Visa manual for foreigners

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Visa Manual 1. What is a Russian visa and invitation? 2. How and where to get a visa to Russia? 3. Migration cards 4. Visa registration in Russia. 5. Problem-solving (registration, loss of documents) 6. Rights and obligations of foreign citizens in Russia. 1. What is a Russian visa and invitation? A Russian visa is a special document attached to your passport, that grants you a permit to enter and to leave the Russian Federation during a period of time specified in the visa. A Russian visa looks like this: Visa is the document issued on the basis of the invitation (which has the same name as visa, for example, private invitation-private invitation) for an entry to the Russian Federation. Visa determines a period of a foreign citizen’s stay in Russia. Visa free countries (for the period of stay less than 90 days with a national passport and registration): Country Notes Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina With some restrictions. Up to 30 days

description

Important information about the visas to Russia and legal side of being in Russia.

Transcript of Visa manual for foreigners

Visa Manual

1. What is a Russian visa and invitation?

2. How and where to get a visa to Russia?

3. Migration cards

4. Visa registration in Russia.

5. Problem-solving (registration, loss of documents)

6. Rights and obligations of foreign citizens in Russia.

1. What is a Russian visa and invitation?

A Russian visa is a special document attached to your passport, that grants you a permit to enter and to leave the

Russian Federation during a period of time specified in the visa.

A Russian visa looks like this:

Visa is the document issued on the basis of the invitation (which has the same name as visa, for example, private

invitation-private invitation) for an entry to the Russian Federation. Visa determines a period of a foreign citizen’s stay

in Russia.

Visa free countries (for the period of stay less than 90 days with a national passport and registration):

Country Notes

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Belarus

Bosnia and Herzegovina With some restrictions. Up to 30 days

Hong Kong With some restrictions. Up to 14 days

Cuba

Kazakhstan Up to 30 days.

Israel Up to 30 days.

Kyrgyzstan

Macedonia

Moldova, Republic of

Serbia With some restrictions

Ukraine

Uzbekistan

Venezuela Up to 90 days

Montenegro Up to 30 days

Argentina Up to 90 days during each 180 days

Brazil Up to 90 days

Thailand Up to 30 days

Types of visas: 1. Diplomatic; 2. Official; 3. Ordinary; 4. Transit; 5. Temporary residence visas

Ordinary visas are of the following types: 1. private; 2. business; 3. tourist, including group; 4. study; 5. work; 6.

humanitarian; 7. asylum.

In Aiesec we use ordinary visas of following types: private, humanitarian, business and work visa.

Invitation for

Work visa Business visa Humanitarian visa Private visa

Who can

obtain the

invitation

letter

Only commercial

company if it has the

attract permission for

foreign workforce given

by Federal migration

service

Only commercial company if

it has the attract permission

for foreign workforce given by

Federal migration service

Only non-governmental

organization if it has

accreditation in Federal

migration service

Any citizen of

Russia living

permanently

on its territory

1. 1.Company TN-taker if it

has such permission

1.Company

TN-taker if

it has such

permission

2. specialized

visa agency by

request of

company TN-

taker or Aiesec

1.Aiesec if

it is

accredited

in

migration

service

2.

specialized

visa agency

by request

of Aiesec, if

Aiesec has

no

accreditation

in migration

service

As a rule,

invitations are

made on

demand of

aiescers

In some cases another 2 types –touristic and educational are used:

Invitation letter for

Touristic visa Educational visa

Who can obtain

the invitation

letter

Usually made by Aiesecers for ceeders and foreign facis.

It’s processed for 1 day, period of stay 1..30 days, single

and double-entry

Invitation is made by university-

Aiesec partner

Description of invitation types

1. Private

Aiesecers get private invitation for interns as their own friends or relatives.

Period of stay in Russia: From one day to a maximum of three months. It is valid for one entry only. Terms of Visa Invitation: the procedure may take up to from 1 month to three months. Terms and price for issuing the visa at the Consulate: Depends on the Consulate. Usually the Consular fee is minimal, but the procedure takes more time than for a Business visa. Time for consideration of visa extension application cannot exceed 20 days.

2. Business

Invitation for business visa can be made by 1)company TN-taker for 200 roubes if it has the attract permission of migration service, 2) through the agency for higher fee by request of the company or Aiesec itself.

