St Petersburg and Russian Visas

We're sailing with Princess Cruises in July and we have a 2 day stop in St. Petersburg. As I understand, cruise passengers may not disembark the ship unless they have a tour scheduled through Princess Cruises or a land tour with an alternate company. When the tour is finished, we're required to go back to the ship. If you want to explore on your own, you have to get a tourist visa. To get a tourist visa, you must have a couple pieces of documentation, including "Confirmation of the hotel reservation, confirmation of reception of the tourist, and register number from the Uniform Federal Register of the Tour Operators of the Federal Tourism Agency." The problem is that we don't have a hotel at St. Petersburg since we're staying on the cruise ship. How and where do we obtain this last document? Is it even a good idea to go off on our own? Thanks for your help!

We toured everywhere but St. Petersburg on our own. There are posters here who have gotten their visas and toured the city independently and they’ve been happy with their choice. Please note that transportation, museum entrances and a guide are all included with a tour. We took a private tour for just our family and for us this was the right choice. We were traveling with a 3 year old, so we had no margin of error for getting lost and needed help to plan our days most efficiently. I don’t think St. Petersburg is one of the easier cities to tour independently (everywhere else on our Baltic cruise was easy to tour independently), and I’d hate to see you spend a lot of time lost when you only have two days there. I’d get lost on my own, but honestly you might be completely fine. It’s a really personal decision you need to make. A private tour for just your family would enable you to customize your trip, but might be expensive.

If you intend to get off the ship and tour on your own, you will need to get a tourist visa. If you sign up with many of the well known your providers (Alla, TJ Tours, SPB),they will take care of all the visa details. You do not need to sign up for the ship’s tours.

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I would contact any of the independent operators often listed here (SPB, Alla, TJ, Best Guides, etc.) and see what they can arrange for you "on your own." They can arrange evening nights on the town -- ballet performances, vodka tastings, etc. -- in addition to the daily tours. Some of their day tours may also have some unstructured time to explore particular areas. (And of course, their private tours would be completely customizable.)

They'd be the best ones to advise you about your visa-free (i.e., visa that they prearrange) options. If none of their options suit you, then you might look into arranging your own visa. But I'd be surprised if they couldn't offer what you'd be looking for.

We're planning to take a tour with our cruise line (RCL). It's a little more expensive but much less stressful. I'm told that Russian visas can be quite expensive, it you obtain them yourself.

https://cruiseports.ca/baltic/

We had to get tourist visas 3 or 4 years ago for a land tour. The tour agency would take us during the day but leave us off at the hotel. Visas were costly and a pain. There were so many questions I thought I was applying for Russian citizenship.

I would contact any of the independent operators often listed here (SPB, Alla, TJ, Best Guides, etc.) and see what they can arrange for you "on your own." They can arrange evening nights on the town -- ballet performances, vodka tastings, etc. -- in addition to the daily tours. Some of their day tours may also have some unstructured time to explore particular areas. (And of course, their private tours would be completely customizable.)

 

They'd be the best ones to advise you about your visa-free (i.e., visa that they prearrange) options. If none of their options suit you, then you might look into arranging your own visa. But I'd be surprised if they couldn't offer what you'd be looking for.

If you organise a "private" tour with companies like TJ Tours, etc , you will not be "on your own" - you will be accompanied at all times by a tour guide.

We're planning to take a tour with our cruise line (RCL). It's a little more expensive but much less stressful. I'm told that Russian visas can be quite expensive, it you obtain them yourself.

 

https://cruiseports.ca/baltic/

but as pointed out several times there is a third option to either ships tour or obtaining your own visa

use a local tour company who will arrange same visa waiver as ships tour

Another option this summer is to secure World Cup soccer tickets, since that makes you eligible for visa-free travel throughout Russia. Two options have been discussed in the forums: (1) Buy the cheapest tickets you can find during the WC ($105 from FIFA), and don't actually attend the game; or (2) if your ship is docked on a St. Petersburg game day, you can try to get tickets to a match that you'll actually attend (which is what we are doing).

