Russia 72 Hour Visa Exemption

Similar to the Chinese 72 Hour Visa Exemption, the Russian Duma is debating a new law which would allow visitors from a wide variety of nations to stay in Russia for 72 hours without a visa. This would be a great boon to the Russian Tourist sector, and could, in particular, make cities such as St. Petersburg and Moscow great city break destinations. St. Petersburg already allows this during the summer months for cruise and ferry passengers, so for the entire country to adopt this at all entry points, is a great step forward. It will be interesting to see how quickly this law comes into effect, and if it will remain after the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

I know! A Huge Step Forward. I am in St. Pete now, and believe me, such a stunning city, it would easily be a great weekend break/city trip, especially if people knew they didnt have to plan in advance for the visa, and further, not have to factor in the cost of a visa which can be around 60 to 100 euros for single entry depending on nationality.

Hi Alex, I use a company called VHS (Visa handling Service) which has offices in both Antwerp (where I live) and Brussels, and are an off-shoot from the Russian Embasy and Consulate dealing with their visas. Very helpful in Antwerp in particular, make an appointmnet on line, go to the office with your invitation, and you can have your visa in 5 days, less if you want to pay extra, normal service is euro 65, expedited is euro 100.

The issue is not simply the expense.

As I am planning on doing the Trans-Siberian and Trans-Mongolian, I have been looking into entry/visa procedures and Russia is, by a country mile, the most difficult and expensive country to visit in terms of the visa bureaucracy of any other than North Korea. As a part of the visa application process, it is necessary either to have a sponsor or obtain a phoney “tourist invitation” that adds to the cost, complexity and time required. Of course, if you want a quick turn around, then this is possible – but at a very considerable cost.

The moral is that Russia does NOT welcome visitors and makes it as difficult and as costly as possible foreigners to get into the country. And if you are either a UK or US citizen, then double the aggro involved.

@ dutchyankee – 11/09/2013 10:13 GMT

The pandering by successive British Home Secretaries to the so-called “immigration lobby” of the Daily Mail, Immigration Watch and the loonies that constitute the UK Isolationist Party is a matter of record. This means that the UK loses out on not just Russian but also hoards of Chinese visitors who would otherwise happily spend a fortune here.

I do take some issue with you. If you need a business visa for Russia, you need to provide a current HIV certificate. Have you ever heard of that requirement for any other country – or demanded of Russians seeking visas for overseas visits?

Much of this is a straight-forward relic of both the Cold War and is also a latter day reflection of Russia’s behaviour in state-sponsoring the murder of British citizens on British streets. That the rest of us end up jumping through hoops (and expensive and time consuming ones at that) is simply the collateral damage resulting from this.

Hello Anthony

I have also been looking at various options for this journey. I don’t know anyone who has done it. My preferred route would be Moscow to Vladivostok. Have you looked at:

http://www.thetranssiberiantravelcompany.com/

@ alexpo1 – 11/09/2013 12:58 GMT
@ AMcWhirter – 11/09/2013 13:35 GMT

Gents, VMTs for your comments. The current plan is to set off from Moskva and stop off at various points en route: Nizhny Novgorod (aka Gorki), Kazan, Tobolsk, Irkutsk (for Lake Baikal) and then down to Ulaanbaatar and onto Beijing. Problem is: there are so many potential permutations and options…

The other excellent sources of information are the Man at seat 61:

http://www.seat61.com/

and also Real Russia:

http://www.realrussia.co.uk/trains/tickets

Incidentally, unless and until your comprehension of Russian and the Cyrillic alphabet is better than mine (I am working on both plus Mongolian…!) then the best bet for train time info is the superb Deutsche Bahn website:

http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/index.shtml

Perhaps I should get my head around writing an article for BT on the voyage should it take place next May/June when the Spring melt has taken place and it’s less likely to be sub-zero.