Homestay Invitation Letter

[Milz713]

I read in another thread about a guy wanting to do this but it seems the info was a bit cloudy so I am asking for myself to try not to add to the confusion.  I have gone to Russia twice in the last few years and used Travisa for the invitation letter and visa but I am planning another trip for March but this time I will not be in a hotel.  From what I understand you must  get a letter from the local office of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,  has anyone gone this route?  Was it difficult?  Is there another way?  My girlfriend rents a very small 1 room flat and she wants to rent a larger flat for when I come.  Since the city she lives in only has 3 hotels I thought maybe it was a good idea also but I am worried about the visa.  She went to a travel office that makes visa's and they told her that they would make the letter for 1000 rubles but I am not really sure if she understands what it is that I need or not,  thanks for the advice,,,

[Goombah]

I have visited Russia (Omsk Region) several times over the past 8 years, always staying at my (now) families home.  All that was required, when staying more than 3 days, was to registers at their government center.

I have always applied for my visas directly as well, without going through any tour company (and without paying their serious markups).

Kevin

[noelscot]

I read in another thread about a guy wanting to do this but it seems the info was a bit cloudy so I am asking for myself to try not to add to the confusion.  I have gone to Russia twice in the last few years and used Travisa for the invitation letter and visa but I am planning another trip for March but this time I will not be in a hotel.  From what I understand you must  get a letter from the local office of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,  has anyone gone this route?  Was it difficult?  Is there another way?  My girlfriend rents a very small 1 room flat and she wants to rent a larger flat for when I come.  Since the city she lives in only has 3 hotels I thought maybe it was a good idea also but I am worried about the visa.  She went to a travel office that makes visa's and they told her that they would make the letter for 1000 rubles but I am not really sure if she understands what it is that I need or not,  thanks for the advice,,,

Here is the Houston consulate's directions: http://www.rusconhouston.mid.ru/visitors_visa_to_russia.htm
 
I have no idea which consulate is for your area, but beware each consulate does things their own way.
 
Geographic regions of Russian Federation consulates: http://www.ruscon.org/consular_regions_ENG.html
 
FYI, the homestay visa is going to take a long time to complete, and you'll need the orginal documents from Russia.

[onus]

I was just asking about this. I'm getting in contact with the consulate at this point. Seems the easiest way. I'll let you know what i find out shortly. I'm calling them tomorrow (NY Consulate).

Everything seems to be a mess. I'm used the government agencies here having things in order, and you just do all the things they say and your good.

Oh and the invitation letters. My girlfriend went to get one and they said it wasn't needed for the visa i wanted to get. 3 year homestay. The consulate will clear up all the mess.

[Faux Pas]

You do not need a homestay visa. You need a tourist visa. Homestay visas are a lot of trouble for your lady. It doesn't matter "where" you stay on a tourist visa only that you register within 5 days of arriving. Travisa can handle all of the requirements for your visa just as they have in the past. Go the same tourist visa route even if you are staying at your lady's place.

If you are planning a trip soon, I wouldn't count on the 3 year visa. They say it's going to happen but so far is not much more than a rumor

[Milz713]

Ok I have called Travisa and I spoke to a guy there who seemed very knowledgeable,  the confusion seems to be that  on there site it says if you are not staying in a hotel and you will be staying at a private residence you must have them complete a invitation letter from the Russian Ministry of foreign  affairs office  but when I asked the guy about this he said just go the usual route with Travisa and give the hotel info and after you have the visa you can stay where you want.  I thought the first time that I went I had to give the exact dates and hotel info for where I was staying and yes my passport had to be registered within 3 days,  I also went to St. Peter last June and went the same route with exact dates and hotel stay but the girl at the Hotel told me I did not need to register but I insisted they do it to be on the safe side.  I read later that the registration limit had been extended and the guy at Travisa also told me that if you are not in Russia for more than 7 days you do not need to register,  he also advised me that I can get the 30 day visa and travel to and from Russia anytime in the 30 day window of the visa and stay wherever I want. 

[Milz713]

This is from Travisa website,,


Travelers who will be staying with a friend or relative in a private home in Russia need a homestay visa (also called a private visa). The Russian homestay visa (or private visa) requires an original "Homestay Invitation". This document must be obtained by the host in Russia from the local office of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and sent to the applicant to attach to the Russian visa application form. This process can take a long time, so it is important that the Russian host begins working on this Russian invitation well in advance so that there is time to obtain the visa. It is also important for your host to know your full travel plans while in Russia. The homestay invitation needs to be valid for the entire period of stay in Russia, and needs to list the different cities you will visit in Russia. Even if you will stay in hotels during part of your visit, if you will spend time in a private home during your travel to Russia you do need a homestay visa.

