Registering a homestay tourist visa in Krasnoyyarsk

[visaveteran1 33]

I already did a VJ search so I think I understand the process of registering my tourist visa, but things change quickly in Mother Russia, so I thought I'd see if anyone has updated info.

I will be visiting my fiancee on a 30 day tourist visa and will be staying with her. I think she will take the letter of invitation, migration form and my passport to either an OVIR office or police station to register. It seems that the post office may or may not also be a place to register the visa.

Also, a side question--I will be getting married in her city on this visit. When I become her husband does that change my status in Russia? I mean, can I extend my visa or gain benefits as her husband, etc?

Thanks!

[payxibka 10,045]

Yes, as the husband of a Russian citizen you are now subject to mandatory military service (regardless of age)

[visaveteran1 33]

Yes, as the husband of a Russian citizen you are now subject to mandatory military service (regardless of age)

I see...well that will be interesting because I am VERY familiar with their AK-47 rifle...I've got the scars to prove it.

[Buck and Natalia 0]

Yes, as the husband of a Russian citizen you are now subject to mandatory military service (regardless of age)

I see...well that will be interesting because I am VERY familiar with their AK-47 rifle...I've got the scars to prove it.

See if your fiancee/soon-to-be wife has any friends in management at a local hotel. If so, they may be willing to stamp your tourist VISA for you and save you the hassle and long wait of OVIR. This will be something of a fiction since you, presumably, will be staying with your fiancee rather than at the hotel. However, if the friend is a true "droog" of your fiancee, the friend may be willing to list you in the hotel register book and stamp your tourist VISA. It just depends how close the relationship bwteen the friend and your fiancee and how nervous the hotel feels about doing this since you are not actually staying at the hotel. Of course, the safest route is just to register with OVIR.

[slim 1,527]

I was under the impression that a tourist visa had to be registered through a hotel or a tourist company as that's the whole purpose of a tourist visa, to be on tour. If you're staying with someone at a private home, you need a different kind of visa to be 100% legal.

If you got a tourist visa, the company you got the visa through should be able to register you as well. If not, as mentioned above, you may have to go through a hotel or even pay a hotel for registration.

[visaveteran1 33]

I was under the impression that a tourist visa had to be registered through a hotel or a tourist company as that's the whole purpose of a tourist visa, to be on tour. If you're staying with someone at a private home, you need a different kind of visa to be 100% legal.

If you got a tourist visa, the company you got the visa through should be able to register you as well. If not, as mentioned above, you may have to go through a hotel or even pay a hotel for registration.

I used a visa company and they obtained my visa for me and also a "letter of invitation" with my fiancee's name and address. My fiancee also applied for a "letter of invitation" but it took too long (a month) to get and forward to me with DHL in time to apply for the visa without having to sweat it out and pay for express service which gets pricey, so I used the visa company.

I'm pretty comfortable about the visa itself but I'm always nervous about dealing with the OVIR bureaucrats. I looked on the Russian visa application and there is not really a place where you indicate the type of visa you are applying for. There is a place where you indicate "purpose of visit" and the only choices that seem to apply to me are "tourist" or "private." I will have to trust that the visa company knows the right way to apply. I have used this company before but this is the first time that I will not stay at a hotel.

Anyway, in 9 days I'll find out.

[obender 0]

seanconneryii,

first of all good luck with your trip and with all the big things planned for it.

and now for more complicated stuff... you do not get any kind of immeadiate advantages from russian authorities getting married in russia (as it would be if anybody got married here in US ...). in fact you could never gain any benefits unless you'd wanted to live in russia.

also, I hope you're planning to register with US embassy in russia... otherwise your marriage will not be valid for US authorities ( I hope you're aware of that fact from State department website).

and I hope that your fiance either have already applied to ZAGS for marriage to be performed or has some way to circumvent russian law of waiting period after application has been filed (that's possible with proper connections or special circumstances).

and the last, please let us know how it will go with registration... I've just visited russia on privite visa and it was easy (go to post office and send letter), however I'm reasonably sure that visa company provided you with tourist visa (otherwise they would have needed to provide some kind of bogus private invitation to russian embassy here) Tourist visa requires registering by hotel or say by landlord providing tourist services so I'm not sure what to do exactly. I want to use visa company next time too but I mean to call them and ask what registration process they imply... any information on this would be priceless to me, thank you

obender

[visaveteran1 33]

seanconneryii,

first of all good luck with your trip and with all the big things planned for it.

and now for more complicated stuff... you do not get any kind of immeadiate advantages from russian authorities getting married in russia (as it would be if anybody got married here in US ...). in fact you could never gain any benefits unless you'd wanted to live in russia.

also, I hope you're planning to register with US embassy in russia... otherwise your marriage will not be valid for US authorities ( I hope you're aware of that fact from State department website).

and I hope that your fiance either have already applied to ZAGS for marriage to be performed or has some way to circumvent russian law of waiting period after application has been filed (that's possible with proper connections or special circumstances).

and the last, please let us know how it will go with registration... I've just visited russia on privite visa and it was easy (go to post office and send letter), however I'm reasonably sure that visa company provided you with tourist visa (otherwise they would have needed to provide some kind of bogus private invitation to russian embassy here) Tourist visa requires registering by hotel or say by landlord providing tourist services so I'm not sure what to do exactly. I want to use visa company next time too but I mean to call them and ask what registration process they imply... any information on this would be priceless to me, thank you

obender

Thanks for your reply and comments.

