Licenses for Tour Guides in St. Pete?

[dana r.]

Is it difficult to get a license to become a tour guide in St. Pete?

 

In some countries like Greece, its more rigorous to get a license where you have to pass all these tests to demonstrate your knowledge. In other countries like the US, it doesn't seem like a tour guide needs to do anything like that.

 

I'm asking this question become it would determine how important which tour company you pick. If its just a rubber stamp to get a license, then it becomes more important to pick the right tour company.

 

But, if getting a license is more rigorous, then it seems less important about which tour company you pick as all the licensed guides will be good irregardless of which tour company they work for.

[Got2Cruise]

Is it difficult to get a license to become a tour guide in St. Pete?

 

In some countries like Greece, its more rigorous to get a license where you have to pass all these tests to demonstrate your knowledge. In other countries like the US, it doesn't seem like a tour guide needs to do anything like that.

 

I'm asking this question become it would determine how important which tour company you pick. If its just a rubber stamp to get a license, then it becomes more important to pick the right tour company.

 

But, if getting a license is more rigorous, then it seems less important about which tour company you pick as all the licensed guides will be good irregardless of which tour company they work for.

 

 

If you are on a cruise ship it is very important to use a reputable company. You want to be picked up on time and dropped off on time. Also what about the logistics of getting from one place to another in a safe and timely fashion all entrance fees and reservations met. Also I personally think personality makes a tour more enjoyable. Anyone can have the knowledge and pass a test. The guides who get the best feedback are given the choice assignments

[LondonTowner]

We did our tours with Alla Tours and during the conversation, the guide told us he had a history degree from SPB University. He had also passed exams in English, French, Japanese and was improving his Italian.

 

In most European countries to be an official guide you need to pass very rigorous exams, which also seems the case in SPB.

[Bollinge]

I would think that as these government licenced guides almost act as immigration officers, inasmuch that when you are accompanied by them you do not require a visa, the qualification would be very stringent. Maybe someone locally can inform us.

 

We have been sent our tickets, they seem very amateurish that I could have made on my own printer. All they asked for was our names, no passport details or dates of birth. However, we do know who we're dealing with, Len!

 

The licenced guide and visa-free tour status is only valid for travellers arriving by sea, staying over up to 72 hours and staying on the vessel of your arrival overnight. So they can count you in and out, and I don't think a guide's licence would last very long if he lost someone!

 

Moreover, it's only available at a few ports of call, the ones that spring to mind are SPB, Vladivostock, Sochi and there may be one or two others.

 

Don't know what the situation in Crimea is, now that Putin has nicked it from Ukraine, but we didn't need visas the last time we went. Not that any cruise ships are calling there now anyway! We have seen a lot of Black Sea cruise offers lately, visiting everywhere except Odessa, Yalta, Sevastopol, etc.

[dogs4fun]

 

We have been sent our tickets, they seem very amateurish that I could have made on my own printer. All they asked for was our names, no passport details or dates of birth.

Interesting. When we toured visa free via Alla, we had to provide our full legal names, DOB, passport number & nationality. I wonder what Russian immigration actually requires from cruise ship passengers.

[dana r.]

We have been sent our tickets, they seem very amateurish that I could have made on my own printer. All they asked for was our names, no passport details or dates of birth. However, we do know who we're dealing with, Len!

 

 

That's a red flag to me.

 

If that's not enough for immigraton, there could be a hold up because of it so you lose a lot of precious time because of that.

 

I wonder if your ticket looks the same as the other tickets other passengers use.

Edited April 22, 2015 by dana r.

[Pet Nit Noy]

Is it difficult to get a license to become a tour guide in St. Pete?... But, if getting a license is more rigorous, then it seems less important about which tour company you pick as all the licensed guides will be good irregardless of which tour company they work for.

 

I think the licensing procedure measures subject matter knowledge than time management or reliability. Many companies are good in those departments, and those names get mentioned often.

 

I think there are quite a number of good options based on knowledge, time management, and reliability, but I think the picture changes in the area of customization. Some are willing and others refuse and still others set limits to the amount of customization they'll do.

