Way to Russia Talk Lounge

camarks · Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 2:47 am Post subject: Applying in person

I know that it is not an option for everyone, but for anyone that is close enough I highly recommend saving the money and applying for visas in person. I dropped off applications for my wife and myself on May 18 at the Washington Consulate. I was given a pick-up-slip for on-or-after May 26. Parking was easy right on the street outside of the consulate both days. I spent about 5 minutes in line on the 18th and not more than 10 on the 26th. For my efforts I saved over $150 in postage and fees and got things done much more quickly. A planned lunch with friends in Georgetown fell through, but it was still worth the 100 mile drive.

gaijin · Lounge Lizard Joined: 03 Oct 2007 Posts: 155

That greatly depends on the consulate. In some consulates there is no queue at all, so if you are in the city you should definitely go, in others you need to start queuing at 7 to have a chance to get in at 11, in that case the 100 dollar fee of the agency is a good deal.