the visa procedure. Does the 'invitation company's' document mention the dates for the duration also? What details does it cover - format, contents etc.? Also, it appears that I must purchase some kind of insurance valid for Russia? Is the interview required of everyone doing it him(her)self instead of going through a visa service agency and paying >$250? Thanks.


I had acquired a 10 year visa for visit to India. Some time after that my US passport expired and I got a new one. So, I was required to bring both my expired passport (for the Indian visa) and the new passport (for ID and for making the arrival and departure entries), for subsequent trips to India. I wonder if that is an acceptable procedure for all countries?
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