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Business visa vs. private home stay visa

Way to Russia Talk Lounge Forum Index -> Russian Visa Forum

Author	Message
dshuller Frequent Guest Joined: 21 Sep 2004 Posts: 11	Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2005 4:52 pm    Post subject: Business visa vs. private home stay visa I thought I would pass this along. I had been considering using a business visa rather than a private home stay visa to travel to Russia this spring. I’ve gotten three of the private visas in the past but of course it requires that my wife run around all over the country to get the invitation issued. My wife visited her local police department today. She wanted to know more about how to register a business visa that has been issued by a Moscow firm in a city other than Moscow. The police told her that they would NOT register a business visa issued to a company in Moscow even if a letter accompanied the visa from the company requesting registration. So it looks like I will be using the home stay visa again. I guess the business visa will work if you are planning to stay in the same city in which the inviting company has its offices. Dave
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wavetossed WayToRussified Joined: 27 Jun 2004 Posts: 339	Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2005 1:53 am    Post subject: A smart person would ask their wife to go to a travel agency in her city that specializes in business travellers and ask that agency where she can arrange an invitation for a foreigner to receive a business visa. The police are really telling your wife to support local businesses, that's all. I can't imagine that there is any town in Russia 50,000 or larger, that doesn't have such a travel agency. I have personal experience of one such agency in a mining town of 50,000 that regularly arranges visas for foreign business visitors.
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dshuller Frequent Guest Joined: 21 Sep 2004 Posts: 11	Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2005 4:52 pm    Post subject: Setting aside the remark about what a smart person would do, my wife has in fact inquired not only in her own town but also in three cities close to her. The results of the inquiries were the same. Generally, the police in her town will not register a business visa that is issued by a business located in another city. The local travel agency will not issue a business invitation unless it is legit. Obtaining the personal / home stay visa isn’t all that difficult. My wife can obtain the invitation within a week of application and then fed-ex it to me the following week. The whole process from initial application to having it in my hands is maybe ten days to two weeks. I thought I might use a business visa this go around to save her some legwork. My recommendation for anyone wanting to use a business visa in lieu of the home stay visa is that they have their friend in Russia contact their local police and verify that they will in fact register the visa. Incidentally, my wife called two of the largest visa processing companies that have offices in both New York and Moscow. They gave her the same advice. It is interesting to note that the offices in Moscow are giving somewhat different advice from their colleagues in New York. Dave
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