Post: #1

It looks like the time for Americans to visit Russia for extended stays have come after last year's change in the rules.

With a 3-year tourist visa, you can stay for up to 6-month periods.

Quote:In accordance with an agreement between the Russian Federation and the United States of America, effective September 9, 2012 US citizens can receive multiple-entry business, homestay/private, humanitarian and tourist visas valid for up to 3 years and allowing a stay of up to 6 months per visit. Requests for this longer validity visa require a written letter of invitation composed by the host, and processing cannot be rushed. (See detailed visa requirements below).

http://russia.travisa.com/VisaInstructio...rtnerID=TA

My guess is that you would simply have to do a border run to reset the 6-month clock. You still need to get a letter of invitation, but many companies sell that online.

Has anyone tried to get a Russian visa lately?

Post: #2

(12-01-2012 08:46 PM)BigDave Wrote:  You can get a 3-year visa easily, a buddy of mine has one (and I saw it in his passport). VisaHQ.com is giving these out easily for $350 (including invitation/shipping). Make sure to send them to their Washington office.

/thread-17644-...#pid318660

Post: #3

I have gotten two russian visas process in the past few months. It's a piece of cake. I used a company called Real Russia in the UK and they handled the whole thing so damn easily.

I'm assuming they should be able to process a 3 year one also. Not sure though.

I suggest you look them up. It saves you the hassle of having to go to the consulate in person and deal with forms and incompetent employees who work short hours.

Post: #4

(05-15-2013 05:53 AM)Roosh Wrote:  It looks like the time for Americans to visit Russia for extended stays have come after last year's change in the rules.

With a 3-year tourist visa, you can stay for up to 6-month periods.

Quote:In accordance with an agreement between the Russian Federation and the United States of America, effective September 9, 2012 US citizens can receive multiple-entry business, homestay/private, humanitarian and tourist visas valid for up to 3 years and allowing a stay of up to 6 months per visit. Requests for this longer validity visa require a written letter of invitation composed by the host, and processing cannot be rushed. (See detailed visa requirements below).

http://russia.travisa.com/VisaInstructio...rtnerID=TA

My guess is that you would simply have to do a border run to reset the 6-month clock. You still need to get a letter of invitation, but many companies sell that online.

Has anyone tried to get a Russian visa lately?

I haven't heard of this but sounds promising. I do know that right now there is a special business/work visa you can get that allows you to stay in Russia for 180 out of 360 days during a calendar year. But only 180 days per year...it's not all that expensive.

Also, you can buy a 1-year 'business' visa on the black market here for like 1000 Euros from what I hear. A friend of mine did this, worked great, he just had to leave every 3 months to reset.

Try 'expat.ru' online - unf. I get blocked at work but it's usually pretty good and up to date with visa stuff, replete with (horror) stories.

Post: #5

(05-15-2013 05:53 AM)Roosh Wrote:  It looks like the time for Americans to visit Russia for extended stays have come after last year's change in the rules.

With a 3-year tourist visa, you can stay for up to 6-month periods.

Quote:In accordance with an agreement between the Russian Federation and the United States of America, effective September 9, 2012 US citizens can receive multiple-entry business, homestay/private, humanitarian and tourist visas valid for up to 3 years and allowing a stay of up to 6 months per visit. Requests for this longer validity visa require a written letter of invitation composed by the host, and processing cannot be rushed. (See detailed visa requirements below).

http://russia.travisa.com/VisaInstructio...rtnerID=TA

My guess is that you would simply have to do a border run to reset the 6-month clock. You still need to get a letter of invitation, but many companies sell that online.

Has anyone tried to get a Russian visa lately?

