Looking for a visa service recommendation
 

I recently discovered that getting a Russian visa on your own is a nightmare. The bureaucracy is unbearable, not just from the Russian government, but also from the hotels that are supposed to provide you with a visa support letter. I won't go into the excruciating details, but suffice it to say that I am very frustrated-- and quite frankly fed-up-- with all the nonsense, and I haven't even yet set foot on Russian soil.
I normally like to save money, and do things on my own, but in this very unusual case, I will make a rare exception, so I have decided to pay a visa service company to deal with all the B.S. and get me a Russian visa.
What company can you recommend that is reputable; efficient, competent, and that speaks English well enough so that I don't feel like I am trying to communicate with someone with a severe case of autism?

Details:

*I want to get a tourist visa for the FULL 30 days that the law allows, even though I am only staying for 9 days.

*I will be in Moscow and St. Petersburg from May 5 to May 15, 2013.

*I am traveling from New York.

*I am, both, a U.S. and Italian citizen.

*I am a male, 43 years-old.

Does anyone ever come here?

Yes, people come here, but since there are only a dozen regular posters about Russian visas it takes a while sometimes. Especially since this is the tail end of the Orthodox Christmas holidays.

Since you will be in Russia during those dates, those are the date that they will give you a visa for. You can have a visa for your stay up to 30 days (tourist visa). Since you are only staying 10 days, you will get a single entry tourist visa for 10 days. If you want to get the visa by yourself, then you will need to pay the hotel for the "visa assistance" and they will each send you a letter to put with your visa application.

If you use an agency, they will provide you with this letter and maybe you can convince them to put that it should be from May 5th to June 3rd.

Where you are travelling from is irrelevant. Your nationality plays a role, but most important is where you are a resident as this is where you get your visa from.

If you are a resident of the US, you can use either your US or your Italian passport. If you use your Italian one though, you will need something that shows you are a resident of the US. If you a resident elsewhere, then you will need to go to the embassy there and show you are a resident.

If you use your Italian passport, then the visa request form is one page. If you use your US passport, then there is a second page required and it includes much more detailed information, like travel history for the last 10 years.

I have always gotten my own visa for Russia and have never had an real issues except for the residency one, since I travel constantly and am in my residence country about 10 work days a year.

Let us know which country and city you are a resident of and one of the more local posters may be able to provide you with more detailed information.

I've used several companies, but have used GoToRussia the past 5 or so years. I've had excellent service and no problems.

Take a look at their site and you can see what they offer and then compare.

I haven't yet applied for a visa under the new rules, but I will be in a month or two. I know that the visa I got last year was for the full 30 days, not the amount of time I actually spent in the country. That used to be the norm. I'm assuming that it's still possible, and that the expediter I use will take care of those details for me. I'll probably apply for the 3 year.

Have you read the other posts in this forum, including the sticky? Both VisaHQ and GotoRussia are recomended elsewhere. I used a local company last year since I was short on time, and will either use the local company or VisaHQ this spring. I've used VisaHQ for other visas before (maybe Pakistan or India or both?) with good results. Contact either of the companies mentioned in the sticky with your questions. Visa HQ will actually answer the phone!

Please post your experience as lots of us are looking for info on the new procedures. I'm especially interested on how the new hotel booking requirement will be handled.

Good luck,
JimS

I've always applied on my own, although IIRC the consulate websites tend to list a suggested visa service. IME the visa is good from the day before you plan to enter until a day or two after your scheduled departure.

Thanks.
It is very problematic that I will only be able to get a visa for the time I am actually staying in Russia. What if my flight is cancelled? What if some unforeseen disruption causes me to have to return a few days later? I will be stranded on the other side of the world, and it will be a bureaucratic nightmare to get paperwork to return home. I'm not sure my job will be so patient (I am a NYC subway train operator, which is a civil service title).
I have read in other blogs and posts that I should get a Russian visa "for the full 30 days that the law allows" precisely for the reasons I mentioned above.
If I decide to hire a visa service company, would it be customary for them to request the full 30-day visa for me? Would they have to prove to the Russian government the actual length of my stay? I've read that these companies operate by making phantom "bookings" in hotels for the dates I request, and that the Russian government does not verify these bookings.
By the way, my residence is in Brooklyn, New York.

I have bookmarked this site for near-future reference. Thanks.
Someone on Yahoo! Answers recommended a travel agent in NYC that specializes in Russian visas. I can actually go there in person, which is comforting on some level, since I can deal with real people:

http://www.russianconsulting.com/visas.html

Would it be advisable to hire a company like this, or is it actually safer to go with a well-regarded online option?

Will do.
At this point it is a toss-up between Visa HQ, GoToRussia, or Russianconsulting.com, a local option. I will have to check out their sites, fees and policies, as well as how efficient and competent they seem.

I really wanted to do this on my own to save money, believe me. But as soon as I got a taste of the nonsensical bureaucracy that seems to permeate every sector of Russian society, I decided I need help.

You list on your application the date you will enter and date you will exit. You no longer have to show evidence of travel, (Plane Ticket etc.). So you can make it for the 30 days with no problem. But be sure you don't exceed the acutal 30 days on your visa application. I once did and since it was 31 days my visa was turned down. That was about 8 years ago. Thankfully I used an agent in Washington DC and I was able to correct my dates and he re-presented my visa the next day without an additional visa charge.

OK, great. It's good to know this.
So, in other words, if I decide to go with an online visa service company, and they have a page to fill out with a drop down menu requesting when I will be in Russia, I can just put in 27 or 30 days, (even though I will only be in Russia for 9 days) and it won't be considered lying, or even be verified?
By the way, I'll probably say that I will be in Russia from May 5th (the date I depart New York) to May 31st or June 1st. I don't want to cut it too close to the allowable limit. Who knows what other nonsensical, bureaucratic regulations they have regarding this.

VisaHq doesn't get much better

Get a full 30 day visa, double entry if you want to play it real safe

Still don't think 30 day is enough ? Then get the multi-year visa.

Even using an agency, YOU will need to go online and fill out the application electronically. They no longer take typed and printed applications. You then submitt the saved information along with your passport photos etc to your agency.

I'm hearing this name a lot; I might just go with this.
By the way, can I apply for a visa now, or is it too early?