Usually when TN for is signed, Aiesec and company TN-taker agreed on the fact that if company has no attract permission, Aiesec is responsible for processing of invitation for an intern.

Important! In the invitation letter made through the agency front organization is specified. In the consulate intern should tell the name of this organization, not Aiesec. Aiesec can’t do business invitation on its own name, the only way to obtain invitation through the agency, because Aiesec is registered as non-governmental not for profit organization. Only commercial companies can get accreditation of Russian immigration service for invitations for business and work visa but in case they have no accreditation, they can also resort to the help of specialized visa agency.

There are different categories of business visas: single-entry, double-entry and multiple-entry. Period of stay in Russia: From one day to 90 days.

Important! According to the New Regulation (Decree signed by Prime Minister), foreign citizen with a multiple-entry visa can stay in Russia only 90 days within each 180. Foreigners can receive Russian visas only in their own country. Citizens of the Schengen space can receive visas in any country of the Schengen space. To receive the visa in the third country one will have to present residence or work permit in this country. Note: A Business Invitation can also be issued by the request of an international organization accredited with the Consular Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sample of Business Russian Visa Invitation

Zoom in

For citizens of EU and Norway (except for citizens of the UK and Ireland) invitations can be issued directly by the Russian organization. The Consulate may request the original document and has the right to process visas on the basis of Official invitation-letters from organizations up to 10 days. Terms for the Visa Invitation: from 10 days to 1 month. Terms and price for issuing a visa at the Russian Consulate: Depends on the Consulate and sometimes on your citizenship. Time for consideration of visa extension application cannot exceed 20 days. Usually, the Consular fee is higher for Multiple-entry visas and for longer periods of stay in Russia. You may also pay more for express processing at the Consulate.

3.Humanitarian

Intern comes to Russia to work in a Russian company-TN-taker, but the inviting organization is Aiesec. In

invitation letter is specified, that Aiesec invites interns to Russia to establish cultural relationships, for charity

and volunteer work. The same information intern should give at the consulate as his aim of coming to Russia.

Period of stay in Russia: From one day to a maximum of 1 year.

It can be single-entry, double-entry and multiple-entry. Every 3 month foreign citizen need to leave Russia.

Terms for the Visa Invitation: from 10 days to 1 month.

Terms and price for issuing a visa at the Russian Consulate: Depends on the Consulate and sometimes

on your citizenship, but less than 20 days. Single-entry visa for 3 month 1200 roubles. To get appropriate info

it’s better to contact the consulate first.

4.Work visa.

Work visa is issued by the Russian Consulate on the basis of work visa invitation made by the company TN-

taker with or without collaboration with Aiesec. To do this, the company needs to have Attraction permit to

employ foreign workforce.

Visa Invitation: Work visa invitation (single entree for the period of 90 days, purpose – “employment”), issued

on the basis of work permit by the local department of the Russian federal migratory service (FMS) on

application of Russian organizations, accredited in this department of FMS.

Sample of the invitation for the Russian work visa

Term and price of visa invitation execution: depend on the conditions of your inviting Company- employer, on the average 80 days to obtain the Attraction permit to employ foreign workers, work permit for foreigner and invitation itself for work visa.

Terms of visa execution and consular fee: depends on consulate and sometimes on your citizenship. As a rule, the rate of the consular fee depends on the urgency and the period of validity of the visa you require. Time for consideration of visa extension application cannot exceed 20 days.

2.How and Where to Get a Russian Visa:

The procedure for receiving a Russian visa consists of three steps, each of these may require time and

expense.

Step 1 – Obtaining the Visa Invitation to Russia;

Step 2 – Getting the visa issued by the Russian Consulate;

Step 3 – Registering your visa upon arrival in Russia

Time of processing invitation and visa

Business Work Humanitarian Private Time of procession invitation in Russia+delivery

Through migration service

Through agency

Min 40 days, maximum 84 days

Through migration service

Through agency

Min 30, maximum 40 days

`min 40

days, max 84 days

Min 7 business days

Min 35 days, max 45

Min 7 business days

-“-Visa in the Russian consulate

Maximum 20 business days, in some consulates for a special fee it can be done faster

Step 1:

Contact local committee and appointed buddy at least in 2 month (see the upper table to calculate time for visa procession) and send all the necessary documents and data, other documents will be

done by Aiesec (friend, university, company)-it depends on the visa type.

