Russia Travel Forum

Hello all
I'm in the depths of planning a trip to St Petersburg. The thing is, i'm irish but i would be flying to St Petersburg from Budapest.
Is this an issue with regard to acquiring a visa do you think?
Should i just contact my local Russian embassy or should i contact that in Budapest?
Any thoughts on this or the general visa situation are most welcome
Regards to all
DG

The recent practice of Russian embassies is to issue visas ONLY for residents (although there are some positive reports- but didn't hear them from Budapest). That's why I strictly recommend to apply for visa in your local Embassy. Keep in mind: it will take some formalities- invitation, voucher, money and time (normally 2 weeks). The details of visa process you can find in the site of embassy or in such resources like WayToRussia.com or similar.

You need to apply for your visa in Ireland before you leave - giving exact dates of your arrival and departure from Russia and you would be required to have travel insurance. You don't need an invatation, just tell them where you are going, and where you will be. Visas to Russia for EU citizens are not that troublesome anymore. If you are not planning on returning to Budapest then a multiple entry visa is a bit more expensive.

I am in the process of sending for a Russian tourist visa. Below site is very helpful.

http://www.visatorussia.com/russianvisa.nsf/index.html

Your hotel can provide you with an invitation letter (visa support paper) which you will have to submit to a Russian visa processing center/embassy/consulate along with two applications and one passport photo. The visa support paper that comes from your hotel, you'll have to apply for. Our hotel requires copy of my credit card (both sides) and the dates we will be in country. I am kind of leery about giving them a copy of my credit card. But my other option is through the website I provided and that will cost $30.00.

The website has links to visa processing centers in different countries. And yes, this takes time. You'll have to have it even before you embark on your travel, otherwise, you will not be allowed entry into Russia.