Bubba54 Posted February 18, 2019 #1 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Hey all experienced cruisers. I have a question regarding Russian Visas . I know there is the 72 hour cruise ship Tavel visa waiver. I know you need a visa if you plan on staying in Russia. Here my question, if you debark the ship in St Petersburg and take the ships transfer straight to the airport. Do you need to obtain a visa or would you fall into the 72 hour waiver. any help opinions will be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi13 Posted February 19, 2019 #2 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Haven't boarded or disembarked at a Russian port, so this is simply a best guess. Since the local tour companies or ship tours do not require a Visa, as the tour ticket is presented at Immigration and functions as a temporary visa. I would hope if the airport transfer is arranged by the cruise line that your transfer ticket should also count as a temporary visa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SbbquilterUT Posted February 19, 2019 #3 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Are you taking a river or ocean cruise? That would have to be answered by the cruise line. We are flying in to Moscow for a river cruise, therefore need a Russian visa due to arrival by plane rather than on a cruise ship. Departing from St. Petersburg we will need our passport/visa for clearance at the airport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
napoxoguk Posted February 19, 2019 #4 Share Posted February 19, 2019 (edited) My *guess* (at about 99.99% confidence level) would be you can't do that - the 72hr waiver rule applies to passengers that ARRIVE and LEAVE via the port. The airport passport control will simply not let you through - in their book, you would not have the paperwork to prove you're in the country legally. Long story short, if you debark the ship for good, you need a visa - it could be a transit Visa, but you still need one. Edited February 19, 2019 by napoxoguk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogs4fun Posted February 19, 2019 #5 Share Posted February 19, 2019 15 hours ago, Bubba54 said: Hey all experienced cruisers. I have a question regarding Russian Visas . I know there is the 72 hour cruise ship Tavel visa waiver. I know you need a visa if you plan on staying in Russia. Here my question, if you debark the ship in St Petersburg and take the ships transfer straight to the airport. Do you need to obtain a visa or would you fall into the 72 hour waiver. any help opinions will be appreciated. You absolutely must have a visa if you depart Russia by any means other than a cruise ship. The 72 hour visa free rule applies only to passengers arriving and departing via cruise ship (or ferry). If you intend to fly home, then you must have a visa (I have one as I fly into Russia). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted February 19, 2019 #6 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Curious what ship ends the cruise in SPB? Where does the cruise start? I see Princess have some that start & end in SPB so a VISA will be required to enter for embarkation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba54 Posted February 20, 2019 Author #7 Share Posted February 20, 2019 Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogs4fun Posted February 20, 2019 #8 Share Posted February 20, 2019 4 hours ago, Bubba54 said: Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your responses. Below is a link to site that I use to procure my Russian visas: https://ils-usa.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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