I have been checking with expat.ru on those visas. Right now, it is too new to know if you can do a border hop to renew for 6 more months. People tend to think you can but you know how that stuff goes. Even if it is legal, border patrol needs to know it is legal.

http://expat.ru/forum/showthread.php?t=485452

Post: #6

(05-15-2013 10:45 AM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  I have been checking with expat.ru on those visas. Right now, it is too new to know if you can do a border hop to renew for 6 more months. People tend to think you can but you know how that stuff goes. Even if it is legal, border patrol needs to know it is legal.

For what it's worth, Ukrainians can renew their stay in Russia with a quick border hop.

Perhaps immigration officers at the immigration counter in airports know the rules better than border guards (non-airport ones)? In this case, perhaps crossing via an airport is safer? BTW, if you want things to go smoother at the immigration counter in an airport, I recommend dressing in business attire (business casual). In my experience, if you dress right, you get less questions.

I just renewed my Indian visa with a border hop. I was secretly hoping I would be denied entry so I would have an excuse to go back to Ukraine.

Post: #7

(05-15-2013 02:21 PM)The Duke Wrote:  

(05-15-2013 10:45 AM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  I have been checking with expat.ru on those visas. Right now, it is too new to know if you can do a border hop to renew for 6 more months. People tend to think you can but you know how that stuff goes. Even if it is legal, border patrol needs to know it is legal.

For what it's worth, Ukrainians can renew their stay in Russia with a quick border hop.

Perhaps immigration officers at the immigration counter in airports know the rules better than border guards (non-airport ones)? In this case, perhaps crossing via an airport is safer? BTW, if you want things to go smoother at the immigration counter in an airport, I recommend dressing in business attire (business casual). In my experience, if you dress right, you get less questions.

I just renewed my Indian visa with a border hop. I was secretly hoping I would be denied entry so I would have an excuse to go back to Ukraine.

I thought Ukrainians, Belorussians and Russians can all travel freely amongst their respective countries? At least if they use their international passports (I know Russians need to register in Ukraine if they just have their domestic passports, but can still enter Ukraine, saw it live last year on a work trip).

Heh but I am sure the Ukrainian girls are better looking and lower maintenance that what we have here in Moscow!

Post: #8

It's my understanding that Ukrainians don't need a visa for Russia, but they are limited to three months per visit which can reset with a quick border hop. This is what my Ukrainian girlfriend told me...not really low maintenance I'm afraid

Post: #9

I literally just got mine. Took about 3 weeks, paid $400 and I just dropped off my passport, took a photo and answered some of the questions (they even filled out the form for me). I'd say it took 20 minutes, incredibly easy. This was in LA though, not sure how you would do that in whatever EE city you are in now.

Edit: And now I'm good until May 2016.

Post: #10

slubu: You did it yourself at the Russian embassy? Which invitation service did you use?

Post: #11

Looks like I will be making a run to the Russian Consulate in Frankfurt soon.

Post: #12

(05-15-2013 03:23 PM)Roosh Wrote:  slubu: You did it yourself at the Russian embassy? Which invitation service did you use?

I used this company: http://www.rusonline.com/

I would have flown to SF to go to the embassy and not sure how long that would take. As for the invitation, they literally did everything - that company. I just walked in, paid them the $400 and got my visa 3 weeks later.

This whole invitation thing is a sham, just find a company to do it for you and you should be good. In June my friend is going to do it while we are in Kiev so I can provide an update on that too.

Post: #13

I have one of these now too. Easy to get, about $350 and a month turn around time. You can apply by mail as well within the US, no need to go to an embassy/consulate in person.

It's six months per entry, and as someone said above, the current thinking is that a 1-day hop across the border will reset the clock. So you can stay in Russia for 3 years continuously, minus the semi-annual trips across the border to Finland, Mongolia, Estonia, or Ukraine (none of these need visas for Americans).

It's not clear if that interpretation will always be the case, but all evidence points to immediate returns being kosher.

Post: #14

BigDave, did you mail your application and passport directly to the Russian consulate, or did you use a visa service like slubu? If a visa service, which one? Did you provide an invitation letter with your application? Does the invitation letter need to be "notarized" in Russia?

