Russian visas?

[Deleted]

We are stopping in Moscow on our way back from Thailand over the holidays.  We applied for the 72-hour tourist visas and are scheduled to go to the consulate in DC for processing.  Anything we should be aware of, to avoid needing a second trip?  We will have the applications, our passports, photos. Any personal experience with this?

[wise_rita]

No advice, but I believe you need to have an invitation letter (or similar) from someone/someplace in Russia. Do you have this from your hotel or tour operator?

[Deleted]

Oct 3, 2014 7:46:00 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

No advice, but I believe you need to have an invitation letter (or similar) from someone/someplace in Russia. Do you have this from your hotel or tour operator?

Yes, we have that.  Basically there are just companies in Russian that you pay to send you an invitation.  We also have the completed application, our flight and hotel confirmation, and passports.

On the consular website, it says "other documentation may be required" but I don't know what.  I was wondering if maybe anyone else had been through this knew what they might be looking for.  The visa apps already contain our entire life stories.  The customer service has been, well, lacking.  In that the phones never work and the automated system hangs up in the middle.

Our appointment is October 31, and we're not leaving until December 13, so hopefully we have enough time if any complications arise!

[emilyinchile]

I think they use phrases like that just to cover themselves in case something in your regular application is questionable, and they want more info. I wouldn't worry about it if you've completed the application and don't have like 5 trips to the Ukraine in the past few months listed in your travel history.

I have gotten a Russian visa but from the consulate in Santiago (and on my UK passport) and not just for 72 hrs, so I'm not sure that my experience is really applicable to you.

[mdgirl]

Take cash in addition to your money order. When my husband got his visa for the Olympics they tacked on something like $150 in various "fees" while he was at the consulate.

[Deleted]

Oct 3, 2014 14:00:22 GMT -5 mdgirl said:

Take cash in addition to your money order. When my husband got his visa for the Olympics they tacked on something like $150 in various "fees" while he was at the consulate.

Good tip, thanks! I'm the queen of never having any cash, that could have been a problem.

[2boys2danes]

Oh yeah, cash is king in Russia for sure…we found when we made our adoption trips that just about any problem could be solved with some extra cash …..