Way to Russia Talk Lounge

Joann · Just Starting Joined: 30 Jul 2009 Posts: 8

The Russian Embassy in Washington DC states they no longer accept mailed applications, that I have to use 1 of 3 visa agencies: CIBT, Inc., Travisa Visa Service, Inc., or PVS International. I have no clue which agency I should use. Any advice? Thanks.

stanj · Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:34 pm Post subject:

What type of visa?
If you have your legitimate invitation from a Russian hotel or tour operator, and only use the visa service to hand in your application, they all would be OK. If you are using them to get your invitation, I would be very wary, they all bend the rules that catch tourists in the middle suffering the consequences.

If they try to sell addition services such as getting the invitation for you, do so ONLY if they guarantee that the name of the sponsoring hotel or company is the one who is actually sponsoring your visit, and with all the contact information to go meet them and have them register your visa.
Most of these buy their visa invitations from IntelService Center in Moscow and resell them to you. But you are required to actually know and visit the actual company/hotel listed and handle any visa related problems for you while in the country. Only your sponsor can do that. If you do not have full contact information for them, you are taking a major risk.
I know the immigration laws well and have still gotten bit by this skirting of the law these visa services do.
It is safer to just visit the consulate nearest you and apply using the invitation sent by your actual hotel or business contact.

Joann · Just Starting Joined: 30 Jul 2009 Posts: 8

It is a tourist visa. I have a legitimate invitation from the person I will be visiting in Russia. So, I will just pick one of the three agencies the D.C. Embassy suggested, and go with it that way. Thanks.

stanj · Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 7:04 pm Post subject:

Joann · Just Starting Joined: 30 Jul 2009 Posts: 8

Yes, I am going to stay with a Russian citizen at her home. She is sending me the approved paperwork. I will Fedex everything to D.C. I am leaving on Oct. 2 ... do you think I will get my visa paperwork back from D.C. if I send it up in the next week?

stanj · Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 12:04 pm Post subject:

There should not be any problem but Washington and NY are taking longer than the rest of the country. San Francisco and Seattle for example require 7 days for normal processing($131) or more for 3 days process.
Be sure to specific the type of visa you are applying for, do not put down Tourist Visa, it is a Private Visa or it might get kicked back and you would lose your consular fee and have to start over. The consulates changed their web sites to reflect times from 4-20 days for normal processing but as far as I can see there has been no change in process. Before they stated a firm 7 days. Actually, they process them right away regardless of the processing time paid for but onl release them at the time specified by the fee. I've had to upgrade processing and paid the difference after dropping off a 7 day request. I came back the next day and asked to upgrade, they told me how much which I paid by company check(business visas can be paid by check) and was immediately given the passport with the new visa in it. Apparently it was process the same day I dropped it off.
Back when it was possible to get 1 day processing in adjacent countries I used to get my 12 month business visas in Finland in the time it took to walk to the bank to deposit the money in their account, 20-30 minutes.
Our business has a MBT number so we can issue tourist invitations to Russia and that only takes 30 seconds to create. Visas cost too much because there are often so many middlemen taking a cut or even the majority of the fee. The consular fees are primarily determined by the fees the US charges Russians for visa consular fees. If there is ever a time when the brain dead foreign policy of the US goes away and a visa waiver program was proposed Russia would respond likewise in 24 hours. They did with China and Israel. Tourism and business has increased dramatically between those countries as a result. For most citizens of the world it is easier and cheaper getting a visa to North Korea than the US.