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zaki
Just Starting
Joined: 05 Sep 2008
Posts: 5
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 Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 4:49 pm Post subject: Applying for 2 visas at once |
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Здравствуйте всем,
I'm planning on studying on exchange in St. Petersburg next semester (starting from September), and I'm expecting my invitation from St. Petersburg State University to arrive in the next couple of weeks. I'd like to spend some time in Russia before the semester starts (ie July, August), and I'm pretty sure my student visa invitation will have a start date sometime in mid August.
Does anyone know:
a) Can I specify a different start date than the one on the invitation?
b) If not, is it possible to apply for 2 visas at once (a student & probably 3 months business one). Would I still have to pay for 2 visas processing fees at the consulate?
Заранее спасибо! |
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zaki
Just Starting
Joined: 05 Sep 2008
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 4:59 am Post subject: Problems at the consulate |
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So I went to the consulate today, trying to apply for my tourist and student visas. Even though the visas dates would not overlap at all, the man told me no country in the world will issue 2 visas at once.
ie. I will have to wait for my tourist visa to expire before I can apply for a student visa; even though the dates will not overlap.
Furthermore, he told me that for a student visa (less than 3 months), I needed a recent HIV test, a high school diploma, and proof of payment for exchange from my university, none of which I needed in the past, and none of which I have.
So I applied for just the tourist one, and my plan will be to leave Russia and apply for the student one somewhere in Europe.
My questions are:
- As an Australian citizen, will it be a problem to apply in a European Russian consulate?
- Does anyone know of a more lenient russian consulate in Europe that might not have such stringent requirements?
Thanks for your help! |
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romdur
Lounge Lizard
Joined: 03 Apr 2009
Posts: 151
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:04 am Post subject: |
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Not the answer you are hoping to hear...
Bad News 1: There is no practical visa for you to obtain that will let you make a summer visit as well as your school term, so 2 visas are required.
| Quote: | | As an Australian citizen, will it be a problem to apply in a European Russian consulate? |
In general, you must apply for a Russian visa at a consulate in your home country (i.e., the state that issued your passport). The only exceptions are for Schengen country residents (not any help to Australians), or those who can document long-term residency in the third country.
Unless you are a legal resident, have a work permit, or have official student status (visa, e.g.) in the third country, you will not be able to apply there. This status must be documented, and must have a term of 91 days or longer. So:
Bad News 2: You must return to Australia to apply for your second visa, unless you can document your third-country status as described above.
In my opinion, a feasible plan is to return to Australia after your summer travel, and apply for a 90-day business visa (assuming you don't need more than 90 days for your university term). In this case, you won't need the papers the consulate was requiring.
Otherwise, you must return to Australia and apply for the student visa. If the visa duration is 91 days or more, an HIV certificate will be required. (But they probably shouldn't have required this certificate if your student visa is 90 days or less, see http://www.sydneyrussianconsulate.com/visas.html). As to the other documents, there are two Russian consulates in Australia (Sydney, and the consular office of the Embassy in Canberra), and sometimes consulates differ in their requirements. But of course it is risky to plan on this, without reliable information.
What I can confidently assure you of, is that no Russian consulate will allow you to have two valid visas in your passport at the same time! When a traveler needs a new visa before a previous visa has expired, the consulate will void the earlier visa.
If you do decide to go ahead and get two visas so you can make this summer visit, I advise to be very careful about the timing of your Australian "layover" to obtain the second visa. Unless you pay about double, it takes 10 working days (neither Russian nor Australian holidays will count) to get your visa, and this is starting from the date you submit your application with ALL of the required papers in good order. If you do need an HIV certificate, it may take you some time to obtain this (it must be translated into Russian, etc.). For example, if you are going to need an HIV certificate, it might be best to start the process now (bearing in mind that the date must be within 90 days of your autumn visa).
I wish I had cheerier news. The Russian visa system is a bit tough. |
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zaki
Just Starting
Joined: 05 Sep 2008
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:29 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the advice. It would be long and expensive to fly all the way back to Australia from Russia, and back again just to get my student visa. How confident are you that they would knock me back from a Russian consulate somewhere in continental Europe?
I could leave Russia when my tourist visa expires, go to a European country and get one there, then head back. Or do you think they will press the Schengen country residents only rule? |
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romdur
Lounge Lizard
Joined: 03 Apr 2009
Posts: 151
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:32 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | How confident are you that they would knock me back from a Russian consulate somewhere in continental Europe? |
As far as I know, Russian consulates around the world are consistent about this rule. |
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romdur
Lounge Lizard
Joined: 03 Apr 2009
Posts: 151
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 6:44 pm Post subject: |
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zaki,
Thanks for your posting on another thread, that apparently 3rd country nationals CAN apply for a visa in the UK without having residency there. Hopefully someone will confirm this soon...
If you can manage to spend about 2 weeks in the UK awaiting your visa, this may be the solution to your problem!
Good luck, and please let us know what you learn. |
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proly77
Just Starting
Joined: 14 Jun 2009
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 9:41 am Post subject: |
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| Can you try to ask all this questions in Russian consulate? They probably will be able to answer to all those questions. It seems to me that the easiest would be to get one long visa. Can you ask consulate if they require dates on visa be exactly the same as dates on invitation? If they do, maybe you can ask to re-issue you invitation for a different dates. I'm sure Russian university doesn't really care. Have you tried to ask people in your university. I'm pretty sure it's a very common situation. |
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romdur
Lounge Lizard
Joined: 03 Apr 2009
Posts: 151
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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@prolly77,
The limitation with a long-term visa (short of a work permit or residency status) is that you are not allowed to stay more than 90 days out of any consecutive 180 days.
If the school term requires a 90 days stay, then it would not be possible to use the long-term visa to spend any time in Russia before the start of the term. |
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