PRESS RELEASE

From VisaAble.com on 15^th January 2007

EASY VISA INVITATIONS TO RUSSIA 

It is easy to get a visa to travel to Russia and you can do it one day if you have to*.

Just log onto www.visaable.com and in 5 minutes you can print off your tourist visa invitation ready to go to the Russian consulate with your visa application form, photograph and visa fee. 

Go yourself to the consulate or, for a modest fee* have an expert go on your behalf and save you queuing! VisaAble.com have a number of agents that will provide you an agency service in most capital cities.

VisaAble is a new visa company that has been set up by an angry Brit who got fed up of waiting for Russian travel agencies to provide him the documents he needed. Adriano Leto has lived in Saint Petersburg for 5 years and has found that many tourist and friends, even experienced travellers just gave up visiting Russia because of the hassle and complexities of getting a visa. 

On one occasion he calculates that he himself had to leave the country three times and spend over E1,000 in travel and accommodation because one travel agency did not provide him with his business visa invitation when they said they would. He recalls it was a nightmare.

Tourist visas can only be obtained from the Russian Consulate in your country if you have an invitation. An invitation, also known as an accommodation voucher, can be issued by a registered tourist company, a hotel or a Russian resident in whose home you will stay. However, the option for a resident to get an invitation is lengthy and will take a day in the district local migration office - the OVIR. An invitation proves to the Russian Authorities that you have somewhere to stay before they give you a visa - which is reasonably logical.   

Getting the visa invitation with your photos and passport and the correctly filled application form, to the Russian Consulate and back is a bit more of a problem. But an agent, for a mere 35 Euro we can sort all that. Download the application form from VisaAble.com and send everything by courier or registered post to your local agent, such as Scotts Tours in London, and they will do the rest. No need to queue at the consulate and then go back a few days later to pick it up. No fear or frustration of not having filled in the forms correctly the agency check it all. And despite the cold war past you can rest assured that virtually no one is refused a tourist visa to Russia.

There has been talk for over 5 years of making the St. Petersburg district a visa free zone or to have a visa system which you get at the airport on arrival. Other developing countries such as Myanmar you are able to order your visa on-line and pick up on arrival in the country but when St. Petersburg tried this system a few years ago many passengers were not allowed on planes or were sent back because their visa was not there when they arrived. It was a shambles because of poor communication and was quickly abandoned.  

Under the current political climate a tightening of restriction and controls is more likely than a relaxation of policy. In fact, in November the Russian Authorities have tightened up rules on business visas in line with those of Europe.  Someone on a twelve month Russian Business visa is now only allowed entry for 180 days per year and a maximum single stay of 90 days. A lot of ex-pats will need to be applying for proper work permits in the coming months.

If you stay in a hotel registration on arrival is not a problem because the hotel will do it for you.   

For the moment, and for the foreseeable future the tourist visa system is here to plague us. But if it is any consolation the practice for Russians entering the UK is far more stringent. The Consular fee for a Russian to get a single entry tourist visa is 200 Euro versus the 30 Euro that the Russian consulate asks us. Because earnings are so much lower in Russia on average that can really hurt. And there is no guarantee that a Russian will get their tourist visa. Waiting 3-5 days is the minimum and interviews frequent. The British Consulate prides itself with a 97% of visas granted to Russian applicants but the Consulate need not give any reason why they decline an application. It could be down to a hunch that a pretty girl will look for a husband and has not got sufficient reason to return to Russia. Travelling to the UK, if you do not have a good job in Russia is also likely you to preclude you from getting a visa. So the Russian visa system is far more relaxed and liberal than the British or European visa systems.

The good news is that visiting Russia at short notice and at under 500 Euro for a weekend is achievable if you use a B&B or mini-hotel, particularly if you go in the winter when hotel rates and flight prices are lower. 

Five steps to getting a tourist visa 

1) Plan 3-4 weeks ahead if you want to get a cheap flight and cheap visa.

2) Book your flight.

3) Book your accommodation (some hotel provide free invitations).

4) Go online and for 15 Euro you can print yourself off an invitation in minutes and you can get an invitation that lasts up to one month so go for a period longer than you want to give you flexibility. If your travel dates change you will need a new invitation! 

5) Send your visa invitation, with passport, photos and application form to a specialist travel agency or go to the Russian consulate yourself. Choose same day, three day or eight day processing, the cheapest is 8 working days.

Invitations from: www.visaable.com Tel. +44 (0) 20 7193 5030 or +7 (812) 314 66 22.

Visa agency: Scotts Tours, 141 Whitfiled Street, London. Tel +44 (0) 20 73 83 53 53.

Airlines: Rossiya, British Airways, Lufthansa.

Hotels/B&B: Casa Leto, Comfort Hotel, Alexander's House, The Hermitage hotel, Ranaissance St. Petersburg Baltic Hotel, Grand Hotel Europe, Angleterre, Astoria.

WEEKEND IN ST.PETERSBURG FOR 500 GBP

(assuming 2 people sharing accommodation):

- DIY invitation & visa: 40

- Flight (early booking):  220

- 2 nights accommodation & breakfast: 100

- Spending for lunches, dinners and museums: 140

* based on visa invitation, visa application form and photos being ready by 10 am on day of visa application.  Costs will vary from country to country and same day express visas cost considerably more than standard processes.  We recommend allowing at least 8 working days to keep costs to a minimum. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PRESS RELEASE CONTACT 

Maria by e-mail maria[at]visaable.com or by telephone +7 (812) 314 6622.