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Odintsovo Visa Registration

 
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AWayfarer
Just Starting


Joined: 20 Sep 2009
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 4:29 pm    Post subject: Odintsovo Visa Registration Reply with quote

Hello

I recently bought a tourist visa invitation through this site.
First I planned a private visa, but my friend learned it would take 2 months minimum for the invitation (too long).
The reason is: she lives in (the district of Moscow:) Odintsovo, which is not regulated by FMS, but by FSB (the president lives in the area).
Security is much more tight and controlled with foreigners.
This is what the OVIR told her.
The visa invitation has me in a hotel far from Odintsovo.
But I would like to register with my friend, not with a hotel or tourist company.

I asked the company who made the invite and got the reply:
“Registration must be done by the receiving entity. But the receiving entity is not necessarily the same as the hotel in your invitation and visa; but a company, hotel or person you are actually visiting in Russia.”

But my friend believes it's very dangerous for me to be registered with her in Odintsovo. She believes that FSB could enter her home, and deport me, blacklisting me and not allowing me to apply to re-enter Russia for 5 years.

1. Does anybody here have advice or experiences with Odinstovo?
2. Is it really as dangerous as my friend believes?
3. Is it possible to register through a hotel without actually residing there?

Thank you for your help...
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vox16
Just Starting


Joined: 14 Apr 2010
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 6:20 pm    Post subject: Re: Odintsovo Visa Registration Reply with quote

AWayfarer wrote:
she lives in (the district of Moscow:) Odintsovo,
Moscow oblast, not Moscow.

Quote:

which is not regulated by FMS, but by FSB (the president lives in the area). Security is much more tight and controlled with foreigners.
This is what the OVIR told her.


Aren't they trying to urge her to speed-up the process? The same old song - "in your highly particular case it will take years and years to do *** because you know, *** and ***, but if you support us with /amount/ ..."
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polarrrbear
Frequent Guest


Joined: 31 Aug 2007
Posts: 53

PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

No I don't have an experience with your particular case. In short, it doesn't matter who you are registered with, hotel, friend or what not. As long as you got someone willing to register, you are okay. You don't need to be particular about having yourself registered with your friend. It's not going to make things any different.

If your friend isn't willing to register you, or if your friend is unable to register you, then you need to be registered somewhere. If you can find a hotel that's willing to register you, you should. If you find a travel agency or some company (I don't know if they can still do that), you should.

By the way, getting invitation shouldn't take two months normally. A month seems like the regular wait. Of course, it can be anything from a month to eternity, depending on where and who at OVIR. This is Russia and that's how it is. It is, however, a major pain in the rear end for her to gather HER papers and wait in a que at ever so pleasant OVIR office. Since you are staying for less than a month, tourist visa is fine. There is no point making her go through annoying way to get an invitation.

I don't know if FSB will break into your friend's place and chuckle you out of the country. They can legally enter private houses without warrant if there's reasonable suspicion (they like that vague phrase) of whatever, but in all honesty, I doubt it. It's a fairly large city. But I don't know. You need to figure it out with your friend.
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