What you need to know before you pack!

Ok, so lets say you have finally made the decision to go to Russia and explore this beautiful, vast and intriguing country but you are asking yourself how to go about it, what to do about visas, airline tickets, local transportation once you arrive, accommodation... Well before you grab a BACKPACK, let me give you some guidance in order to make your trip hassle free and make the most out of it. In my personal case I lived and worked in Russia for 3 years, so I got all the good inside information you need to know!

First of all let me start by mentioning that Russia has very strict immigration regulations and there are few privileged countries that can travel there without a visa, if you are a national from one of those countries congratulations, you have already one foot in Russia. For the rest of us who must have a visa prior to departing to Russia let me explain you the process to obtain your visa quickly and legitimately. If you are planning to visit Russia and explore around its many cool cities and places of interest then I suggest a regular tourist visa which allows you to travel throughout Russia for 30 days, this type of visa can be arranged by your local or trusted travel agent and will guide you thru the process which is fairly simple but it does take from 2 to 7 days depending on the country you are in at the time of the application, if you plan to stay for a longer period than 30 days, then you need to apply for a different type of visa such as a private visa, but anything other than a tourist visa involves more paperwork requirements which are not impossible if you really want to go there for a long stay, if you already have a friend in Russia then you have it made, they can send you the invitation letter to process your visa, also another good resource is Workaway, if you like to share your skills and help others, then Workaway is  good way to go, many of the places where you can volunteer help you with visa support and then you can get it for up to one year, also House Carers is a good option to find a place to stay for free in exchange of a watchful eye and some chores around the house so you can spend more money on what you like to do instead.

Below I break down the current types of Russian visas available based on your personal needs:

Tourist visa

Single entry, valid up to 30 days (30-day visas are issued upon request. If you apply with your own invitation, please double-check the date on entry and date of departure)

Double entry, valid up to 30 days

Business visa

Single entry, valid up to 3 months

Double entry, valid up to 3 months

Multiple entries, valid for 1 year

Private visa

Valid up to 3 months, based only on a private invitation from relatives / friends in Russia

Valid up to 3 months, based only on a private invitation from a spouse travelling with the applicant or a parent travelling with their children.

*Note that for nationals of some countries like the EU, USA, UK, Canada, fingerprinting is required but do not be alarmed, your passport has a chip already so what's the difference, and if you are a clean Joe/Jane just traveling and having fun then there is nothing to worry about, right?

If you have any doubts or questions do not hesitate to hit me up!