Added: 01/27/2006 |
Russia travel agencies - the best strategy to prepare to your trip to RussiaRussia is a vast and diverse nation that continues to evolve politically and economically. Russia has centuries-old history and luxuriant culture. Some of architectural, historical and cultural monuments on the territory of Russia (in Moscow, St.Petersburg, Veliky Novgorod, and other cities) are included in the list of Universal Heritage Objects of UNESCO. The country is an excellent place for active rest because of rivers, lakes, mountain systems and luxuriant nature.
Russia is certainly much safer and economical for a foreign traveller than it is often thought. In many of the cities in Russia one can safely walk late at night without being afraid of being robbed or mugged, or assaulted in some way.
In theory, travelling around Russia isn't difficult, but planning well will save you precious vacation minutes. Traveling in Russia may get complicated only when you leave the beaten path (while good tourist facilities exist in Moscow, St. Petersburg and some other large cities, they are not developed in most of Russia and some of the goods and services taken for granted in other countries are not available yet). Probably the best strategy for avoiding problems is hiring one of specially authorized Russia travel agencies to plan things for you.
ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS:
The Russian government maintains a restrictive and complicated visa regime for foreign travelers who visit, transit, or reside in the Russian Federation. The Russian system includes requirements of sponsorship, visas for entry and exit, migration cards, and registration.
All foreign nationals are required to have entry visas to travel to the Russian Federation. Russian visa can be obtained at local Russian Embassy or Consulate, proper authorization (invitation) from the Passport and Visa Department (UVIR) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or specially authorized Russia travel agencies is required.
Once you have your invitation (Russian visa support), you need to prepare the following documents to apply for your Russian visa:
• Your Passport
(Should be valid at least 3 months after your Russian visa will expire and contain at least one clear page - for the visa)
• Passport-size Photograph
(Should be recent and good quality)
• Consulate Application Form
(Available either at the Russian consulate where you will apply or through a travel agency if you choose full visa processing services)
• Consulate-Specific Documents
(Almost all consulates will require an HIV certificate if you are traveling to Russia for 3 months or longer or require a multiple-entry visa.
In case you apply for a business visa, some consulates may require a letter from your employer)
Finally, you need to submit all your documents, including your visa support, to the Russian consulate. You can either do it by yourself, or through a local travel agency.
Russia travel agencies usually charge from $30 to $80 for their services but allow you to save your time and usually know the consulate's requirements very well, so you won't have to research that.
Sponsorship: Under Russian law, every foreign traveler must have a Russian-based sponsor (a hotel, tour company, relative, employer, etc). The official sponsor is listed on the visa. Generally speaking, visas sponsored by Russian individuals are "guest" visas, and visas sponsored by Russia travel agencies or hotels are "tourist" visas. Even if a visa was obtained through a travel agency there is always a Russian legal entity whose name is indicated on the visa and who is considered to be the legal sponsor. It is important for travelers to know who the legal sponsor is and how to contact it. Russian law requires that the sponsor must apply on the traveler's behalf for replacement, extension, or changes to a Russian visa.
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