For invitation (business, humanitarian, private, work visa) : Copy of the page of passport of foreign citizen, which contains photo and specifications (1 copy) , date of birthday; full contact data to

deliver the invitation to the right address without problems(current address, mobile cell phone).

Step 2:

It is difficult to give full and updated information about every Russian Consulate worldwide. Here there are some recommendations that can help you get your visa with minimal effort at any Consulate.

You should:

1. Contact the Consulate to find out: the time frame for processing the visa and the amount of Consular fee; how to submit your documents to the Consulate; which documents you have to prepare; which forms of payment the Consulate accepts.

2. Prepare all the documents and fill out the Consular Questionnaire. 3. Submit the documents to the Consulate. 4. Pay the Consular fee.

5. Get the visa and any additional enclosed documents back from the Consulate.

(for business visa, made by agency, you need to tell at the consulate that you are going to Russia to work in definite company (the name specified in invitation letter, in most cases it doesn’t match with the name of the real company you are going to for an internship). Expected experience – improvement of different skills, communication with business sphere.)

6. Check that the information on the visa is correct.

In all cases, you have to present the following papers to the Consulate:

1. Russian Visa Invitation (according to the chosen visa type); 2. Consular Questionnaire (completed, dated, and signed by you); 3. Passport;

Important: The passport should be valid for at least 6 months after the expiry date of the Russian Visa!

4. Photo (approximate size 3 x 4 cm or 1.5 x 2 inches.); Important: Some Consulates still issue the old Russian visa format (as a paper supplement to your passport). In this case, it is required to submit three photos. Photos must be matte-finished, not

glossy, for the consulate stamp to properly adhere!

For some types of visas and for citizens of some countries Consulates may demand the following

documents:

Medical insurance; Work or residency permit; HIV certificate (for visas issued for more than 90 days); Proof of sufficient funds for your stay in Russia;

Copy of your passport's main page; Other. cover letter

The example of cover letter:

(Date) Consulate General of (Country) Dear Sirs/Madam: On behalf of (Traveler's Full Name), we are submitting his/her valid passport and required

documents for a (Length And # Of Entries) (Business/Tourist) visa. (Mr./Mrs./Ms Traveler's Name) has been a (Job

Title/Position) with (Name Of Company) since (Date of Hire) for (Length Of Employment). (Applicant's Company's Name)'s

contact number in the United States is (US Corporate Contact Number). (Traveler's Name) is planning a (Business/Tourist) visit to (Country Name). (If Business Please

Explain Activities Of The Organization). He/She will depart the United States on (Departure Date) and will arrive in

(Arrival City) on (Arrival Date) and remain for aproximately (# Of Days) and will return (# Of Times Traveler Is Expected

To Return To This Country If Requesting A Multiple Entry Visa) over the next year. We would greatly appreciate any

assistance you can provide us in expediting this process. While there, he/she will be contacting (Local Contact Name And Company Name). His/Her

address is (Exact Street Address). The phone number is (Number). (Company Name) guarantees that (Traveler's Name) will have adequate funds in his/her

possession, as well as confirmed living accommodations and return transportation. (Name Of Company) also

guarantees that he/she will not become dependent upon the Government of (Country Name) in any way during the course of

his/her visit. Thank you for your kind assistance in this matter. Please feel free to contact me with any

questions. Sincerely,

(Authorized Signer Other Than The Traveler) (Signer's Title) Important Instructions: 1. Write one letter for each country and for each applicant. 2. All letters must be on company letterhead. 3. Replace all information in parentheses with the data for this trip. 4. A consulate address is not necessary. 5. The letter cannot be signed by the applicant.

This is the example of Sara Romberg letter (LC Moscow intern)

June 8th, 2009

Consulate General of Russia

Dear Sirs/Madam:

On behalf of Sarah Margaret Romberg, we are submitting her valid passport and required

documents for a 90 days one entry Business visa. Ms. Romberg has been a member with

AIESEC since January 2008 for over a year. AIESEC's contact number in the United States is

212-757-3774.

Sarah Margaret Romberg is planning a Business visit to Russia. She will be working at a

summer camp giving English lessons and working on art projects with children from the ages of 7

to 16. She will depart the United States on June 17th, 2009 and will arrive in Moscow on June

18th, 2009 and remain for approximately 59 days. We would greatly appreciate any assistance

you can provide us in expediting this process.

