Where to get visas to visit Russia

[Boris 0]

Hello, my american wife and my 2.5 year old son are going to Russia with me at the end of September. I'm looking for advises on where to apply for their visas and how to get their invitations. We live in Richmond, Virginia. Thank you. 

[debbiedoo 2,339]

i would assume the russian consulate nearest you

 

http://www.russianconsulate.info/russian_consulates_usa.html

 

 

[CM&KV 72]

I plan on using https://ils-usa.com/

 

Make sure to write their invitations for the homestay/private visa.

[Boris 0]

Is it better to apply to homestay/private visa or tourist visa?

[Lettyana 70]

I believe the interview is not necessary. I applied for my husband's visa back in 2015 and we just sent everything via USPS and approximately after 3 weeks, we received his passport back with a 3-year Russian visa. We applied for a private visa because it was so easy. I just wrote an invitation and sent it with the rest of the documents. However, in order to be able to invite your US spouse, you have to have a valid  Russian  "propiska", otherwise, you can't invite them.

 

https://ils-usa.com/ is a great source of information, they literally describe the entire process step by step. Just follow the instructions and you will be fine. The process is easy and hassle-free.

[Boris 0]

Thank you. I can't seem to find an example of the invitation anywhere. I'm planning on writing it myself but can't locate the format or a sample of it.

[Lettyana 70]

3 hours ago, Boris said:

Thank you. I can't seem to find an example of the invitation anywhere. I'm planning on writing it myself but can't locate the format or a sample of it.

I can't find mine, but I used an example which I found online, so you could do that too. Just google it on the Russian web, there are plenty of examples out there.

[Boris 0]

How long did it take for everybody to get their visas without it being expedited?

[DaveAndAnastasia 2,092]

Back when I got a single-entry to visit my fiancée in May, it took two weeks and two days from sending it to picking it up.

Edited August 25, 2018 by DaveAndAnastasia

[Lettyana 70]

On 8/25/2018 at 9:44 AM, Boris said:

How long did it take for everybody to get their visas without it being expedited?

I don't remeber exactly, but it was somewhere between 2 and 3 weeks. 

[RS77 5]

I went earlier this year.  For invitation is easier and more reliable to just use a company, if individual I think you need to registrar with local PD if I recall.  I used GoingRus and it was $15 USD and you get it in a few hours.  I used VisaHQ to do the visa for me, it was $15 more than applying directly and they handle everything for you.

[Dashinka 24,505]

We went the home stay route this time (my second three year visa after three single entry visas) and we went through a local travel/visa company.  They walked us through the home stay letter that my wife filled out which required information from both her international and domestic passports.  It was a little more expensive, but it was pretty quick without needing an expedite (approximately 2 weeks).  The biggest issue was filling out the application online, but since I have been through this multiple times, I make sure to keep a good record of all my international travels.

 

Good Luck!

[Dashinka 24,505]

On ‎8‎/‎24‎/‎2018 at 2:06 PM, Boris said:

Thank you. I can't seem to find an example of the invitation anywhere. I'm planning on writing it myself but can't locate the format or a sample of it.

Here is the one we used.

 

В Генеральное Консульство Российской Федерации США г. Нью-Йорк

От гражданина/гражданки России Фамилия Имя Отчество, дд.мм.гггг г.р., пол мужской/женский, место рождения:  _______, загранпаспорт 00№0000000,  выдан кем дд.мм.гггг, (если имеется внутренний паспорт) паспорт 00 00 000000, выдан кем дд.мм.гггг, код подразделения 000-000, (для прописанных в России), зарегистрированного/ой в России по адресу: ____________________ и временно находящегося/находящейся в США,

 

ЗАЯВЛЕНИЕ.

 

Я, ____________, в соответствии с Соглашением между Российской Федерацией и Соединенными Штатами Америки об упрощении визовых формальностей для граждан Российской Федерации и Соединенных Штатов Америки ходатайствую об оформлении обыкновенной частной многократной Российской визы сроком на 36 (тридцать шесть) месяцев для моего супруга:

ФИО (русский язык):

ФИО (английский язык):

Дата рождения:

Пол: мужской

Номер паспорта:

Дата выдачи:

Окончание срока действия:

Гражданство: США

Государство проживания: США

Тип запрашиваемой визы: Многократная на 3 года

Виза запрашивается на срок: с         по

Города посещения:

      Во время своих краткосрочных визитов ______________ будет проживать со мной, в моей квартире, в г. _________________, и я обязуюсь своевременно осуществлять постановку на миграционный учет иностранного гражданина в территориальном ОУФМС по г.________________ в трехдневный срок с момента его приезда.

 

Подпись ________________________________________________________________

г. Нью-Йорк, Соединенные Штаты Америки.

_______________ две тысячи тринадцатого года.