Post: #15

Ok, just dropped off my application for the 3-year tourist visa...hope it comes through - we'll see. Guy there said they have not had any problems (yet).

BTW this is the service I used - pretty helpful, they do a lot of Russian visas (Chinese too).

http://www.pvsinternational.org/visas.html

I'm wondering how I register once I get there given I'll be staying with friends/Air B&B. Will figure that out later I guess.

Post: #16

For the record, I used RealRussianVisas from the UK when I wanted a student tourist visa for a 10 day trip. They were great.

Post: #17

Has anyone here actually tested the 180/360 rule with a 1-day border run? I've done lots of digging online with mixed results (consulate sites don't mention this rule, expat.ru posters are mixed - some saying they did it with no problems, one who even spoke with a higher-up at the border and was told the 1-day run was acceptable, while others there saying that the rule is still technically enforced).

Post: #18

(08-26-2015 10:16 PM)presidentcarter Wrote:  Has anyone here actually tested the 180/360 rule with a 1-day border run? I've done lots of digging online with mixed results (consulate sites don't mention this rule, expat.ru posters are mixed - some saying they did it with no problems, one who even spoke with a higher-up at the border and was told the 1-day run was acceptable, while others there saying that the rule is still technically enforced).

There isn't a duration-of-stay limitation (180/360 rule) with that kind of visa. If there was, it would be printed on the visa label: "действует 180 дней из каждых 360 дней". The only rule is that your migration card is valid for six months, so you need to cross the border each six months to renew it.

However, using business/tourist visas for living in Russia raises suspicion after a few consecutive long-term visits, especially if you've previously had work visas in your name. Some people think they're subject to some kind of 180/360 rule, when in fact they've been denied entry for migration law violations.

Better to apply for residency if you're able to pass the language and civics test, or use the visa scheme for high earners if not. That visa scheme can be used at any salary level, just as long as you pay the equivalent of 13% income tax on the required 167k/month salary (so ~22k/month).

Post: #19

My russian student visa came yesterday. It took about 2 months to get the initial invitation letter from the university, which caused me to scramble on my end as I leave next Wednesday for Moscow. I used an expedited process with Russian Connections travel agency. The agency went to the consulate in San Francisco for me with my documents and my visa was issued in about 7 business days.

Post: #20

(08-26-2015 10:16 PM)presidentcarter Wrote:  Has anyone here actually tested the 180/360 rule with a 1-day border run? I've done lots of digging online with mixed results (consulate sites don't mention this rule, expat.ru posters are mixed - some saying they did it with no problems, one who even spoke with a higher-up at the border and was told the 1-day run was acceptable, while others there saying that the rule is still technically enforced).

This is from http://moscow.usembassy.gov/russian-visa...LengthStay

Quote:Limitations on Length of Stay: In October 2007, the Russian government made significant changes to its rules regarding the length of stay permitted to most foreign visitors. Visas issued for 3 years allow for a 6-month uninterrupted stay in the country. The break between the intervals may be as short as one calendar day.

I have never had any issues, but every time I left after a long stay was for at least a few weeks.

Post: #21

In April I applied for the 3 year visa from the consulate in Minsk where I was living (with the required Belarusian residency of over 3 months necessary to apply from a country other than that of your nationality) using one of the bogus invitations from the Internet and was unable to get it, even though the service selling the invitation listed that it would work.

The lady at the consulate actually called her superiors to find out if it was possible to grant me the 3 year visa and then informed me that to get that one I would need a real invitation issued by the actual Russian Migration Department which you can get if a friend or business associate or whoever in Russia requests an invitation for you. None of this information was available beforehand so I was pretty bummed but they still sold me a normal visa which I used to see Systemofadown in Moscow and it was actually worth the $140, it was a really sick weekend. I've heard that the rules can vary from consulate to consulate though but that's just my experience.