 

For some cruisers, the standard tours described on each company's web site is a perfect fit so the issue of customization is irrelevant. For other cruisers (e.g. cruisers who are heavily into photography or cruisers making return visits) lack of willingness to customize an itinerary is a deal breaker.

 

Continue to read the board, paying attention to what posters say about the various tour companies.

[Pet Nit Noy]

We have been sent our tickets, they seem very amateurish that I could have made on my own printer. All they asked for was our names, no passport details or dates of birth.

 

There's nothing amateurish about the appearance of our tour tickets, but there are no passport or DOB information on those tour tickets. However, I was asked -- and have supplied that information.

 

Here's what our tour company wrote us to let us know what to expect:

"According to the Russian law regarding the non-visa cruise passengers the proper documents are:

 

1) A valid passport, 2) A photo copy of your passport 3) A proof of your participation in a tour program arranged by a licensed and authorized operator. First two you shall provide yourself, and the third one shall be provided by us. "

 

Since I'll be showing a valid passport and will be prepared to, presumably, leave a photo copy of our passport with passport control, I don't see any fatal flaw with the appearance of your ticket. I sure would ask the company why they haven't yet asked for Passport info. Perhaps your company's procedures getsthis information closer to the tour date. I vaguely recall our tour company saying the information was needed six weeks prior to the port call.

[dogs4fun]

There's nothing amateurish about the appearance of our tour tickets, but there are no passport or DOB information on those tour tickets. However, I was asked -- and have supplied that information.

Here's what our tour company wrote us to let us know what to expect:

"According to the Russian law regarding the non-visa cruise passengers the proper documents are:

 

1) A valid passport, 2) A photo copy of your passport 3) A proof of your participation in a tour program arranged by a licensed and authorized operator. First two you shall provide yourself, and the third one shall be provided by us. "

 

Since I'll be showing a valid passport and will be prepared to, presumably, leave a photo copy of our passport with passport control, I don't see any fatal flaw with the appearance of your ticket. I sure would ask the company why they haven't yet asked for Passport info. Perhaps your company's procedures getsthis information closer to the tour date. I vaguely recall our tour company saying the information was needed six weeks prior to the port call.

 

Yes, same for us - we needed to provide the information to our tour company but our actual tour tickets did not have our passport numbers on them - just our names, name of our ship, date of tour, etc.

I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that when the immigration officer looked us up on his computer, our passport information was already in the immigration database as Alla had already sent the information to immigration at the cruise port.

The immigration officer stamped our passports, gave us an immigration card (already completed by computer), returned our tour tickets & sent us on our way. If, I remember correctly, the first time that we arrived in St. Pete via cruise ship we had to fill-out our own migration cards - the last time we cruised into St. Pete, these were no longer required.

When I arrived last fall by air (with visa), we were given the migration card aboard the plane prior to landing & had to present it to immigration at LED. Had to present both the migration card & registration (we were there for a month) when we left LED.

[dana r.]

There's nothing amateurish about the appearance of our tour tickets, but there are no passport or DOB information on those tour tickets. However, I was asked -- and have supplied that information.

 

Here's what our tour company wrote us to let us know what to expect:

"According to the Russian law regarding the non-visa cruise passengers the proper documents are:

 

1) A valid passport, 2) A photo copy of your passport 3) A proof of your participation in a tour program arranged by a licensed and authorized operator. First two you shall provide yourself, and the third one shall be provided by us. "

 

Why do you need to provide both a valid passport and a photo copy of the same passport? Seems a bit redundant?

[Pet Nit Noy]

Why do you need to provide both a valid passport and a photo copy of the same passport? Seems a bit redundant?

 

I assume I'll surrender the photo copy of my passport the first day we pass through immigration control. What I don't know is whether or not I'll have to present the original of my passport on subsequent days of touring. Frankly, I hope the copy of the passport will be sufficient since I really feel anxious walking around with my passport despite neck wallets and vigilance. I'd much rather leave our passports in the ship's safe.