Information on New Registration Process in Russia Needed ** URGENT

[Erwin]

Dear all,

I am advised that the process of registering your visa/passport/migration card in Russia has changed.

In the old days, I understand that people could get a tourist confirmation and a voucher (from a travel agency in Russia) with a specific number of days you intend to travel (say 30 days) and a particular hotel you intend to stay.  I also understand that the travel agency would then handle the registration for you, even though you may only stay for 7 days in Russia during which time you stayed in a flat instead.

Now, one travel agency in Russia informed me that, if you decide to stay in a hotel, you must tell them the exact date you will actualy travel because they must write this information down in your tourist confirmation and your voucher.  Additionally, you must pay the travel agency the total cost of your hotel stay in advance and in full before they can issue a tourist confirmation and a voucher to you.  Is this in fact true?  

What about if you do not know where you are going to stay?  Do you know if they will be able to issue a tourist confirmation and a voucher without this information?  If so, will the Russian embassy or consular office here turn down your visa application because you do not provide them with information about where you are going to stay while you are in Russia at the time you submit your application?

What about if you want to stay in a flat?  Will they be able to issue a tourist confirmation and a voucher indicating otherwise?

Can someone please tell me in details how the new process works (1) as it relates to your stay in a hotel; (2) as it relates to your stay in a flat; and (3) the effects of such process on visa application and registration of your visa/passport/migration card?

Thank you for your assistance.

E 

[Ste]

I can only tell you what happened to me during my trip to Chelyabinsk last feb, when it was frigging cold....

I had my visa and invite, registration is to be done by me and I think thats normal unless ur actually on the tour invite cruise.

As usual, we left it until the last minute to try to register, and we had a bugger of a time trying to do it. Chel isn't so bad as Moscow etc, militia not really in force so both times I never bothered until last day.

On my first visit last year we tried OVIR before going to a hotel to get stamped. No probelm really. Do not consider OVIR unless u have several days spare and speak fluent Russian. They seem to delight in sending u off for more documentation, documentation in correct format - belive me, leave them guys to their petty paper shuffling....The hotel did it for 1000 rbls

We traversed the city looking to get the registration stamp but no one had one. All been confiscated and only the main Western Style Hotel Viktoriya could register us. So we went there and got it, cost of 3200 rbls. Any stamp said I just paid for one night. I'm cetain u r supposed to show a stamp for the whole of ur stay but there is enough confusion about the new system to allow u to get through it! I've no idea how they accomodate stays in apartments or with friends. I suspect is gonna be OVIR or a hefty fine.

I thing I got away with it - thank Christ we are meeting in Kiev in a few weeks!

Ste

[Turboguy]

Erwin,  I held up answering because I thought someone might know something I did not.   When I was there 3 or 4 weeks ago nothing had changed.  When I was there 6 weeks before that or 6 weeks before that the process has stayed the same.   I have seen nothing posted here or on any other forum talking about a change except your post.   I suspect nothing has changed.

If you stay in a hotel they will automatically stamp your card.  If you stay in an apartment you must have someone stamp it.  Some agencies that rent apaprtments can do it.   Some hotels will do it for a fee.  Some will charge you for a nights room even though you never use it.  (sorta like prostitution, you sell the product but still have it)   There are some offices that will do it.   There are some agencies that will do it such as GoToRussia.   You only need one stamp and the number of days you stay there does not matter.

[Ste]

Things definatley changed in Chel TG, none of the Hotels had stamps anymore.This may of course be Chel only.

My stamp just said I'd stayed there for one night (out of 10), but to be honest, no one batted an eyelid at the airports....

So I think u r right - they won't have time at passport control to check ur registration with dates etc, just a quick look to see if u have the stamp and off ya go!

Ste

[Bruno]

Before, when i have go several time to russia, i have always use personal visa and invitation letter from the lady... once in the city, i register myself to the OVIR ( more easy if you forget some $$ in your passport )... the address used is these of the lady who have make the invitation, she is responsible for me during my stay... and for the stay, i have always use appartment hiring localy, more cheap...

For the departure, it was need a second visit to OVIR... and if you marry  in Russia, don't allow them to make a big stamp ( see below ) in your international passport... this make it non valid and it was a hell for come back in Belgium...

[Ste]

We tried the private invite visa the first time I went - we gave up after Nadia's seventh visit to OVIR!!

They wanted all sorts of personal info, copies of deeds to flat and all property, proof of salaries of all living in flat, all in correct format which it never was, triplicate, lie is too short!

I know some OVIR offices are worse than others and I hereby nominate Chelyabinsk as the worst!

Let Uncle Pasha show you in Moscow...

http://www.unclepasha.com/travel_russia_misery/invitation_visa.htm

Ste

[Bruno]

Funny link...

Tatiana have not know problem for invitation... only a long waiting time... russian administration are not fast...

The marriage was more a comedy... they have ask document who don't exist in Belgium... so, with help of computer and a corrupt russian clerk, we have make a false document... this have allow us to be married... but the same problem for her about her birth act with Belgium ambassy... she was russian, but she is birth in crimea, just over the ukrainian border during some holiday of parents... So, for my administration, she was ukrainian and they have not accept his russian birth act... and for the ukrainian, she was russian... after 5 year of fight... a little after our divorce, she have receive a ukrainian birth act... expense : 2500$ and 5 year delay...

So, i think that all administration are very bad working... too much paper and too complex...

[Ste]

Funny link...

Tatiana have not know problem for invitation... only a long waiting time... russian administration are not fast...

