Visas Required?

[MargaritaPlease]

We're doing a Baltic cruise this summer with the following ports:

 

• Stockholm
  
• Helsinki
  
• St. Petersberg
  
• Tallinn
  
• Riga
  

 

Seems at least STP requires a visa if you want to get off the ship and wonder about on your own without a tour guide.

 

What's the best way to obtain a visa for St. Pete?

 

Do any of the other ports require Visas if we want to tour on our own?

Edited February 22, 2015 by MargaritaPlease
Messy format.

[Ultima Thule]

Do any of the other ports require Visas if we want to tour on our own?

 

Assuming you are a U.S. citizen, the answer is no.

 

See also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_United_States_citizens

Edited February 22, 2015 by Ultima Thule

[Giantfan13]

We're doing a Baltic cruise this summer with the following ports:

 

• Stockholm
  
• Helsinki
  
• St. Petersberg
  
• Tallinn
  
• Riga
  

 

Seems at least STP requires a visa if you want to get off the ship and wonder about on your own without a tour guide.

 

What's the best way to obtain a visa for St. Pete?

 

Do any of the other ports require Visas if we want to tour on our own?

 

John

 

Glad to hear you have booked a Baltics cruise.

 

If you are an American citizen you do not need any visa for any of the ports you will visit, EXCEPT St Petersburg. There you do need a visa. Most people here have booked tours thru private tour companies based in St Petersburg and if you book with them, they supply the temporary visa for you. if you book a ship's excursion, they also supply a temporary visa for you. With these temporary visas, you are required to stay with your guide, or group and cannot tour the city on your own. If you want to do that then you have to go thru the process of getting your own visa for yourself and whomever is traveling with you. A very complicated and costly process for Americans.

 

This subject has been covered many, many times on this forum. Do a search or just scroll thru the past few pages and you will find several threads explaining the process and why most people feel a private tour is the way to go.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[dogs4fun]

 

What's the best way to obtain a visa for St. Pete?

 

Do any of the other ports require Visas if we want to tour on our own?

 

As Len said, most people choose to hire an independent tour company to tour St. Petersburg - especially if it is their first time to St. Petersburg with a very limited amount of time in port. On my first cruise to St. Petersburg, I, too, hired a private tour company & had a wonderful time.

Having said that, I recently visited Russia for an extended stay & toured on my own - loved doing exactly what I wished & enjoyed the locals immensely. If you are one of those intrepid souls who prefers to DIY, St. Petersburg is not a difficult city to navigate.

 

I obtained my visa through ILS. Link is below:

http://ils-usa.com/main.php

 

As previously noted, no visas are required for your other ports.

Edited February 22, 2015 by dogs4fun