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Getting a Russian visa in China or Kazakhstan

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

Author	Message
lemonfaire Just Starting Joined: 03 Dec 2004 Posts: 1 Location: Irkutsk	Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 8:44 am    Post subject: Getting a Russian visa in China or Kazakhstan Hi, I'm presently living in Irkutsk and am looking to stay here as an English teacher for another six months to a year. I need to get a new visa, but it seems that my school usually issues its foreign teachers cultural exchange vs. business visas. (I suppose this is technically accurate, as it's not like I'm making any money here and my primary purpose for being in Russia is to learn Russian!) A co-worker of mine spent 7 weeks in Mongolia trying to get into Russia on that visa and I'm not looking to follow in her footsteps. Indeed, I've already had my own hassles with the folks in Ulaan Baator and am a bit nervous about entering that embassy again lest they remember me. I'm considering getting my visa in China or Kazakhstan. Anyone have any experience with the embassies in Beijing, Shanghai or Almaty? Also, if I have the opportunity to get a different sort of visa (perhaps through a university I work for part-time), what should I request? Many thanks! Deborah
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waytorussia Frequent Guest Joined: 17 Mar 2010 Posts: 14	Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2004 10:51 pm    Post subject: If your insititution can provide your with visa support, go with it. Otherwise, your first choice is a business visa (remember, it's just a name, being a teacher you might do some consulting or teaching work in Russia, which is also business in a way). Regarding the consulates, don't go to Beijing -- long queues and very hard to get a visa, because they are almost as crazy as the folks in Ulan Bator. There's a practice of sending the worst Foreign Affairs Ministry staff to work in consulates, and while the places in New York or London are considered to be the best, I guess the consulates in Ulan-Bataar and Beijing are the ones where they sent some really strange people, basing on what I heard from travelers. I don't know anything about Almaty, but I guess that could be an option. However, I also think they are not used so much to issue visas, as Kazakh citizens can travel to Russia on their normal passport (without a visa), so this could be an advantage as well as a disadvantage -- depends what consular officer you get. Perhaps, the best choice would be Shanghai, as they seem to quite easy about issuing visas, but you might get into big queues. Also, you could take a flight to Moscow and go to Latvia from there -- there is one of the most relaxed consulates there in terms of getting a visa, so you wouldn't have any problems there. A return ticket to Moscow from Irkutsk would cost about $300 including taxes by plane. Check http://avia.waytorussia.net or http://www.transaero.ru or http://www.aeroflot.ru
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