We're planning to take a tour with our cruise line (RCL). It's a little more expensive but much less stressful. I'm told that Russian visas can be quite expensive, it you obtain them yourself.

 

https://cruiseports.ca/baltic/

The point is that if you sign up with any of the well known private companies mentioned here , plus many others, you don't need a visa. There is a visa waiver program which they arrange.

The private companies offer better tours at half the price. We were 6. We used Ulko tours. Very pleased.

How and where do we obtain this last document?

One common solution is to purchase a "blanket invitation" ("visa invite", "tourist voucher") from one of the many online storefronts. The transaction is instant and will set you back anywhere between 20 and 40 dollars -in addition to your visa costs.

Is it even a good idea to go off on our own?

Given the current price of the visa and the costs of local tours offered by reputable companies, I can't honestly recommend going the independent way, unless you have very specific reasons to do so. For 72hr visa-exempt ferries - maybe, but not for cruise ship passengers.

Unless you have a VERY specific and meticulously planned itinerary - and also the one totally different from the rest of the cruisers, - you will still be fighting for breathing space with the same crowds at the same 5 to 10 main attractions, without the benefit of "early entries" and "exclusive tours".

If you are there just for people watching and getting the "feel of the city" - the costs and hassle of obtaining the visa may seem to be a tad too high.

As someone else already stated yes you can come in to Russia this summer visa free if you have World Cup tickets. I think the price of a tourist visa is around $160, I am not totally sure as I don't pay my own visa fees and no one comes to visit me. You can get a blanket inviation letter a lot of the people that i work with use these when they have visitors. You purchase them online for 20 pounds I think so maybe 30$. This solution works fine. Yes the price of entry to these sights is usually included in the price of the tours in St. Petes but I found the prices to be ridiculous I went to the Hermitage, and Peterhov and thought about a ballet but decided I wanted to go to bed. I spent 40 rubles to get to the museum from the port, maybe 700 to go into the museum 1500 roundtrip for the hydrofoil to Peterhof, and 300ish for a taxi back to the port. I don't remember eating so if I did it wasn't anything great. All together that is about 44$ US. Which is a lot cheaper than any of the tours that they were offering on the ship or that I saw online.

There is a HOHO bus in St. Petes as well. If you want to see more things. I am not against getting a tourist visa to come visit Russia, I would recommend the taxi app Yandex you can call local taxis and the fare is very cheap many taxis in Russia will try to rip you off, including calling one from port the guy at the taxi stand quoted me like 1200 to go to the Hermitage. I asked him if he thought I was crazy. He said to use the bus or yandex don't pay his price.

One common solution is to purchase a "blanket invitation" ("visa invite", "tourist voucher") from one of the many online storefronts. The transaction is instant and will set you back anywhere between 20 and 40 dollars -in addition to your visa costs.

 

 

Given the current price of the visa and the costs of local tours offered by reputable companies, I can't honestly recommend going the independent way, unless you have very specific reasons to do so. For 72hr visa-exempt ferries - maybe, but not for cruise ship passengers.

 

Unless you have a VERY specific and meticulously planned itinerary - and also the one totally different from the rest of the cruisers, - you will still be fighting for breathing space with the same crowds at the same 5 to 10 main attractions, without the benefit of "early entries" and "exclusive tours".

If you are there just for people watching and getting the "feel of the city" - the costs and hassle of obtaining the visa may seem to be a tad too high.

Although I am an inveterate fan of DIY, if arriving via cruise ship for a first time visit, I agree with napoxoguk. Although I have a Russian visa, my cost was $320 (US citizen) and I usually spend several weeks in Russia. For the purposes of a cruise ship visit, a visa makes little sense unless, as said above, you have very specific interests or have visited previously.

Furthermore, the must see tourist sights in the city will be very busy during FIFA - a consideration if you hope to DIY and avoid queues.

Another option this summer is to secure World Cup soccer tickets, since that makes you eligible for visa-free travel throughout Russia. Two options have been discussed in the forums: (1) Buy the cheapest tickets you can find during the WC ($105 from FIFA), and don't actually attend the game; or (2) if your ship is docked on a St. Petersburg game day, you can try to get tickets to a match that you'll actually attend (which is what we are doing).

