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Russia #21218
07/12/2013 04:04 PM
07/12/2013 04:04 PM
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 62
L
ladygirl Offline OP
Traveler
ladygirl  Offline OP
Traveler
L
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 62
My husband and I will be visiting a number of Baltic countries beginning next week. As part of our travel plans we will be taking a short cruise from Finland to Russia. I believe we do not need a visa if we are taking a pre-arranged cruise tour from the ship. But if we plan to get off the boat to independently explore we need a visa. I was recently told that a passport and ship's boarding pass are considered legal documentation if the visit is less than 72 hours and a visa is not needed. Does anyone know if this is true or not? I'm getting conflicting information on this. Thanks.

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Re: Russia [Re: ladygirl] #21219
07/13/2013 09:04 AM
07/13/2013 09:04 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 11,585
Eric_Hill Offline

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Eric_Hill  Offline

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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 11,585
I believe you are correct, that you need a visa if you are not part of a paid shore excursion from the ship.

This is from a Visit Russia website:

Quote
Cruise Passengers

Cruise ship passengers can currently visit Russia on visa-waiver scheme provided the stop in the port of call doesn't exceed 72 hours and tourists stay overnight on board the cruise ship.

Cruise passengers may disembark from the ship without a tourist visa if they participate on tours organized by travel companies. Passengers not participating on tours and wishing to disembark will need to obtain a Russia tourist visa.

Cruise passengers cannot obtain a visa in Russia. Visas are issued in the country of residence before departure.


Eric Hill
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Re: Russia [Re: Eric_Hill] #21220
07/13/2013 08:44 PM
07/13/2013 08:44 PM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 158
C
CJIMI Offline
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CJIMI  Offline
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C
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 158
We are going to Saint Petersburg, on our own, at the end of August. We are flying to Helsinki, and then taking the train. It took a little over 3 weeks to get our visas. Our application was held up, because I did not put our full middle names on the visa application. You can get a visa quicker, but you will pay a lot extra for expedited processing. Good luck. Jim

Re: Russia [Re: CJIMI] #21221
07/17/2013 11:59 AM
07/17/2013 11:59 AM
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 965
Middleton, Florida
SMC_Irish_68 Offline
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SMC_Irish_68  Offline
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 965
Middleton, Florida

Instead of our cruise ship's shore excursions, we booked a 2-day private tour for four people with SPB Tours. It is a licensed tour company and it is outstanding. We had a private driver and tour guide and it was cheaper than if we had booked separate tours through the ship.
Here's a link:
http://www.spb-tours.com/st-petersburg/en/node

I booked with SPB after reading numerous positive reports online.

Karen


Moderated by  Eric_Hill 

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