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hardscarf
Just Starting
Joined: 18 Dec 2004
Posts: 5
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 Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2004 2:12 pm Post subject: Urgent!: To russia witout (private) visa but with invitation |
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Hi guys,
I am a citizen from holland and planning to visit my girlfriend in yekaterinburg next tuesday. But i haven't applied for the private visa yet. Now the website of the russian consulate in holland states that PRIVATE visas can be issued 1 day , provided that i take my ticket and the other documents neccesairy to complete the procedure to obtain a visa before travel (with the increased costs of course) but now the woman at the consulate told me yesterday that it might not be done in time if the consul doesn't havre time for my visa to grant (something like that). But i do have the original invitation.
My question is: What will happen if i travel to russia witout a visa, but with an original invitation (not to moscow, but to yekaterinburg by plane). Will they just send me to the ovir? or will they fine me or lock me up?
The city has a dutch guy living there which handles dutch consul services from a hotelroom, can he do something for me perhaps?
Or is it possible to get the private visa within 1-2 days (the consulate is only open from 10-12am on monday and i don't know what they will do with visaapplications for the next day)? |
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ashton
Lounge Lizard
Joined: 08 Apr 2004
Posts: 80
Location: US
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| Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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| More than likely the country you are leaving from will not let you get on the plane without the proper documents. Usually the airline that brought you there without the proper documents is responsible for flying you home if you are denied entrance, so they try to avoid this. |
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wavetossed
WayToRussified
Joined: 27 Jun 2004
Posts: 339
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| Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2004 8:23 pm Post subject: |
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Your private invitation is useless. You tried to save money by doing it yourself but you failed to do your research. There is only one way that you can possible solve this problem and that is to get a business visa using a visa support agency like this site http://www.waytorussia.net/OurTeam/Information.html
Wake up two or three hours earlier Monday morning and phone them in Moscow to explain your situation. If it is possible it will cost you a lot of money, maybe as much as $500 to get an express busines visa.
But you probably cannot travel at all. It would be wiser to phone the airline and reschedule your flights until later. You may be able to salvage some of the cost by calling them right away. Then, if you have Monday through Friday to arrange your business visa, you could be flying to Ekaterinburg on Saturday. You'll still be there well ahead of the New Years holiday.
One important thing to take note of is that Russian consulates are closed when there is a state holiday in Russia. This year, the holidays start on December 31 and run all the way through to Jan 10th.
Even if you reschedule the flight, your only choice is a business visa. Nobody in Ekaterinburg can help you. Your only chance is a visa support agency in Moscow that knows how to work quickly and pay them their extra fee.
When in Ekaterinburg, make sure you take your girlfriend to the Stary Dublin Irish pub one evening on ul. Khokhryakova.
Make sure to report back here and let us know how it all worked out. |
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hardscarf
Just Starting
Joined: 18 Dec 2004
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2004 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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I will try to go to the consulate tomorrow to see what they can do for me, when i give them the invitation. The women at the consulate hasn't said that there was no option at all, just that it will be difficult. If I take the ticket with me I could stand a better chance, but no guarantees yes.
If everything fails tomorrow, i will call the airline to reschedule, if i have enough money for that. But if the consulate can have my visa ready by wednesday, isn't it wiser then to wait for them to finish the private visa? If it is possible to fly on saturday, when a reschedule is possible, then i can go with private visa, or not?
(I know that i was stupid not to begin one month earlier, ut then we didn't know eachother very well and besides she needed to get a new passport to apply for the invitation at first, what delayed the time before ovir could start the invitation).
Thanks for your replies guys, I hope it will work out tomorrow and I will let you know if it didn't. (if it did i will try to do it too, but maybye i will run short on time).
Greets, arend |
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swp4lfe
Lounge Lizard
Joined: 23 Nov 2004
Posts: 94
Location: Philadelphia PA
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| Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2004 12:51 am Post subject: |
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I had my Invitation and you have to apply for Homestay Visa. I also did the next business day and paid $200 and it took 1 week to the day. But also i mailed in on a wednesday, they got it on a Thursday and sat-sun-mon they were closed because of holidays so you might get it in 3 days at the shortest. But i bet it will take up to a week.
I got a question aswell. I have to register my visa within 3 days of arrival to Moscow. But you said they will be closeed 31-10th?? So basically it gives me 1 day to do this. What happens if i do not do this within 3 days??? |
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TeamCavalier
Just Starting
Joined: 14 Dec 2004
Posts: 2
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dutchdragon
Frequent Guest
Joined: 28 Nov 2004
Posts: 67
Location: Netherlands
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| Posted: Tue Dec 21, 2004 2:13 am Post subject: |
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| hardscarf, it's probably too late now, but you might have obtained assistance from a visa service (like VisumBuro or V&V) in these matters. |
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hardscarf
Just Starting
Joined: 18 Dec 2004
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Tue Dec 21, 2004 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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There was no problem at all. It looks like business and private visa are being treated equally in the consulate in holland. Just pay them the 110 euro and give them the documents and they issued me the visa within one hour. I will fly today.
Cheers to you all  |
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hardscarf
Just Starting
Joined: 18 Dec 2004
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Tue Dec 21, 2004 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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| For the visumbureau in holland: they are quite expensive. Last year i used them to get visa for zambia, malawi, tanzania and kenya, but they transfered over the normal visakosts of 120 euro, another 110 euro for administration. But indeed if you want to play safe it is good to consult such an office. |
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