visa shipping

[Iuliia+Nick 0]

Hello everybody!!! We got our NOA2. And now we are thinking about plane tickets. Who knows how long it takes to get your visa after the interview? I hope not too long. Thanks!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hello everybody!!! We got our NOA2. And now we are thinking about plane tickets. Who knows how long it takes to get your visa after the interview? I hope not too long. Thanks!

For Kiev, usually two business days IF uyou pick it up at the Fedex office in Kiev. Up to 10 days if you have it sent. They will tell you at the consulate "7-10 days"

I strongly suggest you do not buy plane tickets prior to having the visa in your hand, or be prepared to pay rescheduling fees if you do.

[Rara & Chym 3]

Congratulations to both of you!!!

[Iuliia+Nick 0]

Congratulations to both of you!!!

Thanks!!!

For Kiev, usually two business days IF uyou pick it up at the Fedex office in Kiev. Up to 10 days if you have it sent. They will tell you at the consulate "7-10 days"

I strongly suggest you do not buy plane tickets prior to having the visa in your hand, or be prepared to pay rescheduling fees if you do.

Thanks for information! We just do not want to spend more time separate ))) want to be together ASAP ))

Edited January 25, 2011 by Iuliia+Nick

[Rwlaird 18]

I'm also preparing to schedule our interview in Kiev soon. I understand that the official instructions are to "not buy any plane tickets..." blah, blah, blah. I understand there are no guarantees and all that. But people consistently say that Kiev issues visas within a couple of days if you pick it up or several days if it is sent to another city. Sure, with no guarantees you may have to reschedule your flights if there is a problem. But how much risk is there, really, if people consistently report the same timelines on visa issuance? Thanks!

[PrestoMN 4]

I was just looking at airline prices from Kiev to the US. Round trip tickets from Delta are about 1/3 the price of a one-way. Also not much difference in price now for a ticket from 3 days out to 2 weeks out.

[Al422 221]

Occasionally, things do go wrong, even at the interview stage. It is not likely it will happen to you, but the chance is not zero either.

So if you buy plane tickets, make sure they are either refundable or you can change the date in case you need to.

I understand your desire to be together ASAP, as I share that desire to be with my my fiance.

But you still need to protect your interests.

[Rwlaird 18]

I live in the Washington, DC area and found that Aeroflot has a one way flight for only $356! The catch is that it is only once a week on Thursdays. I'm hoping we can schedule the interview early in the week and then book our flight back the next Thursday. Also, I know I can transit through the Moscow airport without a visa but if we have another snowstorm here and our flight gets cancelled I may be stuck in the airport for awhile.

[Al422 221]

If you can get to Moscow w/o a Russian travel visa, and I think Ukraine citizens can, Aeroflot is heavily subsidized by the Russian govt and therefore pretty cheap. Just make sure before you buy that you can get a refund or a later date in case something goes wrong. Kiev is a good consulate, so that is not likely, but not zero.

And if you get stuck in Moscow for weather or whatever else, just remember this is a one time deal. Once you get to the U.S., you are done.

Edited January 29, 2011 by Al422

[Rwlaird 18]

I just checked it is refundable. Hard to believe for such a cheap ticket! I also see that the SVO/IAD leg is only once a week on Thursday but the KBP/SVO leg is daily. So if there is a storm coming to DC maybe we can find out soon enough if the SVO/IAD leg gets cancelled and stay another day in Kiev. I guess the key is to watch the weather and if there is any threat coming then explore options.

[Al422 221]

I think you found your airline deal. Grab it now before something happens to jack the prices up.

As for playing the weather lottery, best of luck to you as nobody can accurately predict or control it.