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stefan72
Just Starting
Joined: 26 Jul 2007
Posts: 1
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 Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 3:49 pm Post subject: Extending tourist visa |
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Hello Forum,
I am in the situation that I have received a visa from the Consulate only valid for two days after sending an invitation (indicated hotel stay 2 days) and an application form (applying for one month).
I am considering now to travel to Russia and extend the visa upon arrival. Is this possible or is the risk to high to get rejected. I just feel a bit betrayed.
A call to the Consulate did not help and the visa fee is non-refundable...
Many thanks for your tips. |
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Svjatoslav
Just Starting
Joined: 15 Aug 2007
Posts: 7
Location: Milan (Italy)
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 2:23 am Post subject: |
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i have the same question..........
i'll come back in St Pete the 19 september,
and my visa finishes on the 25.
the point is that i could have more time free
to spend there, depending of my job in Italy.
Is it possible to extend it for 3-4 days easily
when i'll be in St Pete?
what would happen if a police man finds a tourist with a visa
not anymore valid?
what would happen at the airport? |
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polarrrbear
Frequent Guest
Joined: 31 Aug 2007
Posts: 53
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:09 pm Post subject: |
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You can't extend tourist visa. Simple as that. So if your visa is funky, get it sorted before you go. As for visa only good for two days... Well, visa support says you will only be staying for two days, and it's a proof that you have such and such booked. If you have nothing else to show and just want extra 28 or so days in Russia, you know it would look funky from their point of view. The fact is, even tourist visa isn't issued freely. No matter how you obtained your visa support, people at the consulate want that paper to verify that your trip is booked (even though they know well enough a lot of visa support are sort of blank, meaning it's not really booked, but nonetheless it is on the paper). Don't expect to be able to extend your visa once you get there. They won't.
I guess you can try to get the visa cancelled and apply for another tourist visa with a visa support that says you are in Russia for 30 days. I don't know how the people at the consulate would see that, though. I guess at this point, it's probably better if you don't go to Russia at all, especially if you can get your plane tickets fee refunded.
Don't stay in Russia with expired visa. It's not some place where they give you a slap on your wrist and let you go. Probably if you don't stand out, cops won't check your paper, but passport control at the airport will surely see it and one of many possible unpleasant things could happen. Probably you'll be banned from entering Russia for a while as well. It's not like not having a registration where they 'might' let you go easily. Expired visa in Russia, don't even think about that. That's just evil. |
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surfguy
Lounge Wizard
Joined: 13 Apr 2006
Posts: 6979
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 6:20 pm Post subject: |
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| ...well sounds like a bit of poor planning...should always allow for extra time...tourist visas are good for 30 days then try to maximize it. Well DO NOT OVER STAY...take care of these issues before you go...better safe than sorry |
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saint_chrisburg
Frequent Guest
Joined: 03 Oct 2007
Posts: 46
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| Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 1:53 am Post subject: |
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Yes, listen to polarrrbear's advise - do not overstay your visa! You will be stopped and not allowed to leave the country until the issue is resolved: this means, if you have no money, no friends, no place to stay, you will be on the street, and it's your own fault. And the streets of Russia are not a nice place to be.
I can tell you from personal experience:
I officially overstayed every visa I ever had except one, but usually just by an hour or two. I'd lie, in Russian since they don't usually speak English at the smaller border controls, that I didn't realize it'd take so long to get to the border, and they'd let me go.
However, I once overstayed a visa by two-months!!! And when I went to leave, I was promptly stopped. I had to wait a few hours for an official from MID to arrive. He told me that I had to go to the central OVIR and pay a fine of $400, then I'd be allowed to leave. Okay. So the next day I went to OVIR, related what happened, and the lady responded "oh, no, you don't have to pay $400...." (I thought to myself, great!) "....no no no, you have to be deported." I was sent to the OVIR where I had my registration, and there I had my passport confiscated, and was given a slip of paper that was stamped and signed by the inspector in charge of deportations. Every week I was required to return to the OVIR to have that piece of paper stamped and signed again by the same inspector. If I failed to do it, and had had my document checked by a police officer, I'd automatically be sent to prison.
Anyway, this continued for 2 1/2 months. The day finally arrived when all the paperwork was done. I went to my OVIR (the one where I had gone every week) and had my fingerprints taken and provided the inspector with mugshots (this was also required). I was told that because I had commited no other illegal activity, the borders were still open to me, i.e. I could come back to Russia. There was the caveat, however, that if I overstayed a visa again (which I have, but not by such a long time, just an hour or two, as I said above) I'd be sent to prison. Mind you all this transpired in spring - summer 2002. Anyway, so I didn't have to pay the $400; I paid I think 50 rubles (less than $2 at the time) in OVIR fees, and lived off of approximately 10 rubles a day (trust me, it's as bad as it sounds).
And so within five months, I went back to Russia without any problems. The last couple times, however, that I got Russian visas, I was required to do in-person interviews with higher-ranking officials at the consulate, and I paid about 4 times as much for the visa. Also, the paperwork for my Russian sponsors was more complicated, difficult, and expensive (I made sure to let them find this out on their own, hehe). Who knows what it would be like for me to get a visa now?! I haven't tried in three years, which also means I haven't been back in Russia in three years  |
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nigelinleeds
Lounge Lizard
Joined: 21 Jun 2005
Posts: 108
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| Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 8:27 pm Post subject: re |
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| They accept no reasons for overtaying, I've posted my story before. I had to be rushed to hospital and have emergency surgery, although I had my visa stamped at the loccal office and a letter from the hospital it cost me $250 to have my visa stamped to let me leave the country. Read the FAQ, thats what it's for. |
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