Russian visa for a baby

[Anastasia&Jacob 8]

Hello everyone! 

 

I was hoping to travel to Russia with my husband (US citizen) and our baby (who is a US citizen only). If anyone has applied for Russian visa for their family members lately, could you please share your experience? 

 

We just applied for her international passport and still waiting for it. Russian embassy doesn’t answer the phone calls and they are saying that to get any answers by email we’d need to send them the info about her passport which we do not have for now. Just wanted to get some info in advance to know what to be prepared for. 

Thank you!!! 

[Crazy Cat 41,893]

7 minutes ago, Anastasia&Jacob said:

We just applied for her international passport

What is an "international passport"?

[millefleur 5,046]

Have you tried calling the visa centers who handle the application for you?

 

https://russia-visacentre.com/en/visa/usa/russia

https://ils-usa.com/

 

[millefleur 5,046]

5 minutes ago, Lucky Cat said:

What is an "international passport"?

I believe the OP means they applied for a US passport for the baby.

 

In Russia, there's an internal passport (which is basically a national ID card) and then there's the international passport used for traveling abroad...which is basically what everyone else just calls "passport" in English. It's a confusing translation from the Russian language because obviously in the case of the baby, they only have one passport and it's a US passport. There's really no such thing as a "US international passport" because we don't have an internal one to differentiate it from.

 

Russian speakers are just so hard wired to distinguish from the "internal passport" and "international passport" because they've grown up their whole lives with that system. Hope that clears up the confusion.

[Crazy Cat 41,893]

1 minute ago, millefleur said:

I believe the OP means they applied for a US passport for the baby.

 

In Russia, there's an internal passport (which is basically a national ID card) and then there's the international passport used for traveling abroad...which is basically what everyone else just calls "passport" in English. It's a confusing translation from the Russian language because obviously in the case of the baby, they only have one passport and it's a US passport. There's really no such thing as a "US international passport" because we don't have an internal one to differentiate it from.

 

Russian speakers are just so hard wired to distinguish from the "internal passport" and "international passport" because they've grown up their whole lives with that system. Hope that clears up the confusion.

Oh.   Thanks.  I learned something today.  😀

[millefleur 5,046]

1 minute ago, Lucky Cat said:

Oh.   Thanks.  I learned something today.  😀

The joys of international bureaucracy!

[Vladislav667 60]

1 hour ago, millefleur said:

I believe the OP means they applied for a US passport for the baby.

 

In Russia, there's an internal passport (which is basically a national ID card) and then there's the international passport used for traveling abroad...which is basically what everyone else just calls "passport" in English. It's a confusing translation from the Russian language because obviously in the case of the baby, they only have one passport and it's a US passport. There's really no such thing as a "US international passport" because we don't have an internal one to differentiate it from.

 

Russian speakers are just so hard wired to distinguish from the "internal passport" and "international passport" because they've grown up their whole lives with that system. Hope that clears up the confusion.

I contacted Russian embassy in nyc. The said they aren’t issuing travel visas. Private ones only for spouse and kids. Can u plz answer in dms

[millefleur 5,046]

26 minutes ago, Vladislav667 said:

I contacted Russian embassy in nyc. The said they aren’t issuing travel visas. Private ones only for spouse and kids. Can u plz answer in dms

Sent you a reply. Will post the relevant info here in case anyone else is wondering:

 

До коронавируса, американцы могли бы получить или туристские визы или частние визы сроком до 3-х лет. Частные визы были не только для родственников – любое лицо, легально проживающие на территории Российской Федерации могло пригласить иностранца, без особых на то причин, кроме посещения этого человека.

 

Проблема заключается в том, что сейчас граница закрыта, и невозможно получить визу, кроме как для членов семьи. Источник здесь: https://www.mid.ru/ru/informacia-dla-rossijskih-i-inostrannyh-grazdan-v-svazi-s-koronavirusnoj-infekciej/-/asset_publisher/UUDFpNltySPE/content/id/4157104

__________________

 

Before Covid, Americans could get a tourist or private visa for 3 years. Private visas were not only for relatives, but could be to visit anyone who was legally residing in Russia and wanted to invite a foreigner to visit them. The inviting party in Russia did not need a special reason to invite a foreigner, the purpose of the private visa was just to visit the person living in Russia at the time.

 

Now, the problem is that the Russian border is closed (due to Covid) and nobody can get a new Russian visa unless they're a family member of a Russian citizen. Source here (only in Russian): https://www.mid.ru/ru/informacia-dla-rossijskih-i-inostrannyh-grazdan-v-svazi-s-koronavirusnoj-infekciej/-/asset_publisher/UUDFpNltySPE/content/id/4157104

 

Circling back to the OP's question: yes, both your baby and your husband should be able to get visas to visit Russia because they are immediate relatives. It may not be a 3 year multi-entry visa like before. I'm not sure of the details but according to the MID, they should qualify for visas since they're immediate relatives.