While there, she will be contacting Marina Lukoyanova at моо энергоинформ. Her address is

29337 Moscow, Yaroslavskoe shosse, 26, 1,560. The phone number is +7 (495) 152-16-31.

AIESEC guarantees that Sarah Margaret Romberg will have adequate funds in his/her

possession, as well as confirmed living accommodations and return transportation.

AIESEC also guarantees that she will not become dependent upon the Government of Russia in

any way during the course of his/her visit.

Thank you for your kind assistance in this matter. Please feel free to contact me with any

questions.

Sincerely,

Chris Hornibrook

AIESEC Illinois

Vice President of Outgoing Exchange

Important: The Consulate has the right to invite you for a personal interview or deny you a visa without

explanation.

You may receive and fill out a Consular Questionnaire directly from the Consulate. Do not forget to sign the questionnaire and attach one of your photos. Important: In paragraph # 8 – “Organization to be visited” – give the name of the company that invited you

to Russia.

Sample of Consular Questionnaire for Russian Visa

Here are some samples of the Consular Questionnaire used in different countries:

USA: Questionnaire_for_US_citizens.pdf, 530 Kb Questionnaire_for_non_US_citizens.pdf, 96 Kb

Canada: Questionnaire_Canada.pdf, 47 Kb

UK: Questionnaire_UK.pdf, 421 Kb

Netherlands: Questionnaire_Netherlands.pdf, 93 Kb Questionnaire_Netherlands_USA.pdf, 92 Kb – for the citizens of the USA

Germany: Questionnaire_Germany.pdf, 140 Kb

Spain: Questionnaire_Spain.pdf, 43 Kb

China: Questionnaire_China.pdf, 141 Kb

other countries: Questionnaire.pdf, 50 Kb

The Consular fee usually depends on:

the type of visa; your citizenship; the speed of processing

faster processing costs more.

The amount and way of paying the Consular fee varies among different Consulates.

It is important to find out how you may pay the Consular fees. Payment is usually conducted:

by check or cash at the Consulate – when you apply in person or through a courier service; by certified check – when you apply through the mail.

It’s better to contact your local Consulate before asking Aiesecers for Invitation, in order to get appropriate

information.

Ask the Consular officer:

How you can receive your visa from the Consulate – how many days does it take to process and what is the Consular fee (for rush procedures the Consular fee is higher).

What documents you are required to submit to the Consulate. Aside from the documents that are always required (Consular Questionnaire, photo, etc.), some Consulates may have additional requirements (work permit, HIV certificate, a medical insurance card, etc.).

What documents can be copies (the Visa Invitation, medical insurance card, etc.), and which documents must be originals.

Is it possible to complete the procedure by mail or with the help of a courier service? If so, what is the standard way to send documents (postal address, postage class, courier service, stamped self-addressed enclosed envelope, etc.).

Working hours of the Consular section (which hours and days of the week the Consulate accepts documents or issues visas).

How to pay the Consular fee (cash, check, etc.).

This is so you can decide the best options for acquiring your visa.

To check the full info you can visit related websites:

Afghanistan Albania Algeria Angola Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Belarus Belgium Benin Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Bulgaria Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Costa Rica Cote D'Ivoire Croatia (Hrvatska) Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Ecuador Egypt Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Finland France Gabon Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Hungary

Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Madagascar Malaysia Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Moldova, Republic of Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Palestine Panama Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Singapore Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia South Africa Spain

Iceland India Indonesia Iran (Islamic Republic of) Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan

Sri Lanka Sudan Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay USA Uzbekistan Vatican City State Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe

Once you receive your Russian visa, make sure that all the information is correct before leaving the Russian Consulate. Any mistake on the Russian visa should be corrected immediately by the Russian Consulate. A visa mistake could result in delays, fines, or even refusal to enter Russia, forcing you to return at your own expense. Important: Mistakes in your visa cannot be corrected after your arrival in Russia.

Step 3:

1. You must to fill in migration card when you cross Russian border. 2. You must register your visa in three working days upon arrival in Russia.

3.Migration Card

Migration card forms are issued free of charge to the foreign citizens entering the Russian Federation by representatives of transport organizations (operating personnel of long-distance trains, airliners, sea and

river vessels, etc.)

The migration card is completed in Russian. It can also be completed in Latin letters corresponding to the data contained in the passport or another identification document. Both parts of the migration card should

be filled in.

It is obligatory to fill in the name of the inviting company and the address of the inviting company (all this should be provided in your visa support paper -- write it down!).

