Sorta. You'll be required to have a hotel reservation listed. However, unless you've made other arangements, you don't need to prepay, there's no no-show penalty, and you can stay somewhere else. Quite frankly, the hotel will be really surprised if you do show up.

In other words, it's a formality to comply with the rules, but doesn't obligate you to anything.

The last post is not totally accurate. Before your letter of invitation is sent to you, at least one high-end hotel (the Ararat Park Hyatt), and perhaps others, now requires an authorization to charge your credit card $100.00 in the event you cancel your reservation or do a no-show after your letter of invitation is sent. I suppose too many persons were making a reservation simply to obtain a letter of invitation and then cancelling out.

Hmm...now I'm actually confused. I thought the letter of invitation was ONLY for the invitation type visa. Then I thought the tourism visa was a dif type that required only the hotel reservations.

Basically though, just make sure there is no cancellation fee. I just don't like to plan too much you know.

Thanks for clarifying. I was referring to getting an invitation from a travel agency, who will make a token "reservation" if you are getting only visa support from them. If you arrange it through a hotel, they're going to want you to stay with them.

All visitors to Russia must have an invitation. For private stay visas, this is applied for by the inviting party with the local Russian authorities. For a tourist visa, this is issued by a travel agency or hotel. There are a number of agencies that will issue an invitation for around $30. You can then make your own arangements for lodging.

You can use a tourist visa even if you are not staying at a hotel, but check with the agency that issued the invitation about how to register the visa.

WayToRussia.net has a nice visa guide.

This thread is getting very confusing. The fast easy way to get a visa is to pay the $30-$40 for an invitation then mail it with the application to the embassy a month or 2 before your departure with the visa fee, and don't forget to register your visa with the company that got you the invitation in your first few days in Moscow.

I like gotorussia.com you will have your invitation in hand within 24 hours.


That said their are a many other ways to get a visa, some of them very difficult and confusing. The worst way is for your friends in Russia to go to the government office apply for an invitation, wait weeks or months, send you the origonal copy by fed-ex because the mail doesn't work and you apply using that invitation.

Yeah, we were traveling around and didn't know where we were going to be when. We actually lef the country and came back once. My friend's mom probably didn't want to risk another way.

We didn't go the Fedex route. I met a plane arriving from Russia with a sign of a guy's name who then said "I guess this is for you." and handed me an envelope. They are in far east and DHL and those services take a few weeks sometimes.

There are agencies that will take care of all of the details for you, at least in NYC. Cost is around $150 per passport. They get the visa from the Russian Embassy somehow (presumably they issue an invitation, etc.) and they wait in line and they return your passport fully complete. You do not need a hotel reservation, but you do need photocopies of tickets/ e-ticket receipts.

I will be traveling from St. Petersburg arriving at Moscow 10:00 am. at SVO1 where I will have to transfer to SVO2 for a 1:00 departure to JFK. My problem is getting from SVO1 to SVO2
What sort of time line am I to anticipate?
Do I go through passport/immigration at both airports or what?
I understand SVO1 is not very friendly. What transport do you advise to SVO2?
Have you used vip/fast track service at these airports? Do you recommend it or not?
Help. I leave in a month. Spasibo

Are tor transiting through St Pertersburg without clearing immigration or is your travel originating in St Petersburg? Do you have a single or multi entry visa for Russia? Where are you ending up at?

Short answer: if your flights are with Aeroflot, you should be offered a free transit between SVO1 and SVO2 - details here

Long answer: if you are not flying LED-SVO-JFK on the same booking, but with two different airlines on seperate tickets, the chances are you will have to make your own way between terminals. There are paid mini-buses/marshrutkas between SVO1 and 2, but have not used them for years as I always opt for DME when I can. In the worst case scenario you will probably have to check in for domestic flight in LED, then collect your luggage and check in for int'l flight in SVO. You should have time to do that in three hours though I reckon.

It all depends on what tickets you have booked!

I lived there in the early 90's, was an expat manager at the Aerostar Hotel on Leningradsky Prospekt. Later spent time in Nizhnevartovsk, Tyumen Oblast as the General Manager of the Alberta House Hotel.

Haven't been back since 98, but hope to get back there someday. Had a blast living there. Hash House Harriers were a lifesaver, the only way I kept my sanity.

Keep in mind that they are on the opposite sides of the same airfield, to at worst you can take a cab, though there may be an airport shuttle now, perhaps even across the field. I haven't flown through SVO1 for about 12 years now, so things could be different.

Regular visitor to Moscow here as well! Excited about SU joining SkyTeam (finally).

I did the thing flying from SPB to SVO1 and transfering to SVO2 to Delta this Feb and had no problems doing it with 2.5 hrs. No passport/immigation at T1, but wil be at T2 (about 3 security screenings if I remember correctly). Picking up your luggage and exiting T1 should not take more than 15-20 mins. As soon as you get outside T1, DONT take the taxi under any circumstances unless you want to get ripped off from 50-100 dollars/euros for a 15 min. trip. About 50-100 yards near a parking area, Look for the mini shuttle/vans (white/yellow) idling outside with cardboard sign "SVO2 or Sheremetyevo 2" pasted on the side window. It will be waiting for passengers and will leave when its about full. Max capacity is about 12 people. There is not much room for a lot of checked luggage, but I would buy an extra seat for storage if need be. It's CHEAP. Cost is 30 rubbles or ~ 1+ dollar per seat ^ . Trip will take about 20-25 mins. Relax, it can be a fun trip if you have never done it b4