By Stanj,

The following is an excerpt from a thread in Cruise-Chat.com on St. Petersburg. I thought it interesting enough to post here for everyone to enjoy. Thank you Stanj for allowing me do share this information.

"There is a lot of confusion about visas and Russia. The only class of visitor who is eligible for a visa waiver program is a cruise ship passenger who is in port less than 72 hours. The conditions of the visa-less entry into Russia include a 72 hour limit in the country, the visitor must be escorted by an authorized tour company that is licensed to host visa-less visitors. The there are 3 main companies do this. Arctur, Red October and Den Rus Ltd. Arctur offers primarily large bus tours of 45-50 passengers, and Red October. and Den Rus Ltd. offer both the large buses and the popular private small personalized 2-12 passenger VIP tours. The latter type of tour is very popular with cruise passengers because they are personal and more effective in getting into the best sights without lines or waiting. Arctur is the largest and DenRus Ltd is  the only American-Russian tour company which means western business practices and customer service. But any of them can provide a great visit to a fascinating and beautiful city.

If you use a smaller tour company who is not registered for escorting foreign visitors, you will need your own visa. The procedure is not as complicated at it sounds or not nearly as much an obstacle to visiting Russia than I read non-visitors warn people of who want to visit here.

About 45 days before your visit, acquire a Voucher( term used to describe the tourist invitation) from your tour company.  Hotels and tour companies send them by email or fax for free if you have booked their services, otherwise a voucher can be purchased from many different visa services or tour companies.  With the internet allowing such easy communications there is no need to use one of the high priced visa services.  I have had real problems with one of the most popular and most advertised service, GoToRussia.com which I advise people to avoid. A visitor can get the visa themselves easily so why add an extra cost middleman that can introduce errors and confusion?

1.Print out your Voucher.
2.Fill out the Visa Application form available for free download at http://www.denrus.ru/visaUS.pdf  for US citizens and http://www.denrus.ru/VISAnonUS.pdf for all other citizens
3. Get 2 Passport type photos from any travel agency, Rite-Aid, Walgreen’s, or other photo services for about $5-10 for 2.
4.Your passport with at least 2 empty pages and 6 months remaining before it expires
5. Self Addressed stamped envelope large enough for your passport to return from the consulate.
6 Your Consular fee in the form of a postal money order.  US citizens pay $100 and UK citizens are charged about 17 pounds.

Put this collection in an envelope and send it to your nearest Russian consulate (addresses are here http://www.denrus.ru/russian-consulates.html

The processing time is 7 days but that can be shortened if you pay for faster service but it can get expensive for immediate or last minute service. Your passport will be returned to you with a page filled with a form pasted into it representing your new Russian Tourist visa.

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