Migration card consist of two parts: «A» and «B». While passing through the state border checkpoint, Part «A» of the migration card is left with the Frontier Service officials and Part «B» is returned to the foreign

citizen. On the reverse side of Part «B» of the migration card the border checkpoint officials must put

a mark of entry to the Russian Federation.

Foreign visitors will also be asked how long they intend to spend in Russia – and may be asked to show a proof – return tickets, for example. Their migration card will then be stamped with a specific departure date

– according to this information!

The migration card is not something complicated, it's just another paper to fill in and is similar to the "landing card" given to non EU citizens when they fly to Europe. You can see a sample of how the migration card looks and English translation here: MS Word format or Acrobat PDF format. Don't fill it in, because all the cards have a unique number! In case of damage or loss of the migration card, the foreign citizen must within three days apply to the nearest territorial office of the Federal Migration Service in order to obtain a duplicate of the damaged or lost migration card. At the same time documents allowing entry to the Russian Federation must

be submitted. Migration card duplicate is issued free of charge.

4.Necessity of Personal Registration Foreign citizens, who have entered the Russian Federation, are obliged to register within three working days as from the day of their arrival in the Russian Federation. If foreign citizen has changed the place of his/her stay in the Russian Federation, he/she has to register within three working days as from the day of arrival at the new place of stay.

The territorial subdivision of the federal executive body, controlling the matters of internal affairs, (PVU GUVD of Moscow) shall carry out the registration of foreign citizens, who have entered Russian Federation. If foreign citizen has lost the documents on the basis of which he/she entered Russia he/she won’t be registered and has to leave Russian Federation not later then 10 days after he/she obtained (upon his/her written request) the document proving that he/she has lost his documents. According to the Article 18.10 of the Administrative code of the Russian Federation breach by the foreign citizen of the above stated order of registration impairs fine in the amount from 500 to 1000 rubles (15-30 dollars). The repeated breach of the order of registration may result to deportation.

What is the Visa Registration?

Visa registration is a relic of the past dating back to the Soviet time designed to make sure you're not going to occupy the valuable Russian soil without authorities' permission.

Nowadays, the purpose of the registration is to notify the immigration authorities about the place of your stay while you're in Russia. You would think that the Landing Card, which you fill out on the plane before you arrived to Russia would suffice, but no, the registration is a totally different thing and should be done separately. Every foreigner who comes to Russia should have his/her Russian visa registered within 72 hours upon arrival, excluding holidays and weekends (if you arrive on Saturday, you need to obtain registration within Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday). Before it is 72 hours after your arrival, your tickets (train, bus, plane tickets) to the place you're in (e.g. Moscow) is the document, which can confirm how long you've been staying there.

Some extracts from Russian Registration Laws:

Effective as of June 2006 the new law #109 (came into power in 2007) regulates such issues as Russian visa registration, describes the proccess of applying for a permit of stay in Russia or for Russian citizenship. Here we will only show what this law says about visa registration. The order of registration is defined in the Article 21. Specifically, the Article 23-3 says that a foreign citizen should register at the place of his arrival in Russian Federation. (e.g. if you arrived in Irkutsk, and plan to stay there for longer than 3 days, you should register, even if you're going elsewhere after). The Article 23-3 also says that if a foreign citizen changes the place of his stay, he should register in the new place during the first three working days after his arrival. (e.g. if you came to St. Petersburg for 4 days, and then plan to stay in Moscow for another 5 days, you should register twice - once in St. Petersburg, then in Moscow.) Article 21-6 claims that if a foreign citizen lost his documents during his stay in Russian Federation, he should not register. In this case, he should leave Russia not later than 10 days (including holidays) after he obtained the temporary documents.

The documents needed for registration are listed in the Article 23: 1) a migration card with a stamp of passport control at the border; 2) passport or an identity document (it should be passport, because there's visa in the passport). According to Article 24, a hotel must register a foreign citizen who is staying there, and forward all the information to the Russian immigration officials. When a foreigner leaves the hotel, the hotel must forward the date of leaving to immigration officials again. Please, note, that if you were fined twice for breaching the Russian registration rules by the authorities, this information will be entered in the database and there's a high chance you won't be able to get a Russian visa for 5 years.

