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kingn
Just Starting
Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 2
Location: Portland, Oregon USA
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 Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 11:23 pm Post subject: airport question |
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I'm going to Russia in February to visit my girlfriend. I obtained a tourist visa with hotel reservations and hotel support in Moscow, thinking that I would then take the train from Moscow to Ulyanovsk, where she lives. We have used this tactic before and it has been quite successful - she has a friend that works at a hotel in Ulyanovsk who helps us with registration issues.
But now I changed my flight destination from Moscow to Samara to make it more convenient for us to meet closer to Ulyanovsk, and avoid the long train ride from Moscow.
My question is: my tourist invitation says that Moscow is the only city on my itinerary. Will the immigration/customs folks give me problems when I arrive at the airport in Samara instead of in Moscow?
Thanks in advance for your help...and for putting together such a useful website. |
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nikir
Frequent Guest
Joined: 17 Mar 2010
Posts: 54
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| Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 12:25 am Post subject: |
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You may not have trouble entering but I would expect some close scrutiny when you leave if your visa is not registered where you said you are going to stay.
On a tourist visa you are not allowed to stay in a private apartment or anywhere else other than whats on your documents. While it is fairly common for this rule to be bent while staying in the same city what you're proposing is quite risky.
Be prepared for trouble. You may get detained and fined and in the worst case banned from entering Russia for up to five years. Is it worth the gamble for the sake of a train trip? |
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kingn
Just Starting
Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 2
Location: Portland, Oregon USA
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| Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 4:05 am Post subject: airport |
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| Thanks for the reply. PEehaps then I should fly to Samara and immediately head to Moscow by train, stay in a hotel there for one night, and have them register my visa. This would take care of the issue, correct? I could then head back to Ulyanovsk at my liesure. |
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danbrew
Just Starting
Joined: 17 Mar 2010
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 9:18 am Post subject: |
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| I just spent a week in Russia - my visa application had me arriving via air in Moscow and departing Russia by rail in Naushki. I had planned to depart Russia to Mongolia on the transib. A family problem arose and I need to get home asap - I left Moscow five days after I entered through SVO. Nobody at SVO questioned me. Granted, my situation is a bit different than yours as I was exiting and you are entering, by fyi - this was my experience. |
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artistic
Just Starting
Joined: 24 Nov 2006
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 9:57 am Post subject: |
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Just buy a hotel voucher from one of many visa services. Moscow will be the city that you are registered in the whole time. I listed many cities on my trip, but I only stayed in St. Petersburg in a private apartment. My hotel voucher was not real, but it was authentic, and paid for.
You've got to grease the machine. |
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nikir
Frequent Guest
Joined: 17 Mar 2010
Posts: 54
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| Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 7:26 am Post subject: |
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| The voucher still needs to be stamped to validate it. And it should be stamped by the hotel that it applies to. Once that is done there will be no problem exiting. Grease the machine by all means as the bureaucracy thrives on it but make sure that you grease the right palm. |
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