Way to Russia Talk Lounge

katya_k · Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 4:41 pm Post subject: OVIR

Hello!
I have a question concerning registration of a foreigner who's going to stay at my place (coming on a private visa). Has anything changed in the registration formalities of late? Is it still OVIR which handles the process? Yesterday one OVIR official told me mysteriously that OVIR is no longer OVIR and all the registration formalities are passed over to 'pasportniy stol' v militsii.. Is that true? I am very confused!!
I would be very very thankful if anyone could clear it up for me!! where cud i at least trace all these updates in the registration rules??

ashton · Lounge Lizard Joined: 08 Apr 2004 Posts: 80 Location: US

I tried to go through OVIR once before and found it to be the biggest mess that I had ever seen. I no longer go through OVIR because it is such a hassle. It is much easier to get a tourist visa and have either a tour agency or hotel register the passport. OVIR takes days and I mean days. If you go through an agency or hotel, it is just a stamp and only takes a few minutes.

If it is not too late, you may want to have the person who is visiting you get a tourist visa instead. It is much easier. The Russian Consulate actually told me to do this, so it is semi-legal.

katya_k · Posted: Wed May 19, 2004 9:54 am Post subject: Thanks

Hi! Thanks for ur reply - unfortunately, looks like me and OVIR are bonded forever, cos my husband has already received a private invitation and is coming on a private visa. He is an Indian, and all the travel agencies here refused to help me issue him a tourist invitation.. and now obviously they are refusing to get him registered, in a legal or even a semi-legal way. Sad

Anyways.. i will be hoping for the better! Smile

WayToRussia · Posted: Wed May 19, 2004 8:42 pm Post subject:

Katya, don't worry: just a few days ago there was a new regulation in Moscow that the functions of issuing travel (zagran) passports for Russians and registering foreigners are being passed from OVIR to your local Militia department (OVD) -- that's where you get your normal Russian passport.

Officials say that this is for your own convenience, because there are about 32 OVIRs in Moscow and more than 100 Militia departments, so there will be less queues, as they promised.

I think you can just go to your local police office and ask them what you should do to register your husband. There's a possibility they haven't implemented this change yet, but I think in a few weeks everything will settle down.

treebeard · Just Starting Joined: 22 Jun 2004 Posts: 1

I recently landed in Rostov-na-Donu, and my Russian lady took me to OVIR to register my visa. We were told that it would take 15 days to process! We were then told to go register the visa at the local Militia HQ. Once there, they had no idea what we were talking about, and sent us back to OVIR.
What a mess! Three days in Rostov, and my visa still had not been registered. Luckily, we were headed to St. Petersburg the next day, and had it registered there, for 200 rubles (about $6.)
Next time I am in Rostov, I will stay at a hotel and let them handle it!