According to the Article 18.10 of the Administrative code of the Russian Federation breach by the foreign citizen of the above stated order of registration impairs fine in the amount from 500 to 1000 rubles (15-30 dollars). The repeated breach of the order of registration may result to deportation.

How to register your visa

Important:

Host Local Committee represented by buddy should take care of your registration and well-being in Russia, so upon your arrival the buddy requests copy of your passport and migration card and register you in local Ovir or through the post office in Russian migration service by himself. But you should aware of all the

procedures to check if everything is done in time.

There are 3 possible ways for you to register visa and 1 way to avoid registration procedure(suits if you stay in the town 6-7 days):

I. If you come to the place of your internship and stay with aiesecers or friends, or renting the apartment, the registration is made by the landlord (aiesecers or your friend).

Your next steps upon arrival:

a) You submit your passport and migration card to the landlord (friend or aiesecer). The landlord takes

copies of these to any post office or a local immigration office and fills out a registration form (special form of notification of the foreign citizen's arrival at the place of sojourn , hereinafter Notification.). He also enters his own passport details and needs to have his own passport when going to the post office. It's essential that the landlord himself is registered at this address. The good news is that no approval of the other people registered at the apartment is needed (as it was before).

b) The authorities accept the form and give a tear off coupon with a stamp to the landlord. He gives it back to the foreigner and the foreigner keeps it until departure. Please note that the foreigner himself is not supposed to go to the police at all.

The face side of the detachable part of the notification blank for foreigners

The back side of the detachable part of the notification blank for foreigners

3. The registration is to be done within three business days(not weekends!) upon arrival. 4. When leaving, the you gives back the tear off coupon to the landlord (you don’t need to show it at the border) and the landlord passes it to the police. This should be done within 24 hours after departure. If the landlord doesn't pass it to the authorities, he/she may be fined and the foreigner might not be allowed to Russia anymore. So make sure the landlords (aiesecers) sends the tear off coupon back to take you off the registration records. 5. The procedure can be done in any post office. In this case the same documents are presented to the post office, they check them and give the landlord the coupon back and when the intern leaves, the landlord can send the coupon back by post as well. This procedure (submitting the registration by post) works in Moscow, we do not yet know if all the post offices in Russia are aware of this procedure.

2. At the post office

How to do it:

According to the new rules any Russian citizen with "propiska" (registration) can register a foreigner at his/her apartment at any post office. The whole procedure takes about an hour (because of the forms you

need to fill out and queues) and costs about €8. Another alternative is to contact your travel agency or inviting agency hired by local committee to process invitation letter for an intern and they will be able to do it for a fee (usually $20 to $50 USIf you're staying in a hotel: If you are staying at a hotel, the hotel must register your visa (according to the Law #115-FZ, Article 24). The hotel administration will ask you for your Russian visa, passport, and migration card (which was given to you at the Russian border). A small registration fee can be imposed (from $0.5 US to about $5 US) and normally it takes from a few minutes to a day to have your visa registered.

So what is needed to be done: The Russian person who's registering a foreigner at his/her address should go to any post office or the local police station. The foreigner doesn't have to be present. 1) Get the copies of the traveller's first passport page, Russian visa, and migration card. These can be done at the post office or photographed at home and printed out. 2) Go to the department of the post office, which deals with "recorded" delivery. 3) Ask them to give you the foreigner registration form ("migratsionnaya forma"). You need to fill out two copies ALL in Russian. 4) Get a special paper, which lists all the documents you'll be sending off (called "Opis"). 5) Find the address of the Local Migration Office, which is responsible for the area where the landlord is registered. (list of all Moscow UFMS here: http://www.fmsmoscow.ru/otdelenija.php) 6) Once that is done, the landlord should present all the forms to the post office clerk. They will check everything and give you back a part of the migration form stamped. It's a proof that it's been sent and can be shown to police when they check for the registration. You need to pay 150 R (€4 to send everything off to the migration service). The whole procedure took about 1 hour -- too many forms and queueing but perhaps you can find a post office that's less busy. Also, below is the migration form which you can use to fill out so it'll save you some time. The registration can also be done directly at your local UFMS (police station), but the post office option is somehow better, cause you can use any post office in the country and also because the queues at UFMS are usually much longer.