Edited January 19, 2021 by millefleur

[Anastasia&Jacob 8]

3 hours ago, Lucky Cat said:

What is an "international passport"?

Sorry haha! I meant a US passport. 

 

[Anastasia&Jacob 8]

3 hours ago, millefleur said:

Have you tried calling the visa centers who handle the application for you?

 

https://russia-visacentre.com/en/visa/usa/russia

https://ils-usa.com/

 

I did, and if I’m not mistaken they are not issuing visas, only the embassy does - for essential travels only (this includes the members of the family who are coming with a Russian citizen to Russia) 

[millefleur 5,046]

17 hours ago, Anastasia&Jacob said:

I did, and if I’m not mistaken they are not issuing visas, only the embassy does - for essential travels only (this includes the members of the family who are coming with a Russian citizen to Russia) 

Ah, OK, strange. So the visa centers are just not even working at all right now? They're telling everyone to go directly to the Embassy?

[DaveAndAnastasia 2,092]

We'll be doing the same thing pretty soon (we're not getting Russian citizenship for our son -- now 9 months old; filed for his passport a few weeks ago on the theory that maybe by the time we get that we'll be to apply for a visa for him without jumping through too many hoops) but I don't have any advice to offer. We're thinking best-case we visit my wife's family at the end of summer/early fall (probably would kick going to Russia into 2022 if we don't before October even though I told my wife I'm willing to relent on my "no visiting Russia in the winter for a non-emergency" stand).

 

My original (pre-covid) plan was to just get our son a 3-year tourist visa like I've got, but that may not work this year even if we get to a point where we feel safe traveling.

[millefleur 5,046]

4 minutes ago, DaveAndAnastasia said:

(probably would kick going to Russia into 2022 if we don't before October even though I told my wife I'm willing to relent on my "no visiting Russia in the winter for a non-emergency" stand).

Russia in winter is actually great....I mean, I loved it at least. You kind of have to like snow though.

 

5 minutes ago, DaveAndAnastasia said:

My original (pre-covid) plan was to just get our son a 3-year tourist visa like I've got, but that may not work this year even if we get to a point where we feel safe traveling.

My personal rule right now is that I'm not applying until they offer the 3 year visa again. Unless some emergency such as a death in the family happens and I have to go back with my husband, I hate the idea of doing all the paperwork for a single entry short term visa. Just the expense and stress of the whole process to get a short term visa does not seem worth it to me. I haven't heard that they aren't issuing 3 year private visas, but based on the MID proclamation, it sounds like they are not.

[DaveAndAnastasia 2,092]

3 minutes ago, millefleur said:

Russia in winter is actually great....I mean, I loved it at least. You kind of have to like snow though.

I could deal with a bit of snow, but after 20 years in San Diego my cold weather clothes supplies and tolerance for it has kind of worn off. 🤣

 

I can probably manage a week in Denver around Christmas; a week in Moscow around New Year's, probably not.

 

3 minutes ago, millefleur said:

My personal rule right now is that I'm not applying until they offer the 3 year visa again. Unless some emergency such as a death in the family happens and I have to go back with my husband, I hate the idea of doing all the paperwork for a single entry short term visa. Just the expense and stress of the whole process to get a short term visa does not seem worth it to me. I haven't heard that they aren't issuing 3 year private visas, but based on the MID proclamation, it sounds like they are not.

I think the only reason we'd consider getting short-term visa (presuming we felt safe to make the trip) is that Anastasia hasn't seen her family in person since she got here in 2019, and she'd like her surviving grandparents to see the baby, but we'd certainly prefer to get a 3-year visa if we can.

[millefleur 5,046]

2 minutes ago, DaveAndAnastasia said:

I can probably manage a week in Denver around Christmas; a week in Moscow around New Year's, probably not.

But New Year's in Russia is the absolute best. Seriously, the US is like a depressing, boring land of misery here during New Years compared to Russia. It was my husband's first New Year's outside of Russia this year here and he was in solid culture shock for days at how unfestive and boring it is here compared to back home. 😆 I can only speak for St Petersburg of course but I'm sure it's great in Moscow too.

 

1 minute ago, DaveAndAnastasia said:

I think the only reason we'd consider getting short-term visa (presuming we felt safe to make the trip) is that Anastasia hasn't seen her family in person since she got here in 2019, and she'd like her surviving grandparents to see the baby, but we'd certainly prefer to get a 3-year visa if we can.

Ohh yeah that's a good reason to go...let us know how the experience is if you decided to apply for the visa. I'm really curious what the process even looks like now during Covid. I wonder if they would consider just visiting elderly immediate relatives to be a good enough reason to issue the visa?