Way to Russia Talk Lounge

Ike · Frequent Guest Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 10 Location: UK

Hello

Can anyone help or advise. Question

I live here in the UK - my girlfreind is in Moscow.

We have known each other for over a year now - and in May of this year we spent a holiday together in St Petersburg.

The next step is i wish her to come and visit me her in the Uk - can anyone advise me the best 'route' or way to do this ?
Is it in fact very difficult for her to obtain a visa?

What steps can I take to help her to come here ?

thanks ! Very Happy

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

I can't really say how the UK is but I would imagine that it is somewhat similiar to the US. It can be very difficult for a single female to get a visa because it is hard to prove that she will return to Russia. Most embassies make their decision based upon several factors to determine whether or not the person requesting the visa is likely to return to their home country. They usually look at: job type, salary, family remaining in the country and any other factor that indicates how likely the person is to return after their trip.

I have had problems in the past getting visas for friends. I have found that the more evidence the person applying for the visa has to show that you have known each other for a period of time, the better. If you have copies of letters, emails or other correspondance that she can take with her to the embassy that could be helpful. I have also found that by writing a letter in support of the visa application can be helpful. Write a letter to your embassy and explain why you would like to invite the person. Someone told me that if you write that you stayed with the visa applicant in Russia for period of time and would now like to return the favor, it helps.

You can also call your government representative and ask them to write a letter in support of the visa applicant. I am not sure what your representatives are called but I am guessing Parliament. In the US, I have had my Congressperson write letters and send them to the embassy directly. Whenever I have done this, the visa was always approved.

Good luck.

wavetossed · WayToRussified Joined: 27 Jun 2004 Posts: 337

The UK is definitely *NOT* similar to the USA. It is more similar to other EU countries and your girlfriend CAN get a visitor visa relatively easily.

Basically, the government wants to be assured that the girl will return to Russia before the visa expires and that she will not use public funds whilst in the UK. You can write a letter of invitation that spells out that you will provide a place for her to stay and she should not worry about the cost because you will pay for everything. That satisfies the one criteria because she will show this letter when she goes to the consulate for her interview. In this case she is applying for a 6 month visitor visa and you are her official sponsor as a resident of the UK.

The other criteria is a bit trickier. There is nothing you can do about it except to educate your girlfriend about how UK bureaucrats are different from Russian ones and she must deal differently with them. For instance, smile and be friendly, don't be evasive, be totally honest even when the questions are uncomfortable and never attempt to bribe them or threaten them in any way. The visa application form is available in both Russian and English but it is better to fill it out in English and just use the Russian form as a translation assistant. In fact, the Ekaterinburg consulate requires the form to be submitted in English. The forms and guides are all available on the web and the British embassy in Moscow has a bunch of info and links to the consulate websites in St. Petersburg and Ekaterinburg. But the bottom line is that she has to personally convince the consulate that she is telling the truth and she will return when her plane tickets say that she will return. The consulate will not accept your assurances on this, they will only deal directly with the Russian girl.

By the way, it is good for her to have the return plane tickets in hand when she applies. And it is a simple process. Show up at the consulate in the morning with the forms. After a quick look the staff will either accept her for a visa or ask her to return after lunch for a brief interview. After she is accepted for a visa she will be asked to return at the end of the day to pick up her international passport with the visa in it. She does have an international passport (zagranpasport) doesn't she? This quick process makes it easy to travel from afar to the consulate. Just email in advance to be sure that they will deal with people from her region and that they will be open for business on the day she is there.

Ringwraith · Just Starting Joined: 05 Sep 2004 Posts: 5 Location: UK

what would happen if she didn't have an international passport? Is it hard for her to get an international passport?

Brent · Lounge Lizard Joined: 05 Jul 2003 Posts: 91

From what I understand, a Russian citizen can obtain an international passport just as easily as their regular passport, except they must pay an additional fee of about 500 roubles.

Ringwraith · Just Starting Joined: 05 Sep 2004 Posts: 5 Location: UK

Thanks for the reply.

If a Russian refers to "not having registration", what does that mean? Does this affect their chances of obtaining a passport?

Cheers

WayToRussia · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2004 11:45 pm Post subject:

Yes, this means they don't have a "propiska" (a registration in Russian). They can get a foreign passport only at the place where they have this propiska. If they don't have a propiska, then they can try to use a travel agency, but then it will cost about $300 to get a foreign passport, and they should be careful about choosing a good and reliable agency to do it.

Ringwraith · Just Starting Joined: 05 Sep 2004 Posts: 5 Location: UK

thanks for your reply.

the reason i ask about prospika is that i know a russian woman in St.Petersburg who does not have prospika. She is not orginally from there and only rents an apartment, so i believe this makes her ineligible for prospika?
I am going to visit her later in the year and would like to help her get a prospika so she can get an international passport and maybe visit me next year.
The last thing i want to do is start breaking laws whilst i'm there (don't fancy Siberia much!) so i would like to know if buying a prospika in this way is legal?