Were you able to land World Cup tickets yet? The last I looked, it seemed like it was some sort of lottery system - and then, if you got tickets, you had to apply for some sort of 'fan visa' (or something like that). Seemed like a lot of work, so we opted (so far) to not try to attend the game. Just curious how you found the process of getting tickets and other authorization for the game?

Were you able to land World Cup tickets yet? The last I looked, it seemed like it was some sort of lottery system - and then, if you got tickets, you had to apply for some sort of 'fan visa' (or something like that). Seemed like a lot of work, so we opted (so far) to not try to attend the game. Just curious how you found the process of getting tickets and other authorization for the game?

Yes, we do have our tickets! Well, not physically in hand, since FIFA hasn't mailed the tickets out yet, but they are allocated to us.

There have already been several buying rounds, some of which are by lottery and others by first-come-first-serve (FCFS). Luckily for us, we got our tickets in the first round last year, which was a lottery before the teams were even set.

The next round starts in a few days, so you may want to get ready for it by setting up a FIFA account, etc. It's a FCFS round, so you will probably want to have a bunch of web browsers ready at the designated time (in the middle of the night in the U.S., I believe), to maximize your chances of getting into the purchasing screens before the allocation is all gone. Note that if you strike out, there is another FCFS round in April that you can try again for. The details are all here: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/organisation/ticketing/index.html. This message board thread may also be useful: http://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/russia-2018-ticket-thread.2038931/page-241. That website may also have people buying and selling tickets, I believe, so you can look into that if helpful (though I don't know if it's legit).

Once FIFA confirms that you have been allocated tickets, you can then apply online for a FAN ID for each ticket-holder. The FAN ID is required to enter the stadium for the game. It also allows for visa-free travel throughout Russia during the World Cup period. We already have our FAN IDs in hand. The online application is very easy, and you can get the FAN IDs mailed for free to your home address.

We're planning to take a tour with our cruise line (RCL). It's a little more expensive but much less stressful. I'm told that Russian visas can be quite expensive, it you obtain them yourself.

 

https://cruiseports.ca/baltic/

I am very sorry you have decided to do the big bus tours with RCI....we saw them as we did a private tour with TJ Travel during our RCI cruise...the stress on those faces as they were herded around and as they sat on the large bus waiting for straggler's was sad and a waste of time...Please reconsider. JMHO

When does the world cup start? I should look into this there are some games not too far from where I live.

When does the world cup start? I should look into this there are some games not too far from where I live.

http://resources.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/02/66/71/62/2018fwc_matchschedule_02022018_enin-andoutsiderussiaexceptasia_neutral.pdf

On one of our trips to St Petersburg we did manage to obtain our own tourist Visa....but did it using a good Visa service that knew their way around the Russian procedures. We did not need a hotel letter....but not sure how the Visa service pulled it off. On subsequent trips we have used local licensed tour providers, our favorite being TJ Tours...which was wonderful. There is no way I would take a big bus cruise tour. Our TJ tour was in a new Mercedes van (that had 20 seats) but we were only 10 on the tour (with an excellent guide). With such a small group we were able to have some fun wandering around town (Nevsky Prospekt) where we our group (none of us knew each other before the tour) voted on which local cafe we wanted to visit for lunch. TJ also arranged evening ballet tickets (for just the two of us) for less money then the crowded cruise line ballet tour...and we had better seats. They actually sent us our own car/driver to get to and from the ballet. Another excellent tour provider is Alla.

Hank

we did manage to obtain our own tourist Visa....but did it using a good Visa service that knew their way around the Russian procedures.

The Russian procedures are rather straightforward and out there for everyone to behold, posted conveniently on official embassy sites and VFS global/ILS sites, whichever is applicable.

Frankly, there is not much sense in finding your way around these procedures and ergo no pressing need for engaging a Visa service, be it good or otherwise.

The Russian procedures are rather straightforward and out there for everyone to behold, posted conveniently on official embassy sites and VFS global/ILS sites, whichever is applicable.

Frankly, there is not much sense in finding your way around these procedures and ergo no pressing need for engaging a Visa service, be it good or otherwise.

