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Communist Smurf



Joined: 24 Jun 2003
Posts: 330
Location: San Francisco

PostPosted: Sat Oct 25, 2003 8:31 am    Post subject: Preferred Method of Entry Reply with quote

In terms of obtaining a visa, how do those of you living in Russia accomplish this? I can't remember who said this, but I remember someone saying they need to leave Russia every three months to get a new visa...? That sounds like quite a pain and also expensive to fly out so often. Does anyone here get a one-year visa directly from one of those agencies that sell them for a few hundred dollars? Would your school not be incline to reimburse you should you obtain a visa this way?
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rogan



Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Posts: 416
Location: at home, in France

PostPosted: Sat Oct 25, 2003 10:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just take a cheap flight down to Turkey or an overnight train up to Tallin.

Arrive in the morning 5 minutes walk up to the Russian Embassy.
Fill in the forms, walk round the corner to Maggie Mays for an English breakfast.
Stroll around the town until 15.30
Collect the visa
stroll down to the station and get on the overnight train back to Moscow.

Vilnius is also nice for a change but fly there, don't take the train without a transit visa and medical insurance for Belorus
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Kent F. Kruhoeffer



Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 2129
Location: 中国

PostPosted: Sat Oct 25, 2003 10:15 am    Post subject: visa-run & stuff Reply with quote

Hi CSmurf:

How's life in the big city? Mr. Green

Ok - here's what I know ... and what I've done over the past 2 years with regard to the dreaded visa-run. Hopefully others will add to this.

Aha! - I see Rogan beat me to the submit button today. Hi Rogan. Razz

Ok ... here's the deal:

First: if you have a valid 3-month business visa, and you are legally employed, don't panic. That original 3-month visa can be extended by your employer for up to one year. You DO NOT have to leave the country during that time.

After a full year in Russia - - - that's when you'll need to make your first visa-run. Most people living in Moscow or St. Petersburg take the train (or fly cheaply on Aeroflot) to Tallinn, Estonia.

The Russian Consulate in Tallinn is located in the heart of the Old Town ... and is very easy to find. I paid for next-day express service (roughly $140) and had no problems at all.

A couple years ago I flew to Istanbul and did basically the same thing.

Hope that helps?

Yours,
kENt

PS: Tallinn & Istanbul are 2 VERY nice cities to spend a little holiday in, so why not plan it that way? Take a few days or a week off - enjoy yourself - and come back to Moscow with a fresh outlook on life ... and your new visa. If you look at it that way, it's not really so bad. In fact, I actually look forward to these visa-runs now.

PSS: We have 3 inches of wet snow on the ground here in Samara. Ho Ho Ho! Very Happy
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Kent F. Kruhoeffer



Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 2129
Location: 中国

PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2003 10:13 am    Post subject: forgot to mention this ... Reply with quote

Oooops. I forgot to mention this little tidbit in my reply to CSmurf above:

FYI: (and to the best of my knowledge)

Your Russian visa is tied to one sponsor only (or one employer only, as the case may be). If you decide to change schools, your original visa can not be extended by your new employer. In this case, you would need to make a visa-run.

Also - if you come into Russia on a tourist visa sponsored by a travel agent, for example, you would also need to make a visa-run ... if and when you found a new job, and before your first visa expires.

In plain English - Russian visas (of any type) are not transferable from one sponsor to another - or from one employer to another. To be as clear as possible: the only person who can legally extend your original visa is the person who sponsored you in the first place.

Sorry I forgot to mention this above. Embarassed

For what it's worth, I've added a new category to The Master Index with a few links and some general info regarding visa-runs to Tallinn. Hope it helps.

Regards,
kENt

PS: That 3 inches of wet snow has since turned into 1 inch of wet mud. Shocked
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fat_chris



Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing

PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2003 11:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Preferred Method of Entry?!?!?

Oops, I see this post is about something else.

What would Freud say?

Embarassed
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Kent F. Kruhoeffer



Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 2129
Location: 中国

PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2003 12:52 pm    Post subject: hmmmm Reply with quote

Hi fat_chris:

If you bring the wine and candles, I've got the wet mud. (see PS above) Laughing
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Communist Smurf



Joined: 24 Jun 2003
Posts: 330
Location: San Francisco

PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2003 1:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

With the exception to Freud, I think most psychologists would be more interested in whom perceived the subject to be something it's not. Not the "Freudian-slipper" (did I just make another?). Embarassed

For those interested, I discovered if you have a student visa you don't need a work permit. So you could find a Russian language school that will issue a student invitation (many don't, they issue business invitations) and enroll part-time. But I don't know if it makes that big of a difference.

I'll be doing a visa-run myself in January. So, Kent, I guess I'm your first-timer to check out your improved sticky post (hmm, I need to get my head examined). Confused
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fat_chris



Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing

PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2003 2:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Communist Smurf,

Do "Freudian Slippers" fit US size 10/Euro size 44 feet?

I think your avatar is actually Drunken Smurf, not Communist Smurf.


Kent,

Have fun in the wet mud! Don't forget to wear your rubbers!

fat_chris
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Communist Smurf



Joined: 24 Jun 2003
Posts: 330
Location: San Francisco

PostPosted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 1:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What are you saying? Communists don't drink?
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fat_chris



Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing

PostPosted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 4:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Of course Communists don't drink!

They imbibe.

Wink
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Communist Smurf



Joined: 24 Jun 2003
Posts: 330
Location: San Francisco

PostPosted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 5:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So what are you suggesting? I change my name to "Imbibed Smurf?"

Sorry, it just doesn't resonate as well.

Communist Smurf
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fat_chris



Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing

PostPosted: Sat Nov 15, 2003 12:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Or: Communist Smurf who Imbibes.

Naw, too long. You were right the first time.

I like how you wrote Communist in red.

Wink
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waxwing



Joined: 29 Jun 2003
Posts: 719
Location: China

PostPosted: Sat Dec 27, 2003 7:54 am    Post subject: Re: forgot to mention this ... Reply with quote

Kent F. Kruhoeffer wrote:

In plain English - Russian visas (of any type) are not transferable from one sponsor to another - or from one employer to another. To be as clear as possible: the only person who can legally extend your original visa is the person who sponsored you in the first place.
(snipped)
Regards,
kENt


Kent - I got my visa extended here in Stavropol (well, to be accurate, my boss got it extended. It involved contacting the company who issued the original invitation, various phone calls, faxes, about 100 signatures, and crafty use of a contact in the FSB (no s**t).
To everyone else - I wholeheartedly second what is stated in the above quote. On no account try to extend a visa with one employer, when it was issued by a different employer.

But more importantly.....

C NOVIM GODOM!!
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