Russian Visa?

[ozankoys]

If anybody has obtained this whilst living full time in TRNC could they please advise the procedure we would like to visit St Petersburg later in the year
TIA

[paul90]

We are going to St Petersburg in July.
I approached the Russian Embassy in the RoC and they insisted that they would not issue Visas unless we left our passports with them for at least a week - meaning we could not cross back to the TRNC.
So we are going on a cruise from Stockholm that gives us three full days there on the ship's visa and takes in other cities such as Riga, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Tallin, Visby.

[ozankoys]

Thanks Paul we had similar problems with Indian Embassy the first time we went my husband had to go to Ankara to get the visas as ROC refused completely.
Second time ROC were obliged to do them but they were as obstructive as possible, we put our applications in one at time then crossed back to TRNC using copy passports previously authorised by TRNC police who were very helpful. It was such a palaver we do not want to consider going through it again!
Have never heard of a ‘Ship’s visa’ when we have cruised we have always had to get our own before embarking.
If anybody has further information we would appreciate it please.

[paul90]

See: http://www.saint-petersburg.com/russian ... assengers/

"Visas for cruise ship passengers

Cruise ship passengers visiting St. Petersburg - of which there are now almost half a million every year - do not need a Russian visa provided they are staying in the city for no longer than 72 hours. Therefore, if you book a cruise and St. Petersburg is one of the calls, you DO NOT NEED to get a Russian visa before you depart. However, travelling without a Russian visa does impose strict limitations on your time in St. Petersburg, so it's certainly worth considering the option of getting a Russian Travel Visa before you start your cruise.

The 72-hour exemption for cruise ship passengers does not mean that visitors have three days free in St. Petersburg. Not only will you have to sleep on the ship (not a problem for most cruise passengers), you will also have to be accompanied at all times on shore by a licensed tour guide. In other words, from the moment you leave the ship in the morning to the moment you step back on board in the evening, you will have to follow a pre-arranged schedule and will not have the opportunity to explore the city under your own steam. Cruise operators will expect their clients to book the St. Petersburg tours offered on-board or during booking. In fact, there are essentially three options for cruise passengers visiting St. Petersburg:"

[ozankoys]

Thanks for detailing the special visa arrangements for St Petersburg, make sure you get back on that ship at the appointed hour!