Way to Russia Talk Lounge

Yuri

Hi guys,

I have read lots of forum messages, but still not convinced that I will be allowed to get through Russian border without any hassle.

I am planning on visiting my friend living in Moscow for about a week. If I do get an invitation from WayToRussia I will specify the exact dates of arrival and departure and will put some kind of hotel which would register for one night, but actually go to live to my friend's place. But what if the immigration office decide to call the mentioned hotel and check booked dates am I going to be in trouble? are there any ways I could live at my friend's place or even in some family in Moscow avoiding the hotel registration?

Thank you in advance

WayToRussia

Hi Yuri,

First, of all, it's better to read not forum messages, but the Russian Visa guide at http://waytorussia.net/RussianVisa/ -- that way you'll get more information and faster. Wink

Now, to answer your question, everything you describe about the invitation process is quite precise, except that if you get the invitation through our site you will be able to register your visa at the Moscow (or St. Petersburg) office of the visa agency, which provides the service. So, no need to go to a hotel and register for one night.

The good thing about this registration is that it says there that you are registered with this visa agency, so if anybody wants to check where you actually live, they will have to contact the visa agency.

The visa agency will require a landlord's letter, which your Moscow friend can easily make for you (see a sample of it in our Russian Visa guide), and will register you at your friend's address. So, everything will be completely legal, official, and fine.

That's why we strongly recommend everybody to apply for invitations through our site -- because we are sure that with this visa company you won't get in trouble.

Even, if anybody will ever want to check on you, it will be the visa agency's responsibility to talk to immigration officials and tell them that everything is allright. Cool

Also, I've never heard of immigration officials actually checking where the person actually lives. Imagine, there are more than 2 million tourists in Moscow every year, so your chances of getting checked are really low.

Hope that "once and for all" cleares the visa question

P.S. Here's a link to a sample of the landlord letter http://waytorussia.net/RussianVisa/LandlordLetter.pdf in Adobe Acrobat format.
This letter needs to be notarized, so the best way to do it is if when you arrive your friend takes your passport and the letter and goes to any notary office. Many notaries already have this letter template, but in case they don't, it's better to make one by yourself (it should be in Russian).

Yuri · Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 8:23 am Post subject:

Thanks for a prompt response,

Now I feel much more confident about this metter, thanks to you and the wonderful web-site of yours. (I can not be totally confident until my butt experiences this itself)

Anyway, looking forward to going to mother-Russia with your help Smile

Brent · Lounge Lizard Joined: 05 Jul 2003 Posts: 91

I used the recommended visa invitation service, and had it faxed to me the next day. It is a good idea to make a photocopy of the invitation (and all your documents for that matter). It makes things easier in case it gets lost during the visa process.