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Re: Visa Help Revisited

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

Author	Message
Hiker Just Starting Joined: 23 May 2004 Posts: 2	Posted: Sun May 23, 2004 6:25 pm    Post subject: Re: Visa Help Revisited My post below outlines my problem re my 31-day stay. But - maybe there's hope. My instructions from my host institution are to fill in the box that says 'object of journey to Russia' as 'cultural'. My question is, does 'cultural' fall under tourist or business? If it's not tourist then maybe I can get my 31 days. PS This is Canadian and our visa form is different - much shorter. Any enlightenment appreciated. And thanks, Ashton, for your input.
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ashton Lounge Lizard Joined: 08 Apr 2004 Posts: 80 Location: US	Posted: Sun May 23, 2004 7:29 pm    Post subject: My understanding of a tourist vs. business visa is the type of invitation that you have. Your invitiation should specifically state the type of invitation that you were given. I believe any registered hotel or travel agency can just issue and invitation without government involvement. A business visa or the other hand has to come from a Russian government office. Look on your invitation and see what it says. My guess is that it specifically says tourist. I don't think stating cultural will help you as it is still a tourist invitation. I checked the visa application for Canadian citizens and it is the same as for US citizens now. My experience has been that you will always be put into one of three categories regardless of what you put on the application: private, tourist or business. I would again recommend that you call the Embassy tomorrow and see if they can recommend anything. The only other option that I can think of at this point is to get a business invitation. I checked the website of a travel agency that I have used for invitations in the past and they say they can get you the invitation in three business days. You would have to pay for it, but it is possible. In the past I have usually recieved invitations faster than they promised. They are located in the US and have always been reliable. The only problem is that you are cutting it rather close as far as recieving the visa. In the US, the Russian Embassy always takes longer than they promise and I would imagine this is the case no matter where you are. I would make up my mind as quick as possible to avoid having to pay for expedited services or not recieving the visa in time. If you want the information on the agency that can issue the visa, email me at ashtonic@yahoo.com. I won't post the website so that it doesn't seem like an ad.
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