A bumpy road to London town

Yekaterina Lomova of Moscow was looking forward to spending a week last month touring London, shopping on Kensington High Street, strolling through the Tate Modern, and walking along the Thames River at dusk. She didn’t think twice about red tape; Lomova filed her visa application about a month ahead of the trip, as advised.

Yet Lomova found herself in the same predicament as many other Russian tourists in recent months. She hadn't received her visa even by the time she should have returned from the trip. The travel agency would not refund her the 65,000 rubles (roughly $2,355) for the hotel and flight, stating that it was not responsible for visa delays. Quickly changing plans and going to a destination that didn’t require a visa was not an option either, since her passport was still at the British visa centre.

Russian Internet forums are burning up with complaints about travel plans that have been ruined because of huge delays from Britain in issuing visas. One student wrote that he failed to make it to a study course, while others said they missed conferences and business meetings. Even some Russian football fans with tickets for the Champions’ League finals in May never made it to their coveted seats.

It seems these days that purchasing a package tour to London is more like a lottery than a sure bet.

In recent years Britain has been one of the most popular destinations for Russians to visit, and early summer is the busiest time of the year. The number of Russian tourists going there has been growing: in 2010, tourism to Britain rose by 24 percent to 120,000 people, according to the Russia Federal Agency for Tourism. Russian tourists spend about 310 million pounds sterling in Britain each year.

Getting there, however, is becoming problematic for Russians because of the length of time it can take to get a visa. According to the Russian Tour Operators Association (ATOR), demand for trips to Britain in June fell by 20 to 30 percent because of the problems with obtaining visas.

The British Consulate claims that it processes 90 percent of the visas within 15 days of receiving a completed application; but the consulate recommends tourists allow a month as delays can occur in busy times. Many applicants found the process did indeed take longer than 15 days.

On Russian» Blog Archive » Can I Get A Russian Visa On Arrival

By: Marco Jessiero

Most foreigners need to obtain a visa before entering Russia – please contact the Russian consulate in your home country to check whether you need a visa. Nationals of a few former USSR republics are not required a visa to enter Russia. Passport holders from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine do not need a Russian visa. But even if your nationality is different from the above mentioned, you still may be able to travel to Russia without a visa.

Cruise passengers are the only category of tourists visiting Russia who may stay on the territory of the Russian Federation without a visa for up to 3 days. But please note that this law applies only to those passengers who organised their tours using a licensed (in RF) agency. An agency like that will supply you with a tour ticket (also called booking confirmation). This tour ticket must be presented at the customs and is used like a visa.

There are several types of Russian visas, they depend on the purpose of your visit. If you are travelling to Russia to attend a business meeting, you will need a business visa, if your purpose is to visit your relatives or frinds who live there, you can get a private visa. All types of visas for Russia require an invitation (visa support) provided by a Russian organisation. The invite is a document issued by the inviting person and authorised by the state, or organisation which invites you to Russia. Every type of visa requires a different type of invitation. The cost of the supporting documents and visas varies greatly.

The price of a visa depends on its type, the required processing time and your nationality. As a rule, the more flexible conditions the visa provides or the faster its processed, the more expensive it is.

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