3. At the hotel/hostel Another alternative is to contact your travel agency or inviting agency hired by local committee to process invitation letter for an intern and they will be able to do it for a fee (usually $20 to $50 USIf you're staying in a hotel: If you are staying at a hotel, the hotel must register your visa (according to the Law #115-FZ, Article 24). The hotel administration will ask you for your Russian visa, passport, and migration card (which was given to you at the Russian border). A small registration fee can be imposed (from $0.5 US to about $5 US) and normally it takes from a few minutes to a day to have your visa registered. And how to avoid registration: Everything is simple. If you are stopped by cops within 3 allowed days of your staying in some of Russian cities, the proof that you are here less than 3 days is arrival tickets to the place where you are now. So, you can go to the local railway station and buy cheap return ticket for 200 roubles –for example, return ticket from Ryazan (town in 200 km from Moscow) to Moscow and you have valid proof that you are less than 3 days in Moscow for another 3 days.) One thing not to forget: Your ticket should look like this

and to buy it you need to give your passport to the cashier, beсause passport data is specified on it, that’s what cops check to identify if it’s you. Important: In you decide to travel and explore Russia you should always keep in mind:

1. Other Russian local committees aren’t responsible for you, so you can ask them for assistance with host and registration, but it’s better to arrange it by yourself. You can ask for registration administration of hotel/hostel, play a trick with ticket or plan stops in different cities to be less than 3 days.

2. Remember that you are obliged to register in EVERY CITY, if you stay more than 3 days.

5.Description of some problem situations

Problem Situation - What If You Lost Your Documents? It's better to be very careful and not to lose the passport with a visa, but if that happened, you should do the following procedure: Solution (in 6 steps): 1. Go to any police station around the area where your passport was lost and get a special paper, which says that your passport was indeed lost (it's called "spravka" in Russian). 2. Make sure you still have your plane ticket with the date of return. If you don't, book a new flight and get the printed confirmation of booking. 3. Make some passport size photos on a special paper (not shiny) - available in any photo places. 4. Go to your embassy to get a new passport (you should contact the embassy just after you lost the passport to start processing). 5. If you have a copy of your lost visa it's better. 6. Take all the documents and papers listed above (the spravka from police, your plane ticket, photos, new passport,

copy of your lost visa (if you have one)) and take it to the office of the travel agency that issued your visa support. Usually, it's the same office where you had to make your visa registration. You will be fined about $150 US by immigration officials and, if everything will go allright, you'll be given a new visa in a few days.

Problem Situation - Police Scams. The visa registration thing was made up mostly for people from CIS countries, rather than the foreigners, to avoid illegal immigration. That's why cops stop people on the streets sometimes to check if they have a registration or not (even ordinary Russians are stopped sometimes too, so everybody carries his passport - that's the only legal id we have in Russia, driving licences or id cards don't count). There's nothing horrible or frightening in being stopped, it's normal. Some cops will care if you don't have a registration, some won't. If a cop stops you to check your documents and you don't have a registration, he has a right (according to the Russian law) to take you to police station and to fine you. He doesn't have rights to detain you for longer than 3 hours (except special cases), or to deport you from Russia (this is done by court decree only). From my own experience, police never stops or checks women, especially foreigners. The problem is that sometimes cops use the registration regulation to make money on it. A cop stops a foreigner on the street, checks his passport, sees that he doesn't have a registration (even if 72 hours haven't passed yet) and says something like: "Ok, big problem, pay hundred dollars or go prison". Clearly, this is a real crap, they just want a bribe. If you want, you can pay him a bribe, or you can show them that you know your rights and they'll leave you alone. Your rights: If less than 72 hours have passed since you arrived in Russia (or in any Russian city) - excluding holidays and weekends - you have not broken any regulations and laws, so you don't even have to pay any fines. If more than 72 hours have passed, and you haven't registered your visa, then it is considered that you made an "administrative infrigement" and you're subject to the Russian administrative codex regulations. The new Russian administrative codex, which became effective on the 1st July 2002 is implemented by the Russian Federal Law # 195-FZ (30 Dec '02). The Article 18.3 (Federal Law #195-FZ) states that in case of such infringement a fine up to 1000 R ($30 US) may be imposed, and also the foreigner who made such infringement may be (but not necesserily will be) deported (sent out) of Russia. Also, the police has a right to take you to the police station for not longer than 3 hours, if it is necessary to learn who you are and to give you an invoice for the fine. That's all. As you see, the worst thing that can actually happen with the police if you don't register your visa at all is 3 hours in the police and maximum a $30 US fine. However, you might be deported, and that is a big problem, so we strongly advise you to register your visa. What to do: If you believe that you didn't make any infridgements (72 hours haven't passed yet), then you can refer to the Law #115 (from 26/07/02) and if that doesn't help, contact your embassy and to tell them you're being harassed by police. In this case, the policeman will be fired. If you know that you broke the law, you will need to pay a fine. If you want to get an official invoice (according to Fed. Law #195-FZ, Article 18.3), you might have to go to police station where they'll file a special 'act' and fine you officially for not more than $100 US. They can also start procedures to send you out of Russia. In that case, you should contact your embassy. Advice from Ben Parke (September 2004): I am also grateful for your advice regarding police trying to bribe you, as when I was hassled by a policeman late after a moscow club, I insisted either to go back to my hotel with my passport or go to the policestation to pay a fine and contact the british embassy. I think the words "phone embassy" repeated can put most of these police off trying to bribe you. I hope this information can be useful to someone, and thanks again for a great

