Please don't take my word for it - there is a good chance I am totally wrong! Most of my visits have been for extended stays and rarely in hotels. I just always got the impression that the main concern was being registered within 3 days of arrival, rather than at every point of the visit. Call it an instinct

As per the rules, you must register in each and every city you visit (unless your stay there doesn't exceed 72 hours).

See also: http://www.waytorussia.net/RussianVi...istration.html

Good find! Now I just hope my initial registration will be sufficient, if not, I need to find an agency in Moscow that will do it for me. Any clues?

Thanks to KVS post, I found the following info on WayToRussia website:

"You just go to any hotel (the cheapest one), buy a room there for one night only, and ask stamp a registration in your passport for the whole period of your visa. Not that they're obliged to do it, but they can. If they don't want to (for example, because you pay for 1 night only), try to persuade them refering to Federal Law #115 (26/07/02)."

As always in Russia, MAYBE i'll be able to convince the staff into registering, maybe not. If not, then I try some other small cheap hotel. If not, the travel agency the site mentions, if not, OVIR. Complete predictable unpredictability.

Greetings,

I've been to Russia and the Ukraine several times to date. I leave again in October for a week visit. My wife is Russian and will be there too. She has a flat in a city just outside of Moscow and I will be staying with her. We run a k1 visa firm with my law partner and we are always giving advice to our clients on such matters.

Our clients usually use a dating agency and there is one if just about every city. Those agencies know how to register a visa. I use a local hotel in town and I don't need to pay for 1 night (30 bucks) but I do pay about 20 bucks to register the visa once for my entire stay.

If you stay at a hotel they almost always require your passport anyway whether it is a 3 day visit or less. Only a few less reputable ones may not to do so. If I heard otherwise I would be surprised as most of clients report this to us.

So to summarize if you are not staying at a hotel for at least 1 night somewhere then find a hotel that will register for you for a fee using a dating agency etc. In the Ukraine back in 2001 I went to the OVIR myself and it cost too much compared to a hotel and was a pain in the you know what.

That is my advice.
Best of luck

I am planning a week long trip to Moscow and staying at a Holiday Inn. Trip is vacation and I am not going with a group and am not using a tourist agency.
I live now in MD and according to the DC consulate this is what I need:

"The NY consulate says:

"So, which is it? NY is much more detailed. Or are they saying the same thing? And can my hotel provide all the information I need since I have no invitation or sponser?

Thank you

They are both referring to the same thing. You would need to contact the hotel directly so that they can issue you with the Tourist Confirmation and the Voucher (there may be a charge for this service).

Hi

I had the same dilemma 2 days ago. While it is easy to make reservations, getting a voucher is time-consuming and may also lock you into a hotel committment. The embassy web site does list a number of agencies that can handle your visa application for a fee, but without needing air/hotel reservations, ticket or voucher....just passport w/ 2 blank pages, 1 photo, completed form and the fees. Plus saves you the hassle of money order, embassy trips etc.

I found the following to be very easy and cheapest to use...just $60 on top of the $100 visa fee:

http://www.cinderellatravel.com

My husband and his business partner will be going through Moscow on their way to BKK next Feb. They have a 12 hour layover on the way over, and a week later, a one night stopover. What is the way to handle this? They'd like to get out of the airport just for the day on the outbound and obviously they'll be leaving the airport to spend the night on the return. Can one visa do the trick for both, or do they need two? If you don't have a hotel reservation at all, how do you get the visa registered? Can you do it at the airport? 12 hours is enough time to get to the city, see a few things and get back if there's no hassle with paperwork.

A normal visa is valid for 1 entry/exit only, so they would need either 2 single-entry visas, or 1 multiple-entry visa.

If their stay does not exceed 72 hours, they do not to register the visa, but should carry copies of their tickets, as proof of their intended departure date.