Can I travel to Russia on a tourist visa being myself a Russian citizen

[Dashinka 24,514]

On 8/31/2017 at 8:52 AM, JFH said:

So your new name will go on your Russian passport. That is now your legal name. I have a British passport but my last name is not English and very hard for English speakers to pronounce. Like many Americans, my husband has an Eastern European last name  because of his ancestors. It's 14 letters long and the combinations of letters in the name are just impossible in English. However, that's the name on my U.K. passport because that's my legal name. Changing your name doesn't mean you can't have a passport anymore. 

 

You don't have have two different last names. You have one. 

It may not be that easy.  I know many of the former Soviet republics use two different passports, a domestic one and an international or travel passport.  In Katya's case, she did change her last name due to marriage, but that is not reflected on her international Russian passport.  We did some research and what we found out was that to change the name on the travel passport, she would first have to change the name on her domestic passport which I believe can only be done in country, requires a legal document of name change, and not all marriage certificates are acceptable.

 

To the OP, you may want to make sure you don't have to change your name on both passports.  If the Russian consulate does not accept the new name, I would suggest just getting your new Russian passport in your old name that matches the internal passport, and travel to Russia using that name and passport.  Anywhere else, you can use your US passport.  Returning to the US is not usually an issue as USCIS sees this all the time, so you just need to carry your legal name change documents with you if they ask questions.

 

Good Luck!

[Steve S 2]

Same situation here, I think.  I have posted on this topic in the past.  We are leaving tomorrow to visit Russia.  My wife has a plane ticket in her maiden name and will use her Russian passport, until customs/immigration at the entry point back into the U.S., at which time she will show her US passport.  We will bring the original marriage certificate just in case.  If you are able to get your name changed on your Russian passport then great, but as previously pointed out that can be difficult.

[vitalsigns 2]

Actually, I did it all wrong.

 

I emailed the Russian Embassy in Wash. DC and they told me to get an apostille certificate for my name change document (It can be done on a state level, each state has an apostille certification office. It cannot be done on a local level). Then I will need to translate both documents in Russian (the Embassy prefers that it's done by their own endorsed translators: http://www.russianembassy.org/ru/page/перевод-документов) .

 

After that I'll apply via this online form: https://passportzu.kdmid.ru/ 

 

3 days after the application is submitted, I'll make an appointment to apply in person (more info here: http://www.russianembassy.org/page/часто-задаваемые-вопросы).

 

You can only apply in person. The guy from the Embassy that replied to my email said that the name change shouldn't be an issue as long as I have my name change document apostilled and translated. So my US name and the name in my travel passport will be the same, and my internal Russian passport will have my Russian name.

 

I assume the same process applies to anyone who changed their name through marriage.

 

I'll try to update this thread 4-5 months from now. Hopefully by that time I will get my new travel passport with the new name.

 

 

[Dashinka 24,514]

On 9/9/2017 at 0:39 PM, vitalsigns said:

Actually, I did it all wrong.

 

I emailed the Russian Embassy in Wash. DC and they told me to get an apostille certificate for my name change document (It can be done on a state level, each state has an apostille certification office. It cannot be done on a local level). Then I will need to translate both documents in Russian (the Embassy prefers that it's done by their own endorsed translators: http://www.russianembassy.org/ru/page/перевод-документов) .

 

After that I'll apply via this online form: https://passportzu.kdmid.ru/ 

 

3 days after the application is submitted, I'll make an appointment to apply in person (more info here: http://www.russianembassy.org/page/часто-задаваемые-вопросы).

 

You can only apply in person. The guy from the Embassy that replied to my email said that the name change shouldn't be an issue as long as I have my name change document apostilled and translated. So my US name and the name in my travel passport will be the same, and my internal Russian passport will have my Russian name.

 

I assume the same process applies to anyone who changed their name through marriage.

 

I'll try to update this thread 4-5 months from now. Hopefully by that time I will get my new travel passport with the new name.

 

 

Yes, let us know as right now Katya still uses her maiden name for travel to Russia because we heard both passports have to be updated with the proper name change documentation.  It would be nice to know if it can be done just for the travel passport.

 

Good Luck!