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Important Visa InformationOct 15 '01 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line My otherwise fantastic trip to Russia was tainted by Visa problems. Anyone who is considering travelling to Russia should take note of the problems I had whilst in Russia with my Visa. Please do not be discouraged from travelling because of this warning- it is a lovely country (I will review my trip soon) and I had the time of my life there. Visas purchased in the UK and the USA from the appropriate consulates are fine. The problem comes when, as I did, you attempt to purchase a visa in, for example, Estonia. I did just that whilst holidaying in Estonia- hoping to catch the train to Moscow to meet up with some friends. I decided to purchase a visa from a local travel agent which claimed to specialise in visas for Russia. They sold me a visa which I collected 3 days later and I went happily on my travels. I had a fantastic time in Russia- however on the way back through Moscow domestic airport my visa was confiscated for reasons unknown (at the time). What had happened was this: The travel company had sold me an illegal visa. As you may know when you apply for a visa you are supposed to give details of your exact itinerary and where you are staying. The travel agent is supposed to have a "contact" travel agent in Moscow who issue an "invitation" for you to come to Russia. I had no idea of this. The travel agent I went to sold me a visa arranged with fake hotel arrangements, and fake details of a contact agent in Moscow (incidentally the address they put was that of an agent which had been shut down 6 months earlier....for issuing illegal visas). They also failed to tell me that I was breaking the law by travelling with this visa, that I was breaking the law by staying with friends instead of a hotel, and that my trip from Moscow to Samara was not allowed on this visa. Had I not gone to Samara the visa would probably have gone unnoticed. As soon as my visa was confiscated I was in trouble. Nobody spoke ANY English in the visa office, the British Embassy were a bunch of halfwits who told me to check into a hotel (of course you need a visa to do this, as the hotels ask for it) and wait. There was no way to rush a visa application- you must stay in a hotel to get a visa and you need a visa to stay in a hotel. Catch 22. The Embassy had no answer to this. Eventually after 9 days (thankfully my friend had a cousin with a spare room), $530 on a flight to England (I wanted to go back to Estonia but this was impossible), $190 in bribes to the visa office and the police, and a 5 year ban on travelling to Russia, I managed to get home. Apparently all Estonian travel agents do this. The travel agent is now under investigation, but they are small fish in a large pond. The bottom line- get your visa from a reputable place, preferably in a Western country, and otherwise ensure that you have a place to stay in Russia if things go really wrong.  |
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by artemis8
by knotheadusc
