Russia - Tourist Confirmation Letter

[#1]

Hi there. I am an Australian planning to travel to Russia in May and I understand that I need to provide a tourist confirmation letter as part of the visa application process. My questions are...

1. How did you obtain this document when booking with AirBnb?
2. Is this something that the AirBnb team can provide?
3. If you booked an apartment via AirBnb, were you able to use the tourist confirmation letter from an airline, train, or day trip tour company instead?

Thanks, Karen

[Elena87]

@Raj61

Indian citizens are on the list of tier 2 countries with regard to Russian visa applications - so considered higher risk. For example your invitation voucher should be the original copy and not an e copy and detailed itinerary is often required.

You are recommended to ask the consulate directly about the conditions they currently for visa applications as they will apply their own local rules.

[Carole-Anne4]

Hi Elena

Just reading your thread here and you appear to have been extremely helpful with advice.  I wonder if you could assist me please?

I have my visa inviation from company which states two hotels for visit to Moscow and St Petersburg.  I am not staying nor booked either of the hotels and I now have my accommodation booked.  Should I now obtain another invitation so that I have the correct accommodation details?  Or just put both hotels on invitation onto my visa application?  What if I need to provide booking confirmation?  Is it safer to pay for another invitation?

Thanks in advance of any advice.

Kind regards

[Elena87]

@Carole-Anne4 

Presuming you have a British passport and will be applying at the Edinburgh visa centre, the hotel details listed on your invitation letter are not in any way crucial to your visa application.

These hotels are always deemed as a provisional choice and are not in any way considered a binding agreement. There is absolutely no need to obtain another letter with different details. Booking confirmation won't be required for you, as explained below.

When you receive your visa sticker, there is no obligation for you to stay in any pre-arranged or set place. You have complete freedom to change your itinerary.

There are no stated details relating to accomodation on the visa. At border control, passport control are only interested that you have valid documents. 

Some countries deemed 'high immigration risk' ( eg Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka) do have stricter procedures, where a very detailed itinerary is required by the Russian Consulate; applicants are asked for pre-paid hotel receipts and the original copy of the invitation letter (not the usual e-copy) must match up. 

Hope this answers your query.

[Elena87]

@Carole-Anne4 

Presuming you have a British passport and applying at the Edinburgh visa centre, there is no need at all for you to obtain an updated invitation.

This is because any details of hotels or accommodation in your existing invitation are treated as provisional and non binding, they are not subject to checking or verification and you won't be asked for booking confirmations. Once you have a visa issued you can change your itinerary as you wish, with no obligation for you to stay in the places or cities you have provisionally listed.

It is a different story if you are applying from a country deemed a  'high immigration risk' for Russian visa purposes (eg Ghana or Indonesia) - here the consulate asks applicants for extra paperwork so here, booking confirmations and original invitation vouchers are asked for as well as a detailed itinerary.

[Elena87]

A little update for any travellers thinking of including Russia on their travel itinerary, from October 1st, the electronic-visa will be launched for entry to Russia for visitors to Saint Petersburg city and region.

This means a vastly simplified, cheaper and faster procedure for visitors.

No invitation voucher is needed and no more consulate fees.

In brief;

Online application can be made up to just 4 days before entry date.

Single entry to the country.

Valid for a 30 days after application for a period of stay in St Petersburg is up to 8 days.

It's open to citizens of around 50 countries, you can check on-line for full details ;

Includes most EU, Scandinavian, Baltic States countries.

India, China and Indonesia. See on-line for an up to date list.

[Seb34]

Hi Elena,

Thanks so much for your help in this thread. Could you please clarify something which I have seen you mention in some of your posts?

I will be travelling to Moscow from the UK on the 28th November until the 1st December with my partner and staying in an Airbnb. As this stay is under 7 working days am I right in thinking we do not need to apply for a visa and/or a tourist invitation or have I misunderstood?

Thanks

Seb

[Elena87]

@Seb34 

It depends on what country passport you hold - but if you have a British passport you would certainly need to obtain an invitation voucher first and then apply for a Russian tourist visa.

7 working days, this is for 'registration' which is applicable once a visitor arrives in Russia.

[Marianne498]

We are British and travelling to St Petersburg in May . We have booked accommodation through air BnB 

We will need an invitation letter to obtain a visa  but our air BnB  host has advised us they can not supply it 

What can we do ? 

Thankyou 

Marianne 

[Elena87]

@Marianne498 

It's an official document that only registered companies can issue.

Try a service provider such as 

https://visatoruss.com/

[Bruce462]

I am planning on staying three weeks in Russia.  We will spend 6 days in St. Petersburg at an Airbnb, then the same in Moscow. We will spend the rest of the trip in Perm staying at a family apartment. 

should I pay a registration service in St. Petersburg to register me? If I do would I need to register in Moscow or Perm? Perm isn’t really an issue as family can help us, but Moscow might be...

any advice would be appreciate.  

[Elena87]

@Bruce462 

You should register within the first seven working days of a trip, nb not including Russian holiday days/weekends/plus not including your day of arrival. Re-registering is only required if you change addresses and the stay there exceeds seven days.

Therefore you should only register once, when you arrive in Perm and your family can register you from your arrival date to departure date. There won't be a requirement to register in either SpB or Moscow if you only stay 6 days each there.

Remember to retain your immigration slip you will receive at the customs entry point.

Your family will need a photocopy of your passport main page and passport visa sticker as well as the immigration slip to complete registration.

[Bruce462]

Thanks so much Elena, but I am still a bit confused... it will be more the 7 working days before I get to Perm... can I wait that long to register?

[Ad27]

@Elena87 

Hello elena ... been reading your replies  looking for some information for myself ...Started off as the invitation which I gathered I know how to sort it now ... from your link 

now my questions is ...
1. insurance policy for the whole period of stay ...( can this be travel insurance ?? The one you have an option to click yes or no when you book ticket ??)

2. I read that from the 1 January there will be a E visa for 53 states ... which I hold passport for one of them(Romania)  ... 
3. assuming the E visa won’t start exactly from the 1 January ....and I apply normal tourist visa ... will I be able to go again like 1-2 months after ?? Or is it time limited ?

ps : I would apply on a holiday from london to Moscow ....

with a Romanian passport (included in those 53 states )

with permanent U.K. residence

thank you in advance   

[Elena87]

@Ad27 

Yes, there will be an electronic e-visa entry to Russia commencing from Jan 1, 2021 for tourists, business, humanitarian visitors. Romania is one of the 52 countries eligible for e-visa entry.

The idea is you can apply easily online, without needing an invitation document.

It takes 4 working days for processing. An e-visa allows a 60 day window within which you can visit, you can stay up to a maximum of 16 days during the window. Visitors must obtain a new e-visa each time they plan to enter Russia.

As far as insurance goes, you should obtain a travel insurance policy that includes appropriate medical cover.

At the moment, there are restrictions to entry due to covid,  although nationals and residency holders of countries with which Russia has resumed direct air traffic links are permitted to enter. There is an air link open with the UK currently. 

[Ad27]

@Elena87 

Thank you for the quick and precise reply ... super appreciated ! 

I shall wait till January the 1st ... and hopefully the system will come into action and no delays to it ... 

if not ... I shall come back with questions probably for the normal tourist visa 😂😂😂

thanks again for the help !!