[Faux Pas]

Milz
I don't know what else I could possibly say to make it any more clear than I have. You seem hellbent on the homestay. Get the homestay. 

[Milz713]

I thought I was being pretty clear faux?  I have no intentions of getting a home stay visa,  I was simply trying to point out the confusion with the contradiction between the Travisa website and what the guy told me on the phone,  I plan on going the 30 day tourist route with a invitation letter through Travisa,,.   Maybe you have confused me with the other poster who wants the 3 year visa?

[Daveman]

I thought I was being pretty clear faux?  I have no intentions of getting a home stay visa,  I was simply trying to point out the confusion with the contradiction between the Travisa website and what the guy told me on the phone,  I plan on going the 30 day tourist route with a invitation letter through Travisa,,.   Maybe you have confused me with the other poster who wants the 3 year visa?

That is the main problem for new guys - the confusion over technicalities. So maybe this will help ---  to do everything by the letter of the law, yes, if you plan to stay at someone's home, you are technically supposed to get a homestay visa and the property owner should provide the invitation letter for you and several other docs to the govt... BUT...


No one in Russian Gov't gives a flyin' flip what kind of visa it is or where you stay.  They flat don't care. It's all formalities.  That's why people just get a tourist visa and either pay a fee to a hotel to register it, or let their lady go register it.  No one will ever match the type of visa to where you stay.  They just don't care.


Tourist visa - easy to get, easy to register, easy for everyone...


Homestay visa - pain in the ass for many reasons not the least of which is many hoops for your lady to jump through.


 

[onus]

I'll put in my two cents.

Good luck getting a invitation for home stay as they will not give them. Since the new visa formalities don't require an official government one.

I have tried that already. GF was told its not needed.

I think the less than 3 year visa's follow the old rules.

[hynnilau]

Good luck

[Leelou]

Like many said earlier in the post, if you plan to stay less than one month go for the tourist visa.

The company Way To Russia provides invitation letter and voucher without the need to specify where you will stay. They have an agreement with Cosmos and use their name. Once you're in Russia, you can stay wherever you want. Only if you go over 7 business days then you have to register.
I visited my wife many times with tourist visas and never got involved with any hotel or accomodation service. When my stay exceeded 7 BD, we registered at the local office, just took 30 minutes to do it.

If you plan to go over one month, you can get the private visa up to 3 months.
I had one in the beginning of the year, it was not difficult to get but the process took more time. We had to go to the same of registration office and get a document that my wife had to fill in. After that she gave it to them and we waited one month. We then received the invitation letter and voucher and I applied the visa with it. No problem, but again we did it well in advance.

Generally what is advised to do is not think in terms of visas, but rather in terms of time. Depending on the amount of time you want your visa to be valid, you will choose a specific type of visa. Under 1 month, the tourist visa is always the winner. I already saw children travelling with business visas.... so they really don't care about the nature of the stay

[onus]

I just went through this.

Make sure you have everything listed on the embassy website and that the date listed covers the whole period of your visa.

Get it notarized. The notary had a template for getting the old government one that was modified. Have them send it to you. DHL gets it here in days.

Consulate / Embassy usually wants interviews for visa's this long. The questions are stupid simple. Just bring your insurance card and bank statements.

It does work i should have my 3 year homestay here shortly.

[Kunstkammer]

Before I got residency in Russia I had something like 5 home-stay visas.  It was not all that difficult for my wife to do and that was like 3-4 years ago.  I never had an interview???  I did have to stay in Estonia for 10 boring days while my passport was in the Russian Embassy waiting for a visa, which was a pain.   

[onus]

I think the interview is just due to the new visa's. The 3 year multiple entry ones. My Homestay is valid for 3 years.

You also don't need a official invitation anymore just a notarized written statement.

It seems some consulates will want interviews and some will not, or so i hear.

The New York consulate is one that does want a interview.  The interview was a bit of joke anyway.

[mendeleyev]

No matter what type visa is obtained it still must be registered along with your migration card. A very easy way is to stop by one of the large Russian hotels and order the cheapest "Russian standard" room for one night. They register your visa and stamp the migration card, you walk back outside and continue on to wherever you are headed. $25-$45 for 15 minutes at the registration desk and you're done.

The visa can be registered at a post office but often they're too lazy/busy and are prone to tell you that your paperwork is wrong (when it isn't wrong) because they don't want to bother. The hotel makes a few bucks and can turn around and rent the same room again since you walked out the door and for you it is generally less hassle.

[Kunstkammer]

I think the interview is just due to the new visa's. The 3 year multiple entry ones. My Homestay is valid for 3 years.

You also don't need a official invitation anymore just a notarized written statement.

It seems some consulates will want interviews and some will not, or so i hear.

The New York consulate is one that does want a interview.  The interview was a bit of joke anyway.

Today I got this:





Screw visas навсегда