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View Requirements >- Russia and Chinese Visa Requirements To Ride the Trans-Siberian Railroad
- Russian Transit Visa Requirements
- Without Russian Visas, Couple Almost Misses Honeymoon
- Obtaining a Russian Business Visa
- Getting a Russian Tourist Visa
Posts Tagged ‘Russia’
Russia and Chinese Visa Requirements To Ride the Trans-Siberian Railroad
May 7th, 2010
The longest railroad in the world, the Trans-Siberian Railroad connects Russia with Mongolia, China and the Sea of Japan. It is subdivided into three different routes for travelers to choose from: the Trans-Mongolian, which takes you from Beijing through Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and on to Moscow (or vice-versa); the Trans-Manchurian, which takes you from Siberia through Manchuria to Beijing, and the Trans-Siberian, which will take from Moscow to Vladivostok.
Of course, there are many interesting places to stop along the way. You can either ride the Trans-Siberian railroad as part of a tour group or on your own, although naturally if you travel independently you will have more flexibility when it comes to how much time you spend where.
Wikitravel has an excellent guide to help you plan
Russian Transit Visa Requirements
January 8th, 2010
If you are traveling through Russia on your way to somewhere else, you need a Russian visa. Even though you're just passing through, you still need the Russian government's approval. Without a transit visa, you probably won't make it out of the US.
In the event that you do make it to Russia without a transit visa, the US Department of State says that "Russian authorities may refuse to allow a U.S. citizen who does not have a transit visa to continue with his or her travel, obliging the person to immediately return to the point of embarkation at the traveler’s own expense." That doesn't bode well for the rest of your trip!
You need a Russian transit visa even if you just have a layover or are changing planes in a Russian airport, although you can also get a transit visa for trai
Without Russian Visas, Couple Almost Misses Honeymoon
November 17th, 2009
A newlywed couple almost missed out on an $2,000 honeymoon in St. Petersburg, Russia because they tried to fly without first obtaining Russian visas for the trip. According to this story in USA Today, Bethany Thomas and Dmitri Zagidulin booked the Russian honeymoon via Expedia.
They weren't sure if they needed visas or not, but the Expedia travel agent assured them they didn't. The newlyweds didn't even know that they had a problem until they got to Frankfurt and were not allowed to get on board the plane into Russia. To add insult to injury, their luggage was sent on to St. Petersburg, and all Expedia would do to fix the situation was offer them a $100 hotel credit. Not cool!
Fortunately, this story does have a happy ending, thanks largely to the magic of Facebook and Twitter. T
Obtaining a Russian Business Visa
October 20th, 2009
Over the past few years, Russia's economy has grown by leaps and bounds. In 2008, according to the CIA World Factbook, Russia's GDP was $2.266 trillion, the 7th highest in the world. As Russia's economy grows, business travel to Russia is increasing. This article from BCD Travel notes that in 2006, "Russian business travel volume grew to USD $13 billon — a 17 percent increase over 2005 numbers."
Unfortunately, just because business travel to Russia is becoming increasingly common, that doesn't make it easy to get a Russian business visa. Business travelers and tourists alike are caught up in a visa system that the US Department of State has called "restrictive and complicated."
If you have a business trip to Russia, here's what you need to get a Russian visa:
A valid US pas
Getting a Russian Tourist Visa
September 26th, 2009
Moscow is a beautiful city with some interesting historic attractions, like the imposing fortress of the Kremlin and the iconic onion-shaped domes of St. Basil's Cathedral. However, if you want to visit Moscow to see the sites, you will need to obtain a Russian tourist visa first.
This is not as easy as it sounds. Russia has a visa system that the US Department of State's website calls "restrictive and complicated." Here's a list of what you need to get a Russian tourist visa:
Your passport.
A completed visa application form
1 passport photo
A copy of your airline tickets or a copy of your itinerary showing your flight number and the dates that you'll be in Russia.
A tourist invitation from a Russian travel agency or hotel that can serve as your visa sponsor. The hote