I respectfully disagree. There is a good reason wherein an individual may wish to utilize the services of a visa service. I am currently on my 2nd 3 year visa and each time I have used ILS to obtain my Russian visa. I do not live near a Russian consulate and, therefore, cannot walk my visa through the consulate in San Francisco (this consulate is now closed) - ILS walks the visa through in my stead. It is much more cost effective for me to use the services of ILS rather than pay the associated costs of airfare & hotel to travel to SF.

I respectfully disagree. There is a good reason wherein an individual may wish to utilize the services of a visa service.

A bit of misunderstanding here, my bad. I meant any visa service other than ILS in the States and VFS elsewhere, which serve pretty much as extensions of their respective consulates.

So basically what I'm advising against is using all sorts of "visa assistance" services that claim they will walk you briskly through the Russian bureaucratic quagmire - for a fee.

The only shortcut I would not mind taking is the "blanket invitation" - it is indeed worth every penny. Actually, in kind of surprised that loophole is still there.

We're sailing with Princess Cruises in July and we have a 2 day stop in St. Petersburg. As I understand, cruise passengers may not disembark the ship unless they have a tour scheduled through Princess Cruises or a land tour with an alternate company. When the tour is finished, we're required to go back to the ship. If you want to explore on your own, you have to get a tourist visa. To get a tourist visa, you must have a couple pieces of documentation, including "Confirmation of the hotel reservation, confirmation of reception of the tourist, and register number from the Uniform Federal Register of the Tour Operators of the Federal Tourism Agency." The problem is that we don't have a hotel at St. Petersburg since we're staying on the cruise ship. How and where do we obtain this last document? Is it even a good idea to go off on our own? Thanks for your help!

As some of my friends have already said, going off on your own in St Petersburg sounds nice, but overall, it can be the worst thing you can do on a cruise.

You have 2 days there, which may sound like a lot of time, but to see what there is to see in St Petersburg could take a week, and if you are on your own, not knowing exactly where you are going and not many people to ask for help, it could be disastrous.

We also did all the other ports on our cruise on our own, but St Petersburg, we decided to leave to the experts. On your own, in July, be prepared to stand on line to get into EVERYTHING, and they will not be short lines. With an independent tour, you move right to the front of the line and sometimes even early entrance to the Hermitage. Seriously, it's great to do things on your own, at your own pace, but why waste valuable time doing nothing, maybe going the wrong way and even worse, risk being ripped off.

If you were panning on spending extra time in St Petersburg, and time isn't the main issue, by all means go for the visas, but for 2 days, the expense and trouble of getting these visas, truly, isn't worth the effort. If there is something special you want to do, contact any of the tour companies and they will arrange it. You want to tour just you and whomever you are with, they will arrange that too.

Again, time is your enemy in St Petersburg, make the best use of it.

Cheers

Len

On one of our trips to St Petersburg we did manage to obtain our own tourist Visa....but did it using a good Visa service that knew their way around the Russian procedures. We did not need a hotel letter....but not sure how the Visa service pulled it off. On subsequent trips we have used local licensed tour providers, our favorite being TJ Tours...which was wonderful. There is no way I would take a big bus cruise tour. Our TJ tour was in a new Mercedes van (that had 20 seats) but we were only 10 on the tour (with an excellent guide). With such a small group we were able to have some fun wandering around town (Nevsky Prospekt) where we our group (none of us knew each other before the tour) voted on which local cafe we wanted to visit for lunch. TJ also arranged evening ballet tickets (for just the two of us) for less money then the crowded cruise line ballet tour...and we had better seats. They actually sent us our own car/driver to get to and from the ballet. Another excellent tour provider is Alla.

 

Hank

We are new to this and this is my first post so I hope that I am doing it correctly.

We are taking our first cruise in 25 years on the Regal Princess in June and contemplating taking the TJ Tours "All Highlights" two day tour with a ballet excursion in the evening. I was a bit nervous about determining if TJ Tours is a reputable company and if this was a good tour but I taking it from your post that you were happy with the value of the tour and the company. Any recommendations, Thanks