First, I looked on the Moscow US Embassy website on the page "How to get married in Russia" and there is no mention of registering with the Embassy concerning marriage. Of course, I will visit the Embassy after the marriage to file the I-130 petition and this will require a translated and certified copy of the marriage certificate.

Second, my fiancee has visited the ZAGS office and they have assured her we can get married in 10 days after my arrival. I think it is fairly easy to get exemptions from the 30 day rule.

Third, I had my visa company provide me with a "letter of introduction" with my fiancee's name and address on it along with my tourist visa. After reading your reply, I called them again to make sure my tourist visa does not require registration in a hotel type lodging. The instructions are for me to take my letter of introduction, passport, airplane ticket and register at the local police station. I think that all Russian visas for just visiting are "tourist visas." On the visa application form there is no place to indicate the type of visa...only a place to indicate the purpose of the visit such as business, tourism or private, etc. Anyway, I can only hope for no problems at this point.

[the_patient_one 1]

seanconneryii, first off, I also want to wish you a very safe and pleasant trip to Russia and lots of luck with everything! Second, actually I don't think you have to worry about your "tourist" visa and its registration at any hotel (where you're not gonna stay anyway, as far as I understood), my husband-to-be came to Russia on the same "tourist" visa (I was just really busy at the time to deal with all that invitation stuff) and he stayed with me of course, there was no problem whatsoever to register him at the local OVIR office (and the whole waiting thing wasn't that bad either), they didn't even seem to care that he had come on a "tourist" visa but was going to stay with me - not a word was said about it! I also know a couple of my friends who did the same, that is, coming to Russia on a tourist visa and not staying at the hotel - they were registered without any problem at the OVIR, of course they had to bring with them the person they were staying with. So I'm sure you're gonna be just fine.

Also, your fiancee doesn't have to apply to ZAGS prior your coming, as a matter of fact this is pretty much the only "benefit" of sorts you're gonna get from marrying a Russian - so called "waiting period" doesn't apply to foreigners marrying in Russia - you can go there together and apply together provided you have all the necessary papers with you because this is very important (my husband actually forgot to bring with him a certain document, and we had to ask his brother to send it to us ASAP). Usually (and we were told it was a common practice), you show them your tickets (even if you have plenty of time ahead), and they let you choose the date of your marriage (they will give you several options at least). I don't know about now, because that's how it was 4 years ago when we were getting married in Russia.

Last, you don't have to register with the US Embassy either, your marriage is gonna be valid in the US as well, all you have to do is get an apostille on your marriage certificate (ask about it at your fiancee's local ZAGS office).

[katya_and_besik 0]

Yes, as the husband of a Russian citizen you are now subject to mandatory military service (regardless of age)

I see...well that will be interesting because I am VERY familiar with their AK-47 rifle...I've got the scars to prove it.

trust me, you do not want anything to do with Russian military, it is an evil machine!

:no:

[visaveteran1 33]

seanconneryii, first off, I also want to wish you a very safe and pleasant trip to Russia and lots of luck with everything! Second, actually I don't think you have to worry about your "tourist" visa and its registration at any hotel (where you're not gonna stay anyway, as far as I understood), my husband-to-be came to Russia on the same "tourist" visa (I was just really busy at the time to deal with all that invitation stuff) and he stayed with me of course, there was no problem whatsoever to register him at the local OVIR office (and the whole waiting thing wasn't that bad either), they didn't even seem to care that he had come on a "tourist" visa but was going to stay with me - not a word was said about it! I also know a couple of my friends who did the same, that is, coming to Russia on a tourist visa and not staying at the hotel - they were registered without any problem at the OVIR, of course they had to bring with them the person they were staying with. So I'm sure you're gonna be just fine.

Also, your fiancee doesn't have to apply to ZAGS prior your coming, as a matter of fact this is pretty much the only "benefit" of sorts you're gonna get from marrying a Russian - so called "waiting period" doesn't apply to foreigners marrying in Russia - you can go there together and apply together provided you have all the necessary papers with you because this is very important (my husband actually forgot to bring with him a certain document, and we had to ask his brother to send it to us ASAP). Usually (and we were told it was a common practice), you show them your tickets (even if you have plenty of time ahead), and they let you choose the date of your marriage (they will give you several options at least). I don't know about now, because that's how it was 4 years ago when we were getting married in Russia.

Last, you don't have to register with the US Embassy either, your marriage is gonna be valid in the US as well, all you have to do is get an apostille on your marriage certificate (ask about it at your fiancee's local ZAGS office).

Thank you very much for your kind wishes and for the information about the visa, ZAGS, etc. I feel much better hearing this from a Russian woman who has been through the marriage process in Russia with a non Russian man.

Now I'll sleep better!