Visas For St Petersburg

[Jimmys Chippy]

Are visas always required for UK passport holders when visiting St Petersburg? I know my Dad went on a cruise there and because he took the cruiselines shore excursion they weren't needed and I wondered if that's still the case. I'd rather explore myself but the cost of the visas (and there will be four of us) will be quite a hefty price.

[Mines]

It is still the same. You do not need a visa for an officially recognised shore excursion, but you do if you want to wander off on your own. The visa must be obtained in advance from the Russian Embassy.

[Jimmys Chippy]

Thanks for that Mr/Mrs Mines.

[jcouple]

You can also search Google for 'visa waiver St.Petersburg'. We were also worried about our visas at the beginning, especially after the ship warnings about visa regulations in Russia.

[little britain]

Are visas always required for UK passport holders when visiting St Petersburg? I know my Dad went on a cruise there and because he took the cruiselines shore excursion they weren't needed and I wondered if that's still the case. I'd rather explore myself but the cost of the visas (and there will be four of us) will be quite a hefty price.

No, if you take the ship's tours you do not need a visa. If you take a private tour with a Russian registered tour guide you do not need a visa. You will see many mentions on this site of Alla, DenRus and Red October - these are the Russian guides. Personally we took Alla and would happily recommend her and her guides to anyone, it was fabulous and worked out at a fraction of the cruise tour price. You also did not have to 'herd' around in busses and stop for potty-stops every 10 mins.

If you want to go yourself then you need a visa. However it is not a tourist friendly port - taxis are not even allowed in the port area so even to get to the port gates you have to take the rusty green bus that takes the port workers around - you need to speak Russian! If you can't then I wouldn't bother going to the effort.

[lynncarol]

We used Alla (loved the tour) and had no visa except her "official invitation". However, one of the women at our dinner table became very ill and was off-loaded by ambulance in St. Petersburg. Since they were planning to take the ship tour, neither had a visa. Without one, her husband had a terrible time getting through the Russian immigration to visit her in the hospital and only the intervention of the ambulance driver, as well as a hefty "contribution" to the authorities allowed him to accompany her to the hospital.

[roysmith99]

Hi folks,

 

Being boring I have to say. "do not take advice from here".

 

YOU MUST check with your government advice website.

 

I can assure you the Russian government will not accept any excuse such as "we heard it from Cruise Critic".

 

 

.

[Mary Ellen]

Hi folks,

 

Being boring I have to say. "do not take advice from here".

 

YOU MUST check with your government advice website.

 

I can assure you the Russian government will not accept any excuse such as "we heard it from Cruise Critic".

Why would there be any information on the US or UK government websites? They only care about the requirements to enter their own countries. It would be the Russian government that would have the only say about what is needed to enter their country. ;)

[little britain]

Hi folks,

 

Being boring I have to say. "do not take advice from here".

 

YOU MUST check with your government advice website.

 

I can assure you the Russian government will not accept any excuse such as "we heard it from Cruise Critic".

 

 

.

Well I did NOT have to get a visa for my 2-day tour with Alla - and there will be thousands (OK perhaps hundreds) of people on this board who will say exactly the same about their private tour.

 

We were emailed a sheet, divided into 4 coupons for the two of us. Each coupon had the date on, We handed over the coupon for the appropriate date, our passport, and our copy of the passport photo page, we got a red laminated card in return and then we were through.

 

As for your insistance of checking with the UK passport authorities - they are not always correct! If you check out the FCO site for entry into Turkey they say that a visa is needed on arrival - and this is not true as you do not need a visa if you enter on a cruise ship for 24 hrs.

 

I rest my case!

[Mines]

As for your insistance of checking with the UK passport authorities - they are not always correct! If you check out the FCO site for entry into Turkey they say that a visa is needed on arrival - and this is not true as you do not need a visa if you enter on a cruise ship for 24 hrs.

 

I rest my case!

 

Technically you do need a passport to get into Turkey, even if you are on a cruie ship. What you are doing is buying a temporary visa (valid for 24 hours) that is issued at the port.