oh jetlag -- I am up again -- been up since 4:30 local time. At least it gives me plenty of time to write. So everyone coming into Russia needs a visa -- it's not cheap, for a tourist visa I paid $450. The application you fill out is long and asks such questions as listing your last 3 employers, with your boss' name, and the reasons for leaving ...makes me wonder why that's relevant. There are also questions asking whether you have training in nuclear or biological warfare, and whether you were ever involved in armed conflict - -I can see why those are relevant - -but it's still pretty bizarre. Once you get into Russia, within three days you have to register your visa with the police -- it costs $50, and you have to do it in every city you go to -- each time paying $50. In addition to you trying to figure out how to do all this, you need a copy of passport, a copy of your visa with the entry stamp in it, and a copy of the stamped immigration card they gave you when you enter the country. But where oh where are you, a foreigner, new in the country are supposed to make photocopies? There are no kinko's here, and while I am sure there is a Russian equivalent - how are you supposed to know that within the first 2 days. May I add, that people here are not exactly friendly and helpful to foreigners. So we were aimlessly wondering around Moscow, hoping to find a post office where they may make copies for us - but couldn't find one. Finally, we went into a bank, and my friend Laura who is here with me simply asked the bank teller to make us copies - clearly not the woman's job, or even remotely appropriate to ask her, but we were desperate -- and it worked.
BTW -- I would not worry at all about registering with the police, but apparently they give you a card when you do that, and without it they don't let you leave the country.
seems to me, there is no good reason for this policy -- sounds like a holdover from Communist times, when you had to keep track of foreigners ... and since it's just a money machine for them, they keep it going.
Interesting. Sure hoping that you and Laura get it all figured out and come back home to us! Praying for you!
ReplyDeleteFrustrating. I recall many hole-in-the-wall copy places - seriously just the area under the stairs in some apartment building, and someone is there all day making copies. So weird. My dad lost his "exit ticket" when he came to Romania. We had a few tense moments at the Hungarian border before they decided to let him out.
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