Russian Tourist or Homestay Visa?

[Deutschland0895 0]

I'm planning to visit my friend in Russia this summer and I am wanting to stay at their home. Do I have to have a Homestay visa or can I simply get a tourist visa? I'll only be staying for 2 weeks at the most.

[Brian&Larissa 73]

You just can't get a tourist visa to Russia. They require a letter of invitation and that is usually supplied by a hotel. Book one night at a hotel and then contact them for this invitation. They will supply it to you and then when you arrive they register you. After that, you are pretty much free to do as you please. A homestay visa, when I used one of those, is kind of complicated and is time consuming. Shop around for the best hotel deal in the city you are traveling to. They might ask for a credit card in case you don't show up to register and then you will be charged a fee for the letter of invitation. There is nothing stating you have to stay at this hotel for your entire stay, or that you must give a day by day itinerary when applying for the visa. The letter has to be part of your visa application.

[Dave&Roza 748]

I'm planning to visit my friend in Russia this summer and I am wanting to stay at their home. Do I have to have a Homestay visa or can I simply get a tourist visa? I'll only be staying for 2 weeks at the most.

On my last two trips to Kazakhstan, I applied for a private visa as it did not require a letter of invitation. The first one was $40 whereas the tourist visa was $60. The second one was $240 whereas the tourist visa was $160. They have changed to laws again as of August of 2013. I am still waiting for them to get rid of the visa, but at least now I can get a 5-year private visa for the same price as a 1-year tourist visa.

I would be careful with a hotel invitation letter for a single day as they do stamp your visa and the OVIR card (assuming Russia still uses those) with arrival and departure dates. Also, since the letter from the hotel must be a part of the visa application, the visa may only be valid for the period of stay indicated in the invitation letter. I do not know if Russia has the same rules as Kazakhstan, but you do not have to register until you have been in the country for 5 days. Failure to do so results in a large fine when you leave. They have made that easier as they register you when you arrive at the airport now instead of standing in a long line.

I paid the extra money and went the private visa route instead of the tourist visa as I did not feel I was a tourist as I was visiting relatives. I would check out both carefully and make certain you know the most recent visa requirements as they may have changed.

Good luck,

Dave

Edited February 13, 2014 by Dave&Roza