Problem Situation - Passport Control at the Border. If you haven't registered your visa, you won't have problems at the customs, because you are supposed to give away the tear off coupon before you leave the country. So if a border control officer asks whether you have a registration and you say that yes, you have it, and that everything was done according to the procedure, then you shouldn't have any problems at the border. But you should make sure to keep the second part of your landing card to give away at the border – don't lose it!

6. Rights and obligations of foreign citizens

in the Russian Federation

Legal Status of foreign citizens in Russia first of all is determined by the Constitution of the Russian Federation 1993

(point 3 article 62). It says that foreign citizens and stateless persons enjoy rights and bear responsibilities on a par

with the citizens of the Russian Federation, unless otherwise provided by Federal Laws or International Agreements of

the Russian Federation.

This provision means that any restrictions or additional requirements regarding legal status of foreigners could not be

established by legislative acts of the legislative or executive bodies of the regions (states) of the Russian Federation.

Only adopting a Federal Law may worsen legal status of foreigners.

Here are the general principles of the legal status of the foreign citizen in the Russian Federation:

1. Foreign citizens are equal without reference to their origin, social and material status, race and nationality, sex,

education, language, religion, occupation, etc.

2. Russian Federation may establish restrictions and additional requirements to the citizens of the countries, which

established correspondent restrictions and additional requirements to the citizens of Russia.

3. Enjoyment of rights by the foreigner must not impair damage to the interests of the society, government, citizens of

Russia and other persons.

4. Foreign citizens must observe the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Freedom of movement

Foreign citizens enjoy the right of freedom of movement within the boundaries of the Russian Federation for personal

and business purposes on the ground of the documents, issued to them in accordance with the Federal Law “On the

legal status of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation”, with the exception of territories, organizations and objects,

for an entry to which a special permit is required in accordance with the federal laws.

Below is the list of territories organizations and objects, for an entry to which a special permit is required (Instruction of

the Government # 754 dated 11.10.2002)

1. Areas of the closed administrative-territories of the Russia Federation.

2. Areas restricted to visit for foreign citizens

3. Territories, where the state of emergency or the state of martial law have been forced in.

4. Territories where special conditions or regime of residence have been forced in as a result of danger of

development of contagion or mass non-contagion and intoxication of people.

5. Territories of closed cantonments.

6. Areas where contra terrorism operations are being conducted.

7. Environmental distress areas.

8. Borderland zones.

9. Objects and organizations of Armed Forces of Russian Federation.

10. Objects where public authorities and other authorities and organizations are located in and which work with

national secret information.

11. Other territories, organizations and objects where Russian nationals must obtain the special permit for visiting

them.

Foreign citizen has no right to:

1. Be employed in the state or the municipal service.

2. Be a member of the crew of a ship, sailing under the State Flag of the Russian Federation.

3. Be a member of the crew of a military air vessel of the Russian Federation or of another vessel, operated for non-

commercial purposes, as well as of a flying aircraft of the state or the experimental aviation.

4. Be the commander of a civil aircraft.

5. Be enrolled for a job to the objects and the organizations, whose activity is involved in providing for the security of

the Russian Federation:

ÿ objects and organizations of the Military Forces of the Russian Federation.

ÿ institutions that are responsible for the government secret information

ÿ organizations that work with radioactive and nuclear products

6. To engage in another activity and to occupy other posts, the federal law restricts an access to which of foreign

citizens.