I have decided to use VisaHQ to get my Russian visa.
But, I'm confused.
I just went on their site to apply, and it seems that I still have to get my own letter of invitation. VisaHQ does not provide it.
Excuse me, but I thought the whole point of paying for a visa service agency is to avoid the hassle and stress of getting your own documents? Getting my own letter of invitation is a royal pain in the neck, because I will be in 3 hotels in 2 cities in Russia. None of these hotels want to give me a letter of invitation beyond the few days I will be staying with each of them. Which means that I would need 3 letters of invitation, and that's just to barely cover the 10 days I will be in Russia, let alone a 30-day visa.
Not only that, but these hotels all want to charge me for a night's stay (in addition to the visa letter fee), even though I already booked with them and paid for my stay. Even when I email them proof that I will be staying with them, they simply don't answer me. The bureaucracy is unbearable, it makes you want to pull your freaking hair out.
Also, I need a visa for at least 15 days, so that if there are any problems with my return flight back to New York, I won't be stranded. I simply don't feel comfortable having a visa for just the 9 days I will be in Russia. I need some wiggle room, because I have a job to return to.
Can anyone clarify this for me, and give me some workable suggestions?
For the life of me, I cannot understand how travelers in Russia can routinely tour a dozen cities. How the Hell did they deal the bureaucracy??? It's a nightmare for just 2 cities, never mind 12.


*I will be in Moscow and St. Petersburg from May 6 to May 15, 2013.

You can get an invitation hassle free for a mere $30 at http://www.waytorussia.net/.

I used them several times, but likely it's available as an add-on service from any other visa service agency as well. I never tried to get it from a hotel in Russia. While technically possible, it appears cumbersome.

I use gotorussia and they have always secured the necessary invitations as part of their service. I have not used them yet since the new 3 year visa has gone into effect, but their web site appears to still provide the same services.

In practice, Russia tends to give dates for single-entry visas that allow a bit of leeway, IME entry one day early and exit two days late. This has happened to me without asking; they apparently just adjust the dates from your plane ticket details.

I'm really curious about how the requirement for hotel reservations works, also.

On my trip last spring, I had arrangements for maybe half the stay made before arriving in Russia. For my (possible) trip this spring, I'm thinking about bringing my own tent and camping on Elbrus for several days. No hotel invite there!

I understand that the old invitaions that were provided by the visa services will no longer be adequate, but do any of the services provide an application back-up that will be acceptable?

Do the new rules require that all the possible stay be accounted for in hotel reservations? How does this affect application for the 3 year visa?

Also very confused,
JimS

I just discovered gotorussia.com as a better alternative to VisaHQ. I will use them as soon as I can apply for my visa, which, by the way is now 45 days before my travel dates. It used to be 90 days before.

Well, I sure hope this is true, though I hate to leave it to chance. I would rather know for certain, beforehand, that I will be given extra days so that I won't get stranded.

Yes, I just realized that gotorussia is better than VisaHQ, even though I like VisaHQ's website design more. It seems cleaner and easier to understand. Gotorussia has an all-inclusive service that takes care of EVERYTHING (including the invitation letter) which VisaHQ apparently does not have.
It's a no-brainer, I will use gotorussia.com as soon as I am allowed to apply for my visa (45 days before).

Yes, but I will go for their all-inclusive package that takes care of everything from the beginning to the end. Let them worry about procuring the individual parts for the visa.

I'll be interested in seeing how this goes for you. While I see on the gotorussia website that they have an all-inclusive option, I don't see anything about the inclusion of hotel reservations which seem to be required by the new visa procedure. The old-style invitations seem to be no longer required, and to have been replaced by the hotel confirmation.

I still see the visa invitations, which I'm assuming are the old ones, on the VisaHQ site, though I see nothing about the hotel reservation confirmation.

I'm still confused. Let us know how it goes.

JimS

This won't be a problem for me, as I already paid for all 3 of my hotels in Moscow and St. Petersburg. I can provide confirmation receipts to gotorussia whenever they want them. My only issue is that I don't want to be given a visa based on the dates I will be at these hotels. I would like a few extra days.

If I understand correctly,

- I fill out the visa application online (earliest @ arrival date - 45 days), print it and send it along with passport, 2 pics, hotel reservation at Starwood showing the reservation nos., and my APPLICATION ID, my SECURITY QUESTION, and my SECURITY ANSWER for Russian visa application to gotorussia.
- I fill out and submit the gotorussia travel order form with the CC number for $249.
- They get me the visa in 9 business days.
- The hotel in Russia will register my visa for free at the time of registration for the duration of my stay with them.

My total cost is $249 and with firm, confirmed itineraries, I would not need any extra visa days there, but should it be required under some unforeseen circumstances, I will get an extra couple of days to leave.

Alternately,
I can get an invitation hassle free for a mere $30 at http://www.waytorussia.net/. This along with a copy of the online visa application and other required docs can be sent to the Russian Consulate in the US with the Visa fee to get the visa.

waytorussia website states that for $30 I get,
'A scanned copy (per e-mail) both of the original Reservation confirmation and the Tourist voucher. These are all the documents needed to get a Russian visa. Originals can be sent by post when required by the consulate (normally the copies are sufficient).'

Little confusing here, I provide my confirmed reservation at Starwood property to waytorussia and they get me the invitation from the hotel? And the 'Tourist voucher' is irrelevant in my case? Also, since I have 2 reservations in two cities (St. Petersburg and Moscow) for my duration in Russia, does that mean $60 for two invitations?

Our very first trip to Russia coming up in Mid April.

Thanks.

Yes, it's a bit confusing. What you'll get from an agency that provides 'visa invitations' if you pay for support for a tourist visa includes a (fake) voucher for a hotel stay during the dates that you are asking them for (up to 30 days). The voucher will say that you've booked and paid for hotel accommodation. Thus, your existing hotel reservations that you made yourself are not required by (a) the visa support agency, (b) the Russian consulate, or (c) the Russian immigration officer. I know it sounds fishy but no one will care (including the hotel where you'll be actually staying). It also means that you only need to pay for one invitation because it can be for as many days as you like (well, up to 30).

Can't gotorussia.com take care of everything, including the invitation letter for an extra charge? If I remember correctly, this is what it said on their website.
Ideally, I want to deal with only one company. I don't want to deal with multiple parties, because it will become confusing, bureaucratic and inefficient, not to mention stressful. I'm hiring a company to take care of my visa precisely because I don't want this process to be stressful.

I recently ordered the 3 year visa and they took care of everything including the invitation.