The marriage was more a comedy... they have ask document who don't exist in Belgium... so, with help of computer and a corrupt russian clerk, we have make a false document... this have allow us to be married... but the same problem for her about her birth act with Belgium ambassy... she was russian, but she is birth in crimea, just over the ukrainian border during some holiday of parents... So, for my administration, she was ukrainian and they have not accept his russian birth act... and for the ukrainian, she was russian... after5 year of fight... a little after our divorce, she have receive a ukrainian birth act... expense : 2500$ and 5 year delay...

So, i think that all administration are very bad working... too much paper and too complex...

Typical russian bureaucracy!

Which I think I'm right in saying is modelled on British Colonial bureaucracy which has made India the paperwork nightmare of the World!

Uncle Pashas site is hilarous, he's a tourguide who hates tourists, read the whole site - it will have u in stiches. Don't use him however unless ur really ready!

http://www.unclepasha.com

Ste

[Erwin]

Many thanks to those who responded to my questions.

E

[al-c]

I had a U.S. agency, Passport Express, get my letter of invitation for me.  It was the best $35.00 I ever spent.

Registration at the hotel was fast and easy and took about 10 minutes, and I did not pay them any money until I checked out.

This was May, 2005, in Novosibirsk, BTW.

Also, I don't know if it matters, but I used local people I knew in Novosibirsk to walk into the hotel and book my room for me.

www.passportexpress.com

 

[catzenmouse]

Uncle Pashas site is hilarous, he's a tourguide who hates tourists, read the whole site - it will have u in stiches. Don't use him however unless ur really ready!

http://www.unclepasha.com

Through personal experience I would not use or reccommend Paul Voytinsky for anything. It was a nightmare for Elena when we used his service.

Ken

[Vaughn]

It was a nightmare for Elena when we used his service.

Ken, you two didn't happen to stay at his infamous
rodent-free bomb shelter, did you?

http://www.cheap-moscow.com/basement.htm

[Rvrwind]

It must be the city or area you are visiting as we are having no problems in Tver.

500 roubles gets you registared for your entire stay, if you are staying at a hotel it is free.

Avoid OVIR if at all possible, although here they are somewhat better than STE's experience, the only good thing these people actually achieve is showing up at the office for work. Other than that they are a colossal waste of flesh.

RVR-Canadian Cowboy/Agency Owner

[Maxx]

My cheapest stay in Moscow was for $5/150 rubles a night. Me an my
scheming/scamming ex-wife stayed with a babushka. I was told before I met this lovely lady (and she was!) to not speak at all and answer to the name "Dima". We lived with Babushka for two nights and she never caught on I was an American. She must have thought I was the strong silent Russian man or mute. 
 
Uncle Pasha's $10 a night accommodations must net him $9 in profit.
 

[align=center]photos | testimonials

• Not just "floor space". Mattresses and linen supplied. Fold-out chairs available [/*]
  
• Warm and airy. No roaches. For the sake of stylistic integrity I'm thinking of acquiring a rat however. Any rodents looking for a good home? [/*]
  
• Shower [/*]
  
• Toilet [/*]
  
• Electric kettle and hot plate [/*]
  
• Light breakfast on request [/*]
  
• Warm [/*]
  
• Quiet [/*]
  
• Good company (Catherine, Denis, and occasionally me, the famous Uncle Pasha). [/*]
  
• A rat by the name of Lunch is available to enhance your Moscow experience. This adorable cutie loves attention and will follow you if let out of his cage. Alternatively, you can write to folks back home about his this pest with long yellow teeth, a naked tail, and grotesque protruding testicles. Tell them of an crazy Russian landlord who forced you to share living space with a rodent under the threat of taking you to pest-free Balchug-Kempinski. If you seriously can't stand rats, he can be removed from the apartment for at $2.98 daily. [/*]
  
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• Mattress on the floor type sleeping arrangement. Woman not included but this specific one probably would not mind to hear from an intelligent and original - yes, she has this thing about character and verbal ability and something else very few of us possess -  man of 40-something.

But please no azzholes, and being one myself I will recognize you easily, and dump on you a load of my less-than-pleasant nature.
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[catzenmouse]

It was a nightmare for Elena when we used his service.

Ken, you two didn't happen to stay at his infamous
rodent-free bomb shelter, did you?

http://www.cheap-moscow.com/basement.htm[/quote]
The short version:

He asked for payment to be made to his accoung in a Royal Bank branch  in Toronto. I wired the money to this account a week before she was  supposed to arrive in Moscow. As of the day before she arrived they  still had not credited his account (accroding to him), I called the  bank and the money was there. We payed for pick up and return to the  train station, 5 days lodging at one of his flats (not the bomb  shelter), and travel to and from the Embassy. She called him a couple  of times close to her leave time (she chose to take the train to save  me money no matter what I said about the time involved which was a two  day train ride from Omsk) and he was a first class A-hole to her and in  his correspondence to me he said that she spoke some kind of strange  dialect, that he hated Siberians, and that he was not going to pick her  up or give her lodging since the money was not there, then he said he  was leaving town and he would leave it up to his "people" and if they  wanted to work with her they could.

There was no one at the train station to pick her up, after frantic  calls to me we got her in contact with the driver who took her to the  flat (wonder of wonders the money had arrived) and the woman caretaker  took her to the metro station and showed her where to go to the medical  and Embassy. No other help or service was given. He wrote that the rest  of the funds were for administration and stress. F-n A-hole is the  nicest thing I can say for this person. He's on my list of people that  if they are ever in the crosswalk in front of me there will be a large  bump and I'll just ask "what was that" and continue on.