[Vision2020] Russia's Changing Visa Rules

[Dick Schmidt]

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Because I am doing genealogy research in Russia I get information on =
what is happening there. This article is from the Moscow Times =
explaining how much more difficult Putin and his thugs have made it to =
travel in Russis. I cheered yesterday when the Russian Navy had a huge =
failure in a missle demonstration and Putin was there watching all =
dressed up in his little sailor suit!

Dick Schmidt

Moscow Times
February 12, 2004
Changing Visa Rules Creating Hassles
By Kevin O'Flynn
Staff Writer

Expats, tourists and companies with foreign employees face a few more =
visa
and registration hurdles that promise to create more paperwork -- and
headaches.

The new rules, which came into force over the past couple of weeks,
appear to be an attempt to keep closer track of foreigners, particularly =
the
large number from other former Soviet republics who live and work =
illegally in
Russia.

Officials responsible for visa and registration regulations are =
notoriously
inaccessible to the media, and none could be reached for comment about
the new rules. But lawyers and visa agencies, whose livelihoods depend =
on
understanding the rules, explained the changes. Many of them spoke on
condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to antagonize
the authorities.

The simplest and perhaps least-welcome change is in registration.
Expatriates and tourists staying in a private apartment now need a =
letter
of permission from their landlord and anyone else registered in the =
flat.

The landlord has to go to the local maintenance department, known by its
Russian acronym DEZ, and get the document officially stamped. The rules
leave it unclear whether just the landlord or all the people registered
in the apartment have to go to the DEZ office.

Getting the DEZ stamp could be difficult -- DEZ offices are known for
keeping erratic hours, and one visa agent said a client -- a landlord --
recently went to his local DEZ office and learned that no one there was
aware of the new rules.

This change was prompted by numerous cases of people being registered in
apartments where they never lived and without the knowledge of those
actually registered there, said a representative of Infinity Travel,
which offers visa services.

"They're probably just trying to track foreigners more closely and are
looking for tax revenues," another visa agent said.

A second new rule is that a foreigner must register his place of =
residence
at the OVIR office handling passports and visas nearest to his =
apartment.
Before, foreigner registrations were handled at the central OVIR office.
Local OVIR offices are housed in local police stations, and they
previously only dealt with registering foreign students.

This promises to create a logistical nightmare for companies with large
foreign staffs. For example, a company with 50 foreign employees
previously was able to take all the documents to one place, the central =
office on
Ulitsa Pokrovka. Now it has to visit an untold number of local OVIR =
offices.

Complicating matters, the registration -- which is issued for a maximum
of six months at a time for all visas but work visas -- is now being =
stamped
on the migration card that everyone fills out when arriving in Russia.
This
means that those with business visas have to get re-registered every =
time
they leave and return to Russia, as border officials remove the =
migration
card every time foreigners leave the country.

"For a businessman who perhaps leaves and goes back to Russian 50 times =
a
year, this is a problem," said Sergei Melnikov, a lawyer at the law firm
Your Lawyer.

The Russian Embassy in The Hague, the Netherlands, recommends that
foreigners avoid this hassle by keeping photocopies of their migration
cards in their passport that they can give border officials when they
leave the country.

Two other new rules -- these involving one-year multi-entry business
visas and tourist visas -- also will create difficulties for foreigners, =
but
they appear to be part of a drive to adopt international standards. The
authorities are trying to make sure that a foreigner carrying one type =
of
visa is in Russia doing exactly what that visa entitles him to.

As such, a foreigner working here must have a work visa -- not a =
one-year
multi-entry visa as in years past. Those with one-year multi-entry visas
which are for business travelers -- can no longer stay in the country
longer than 180 days in one stretch. So foreigners used to going once a
year to renew their visas now have to leave and then re-enter the =
country
at least every six months.

A reason the work visa was shunned was because it typically takes four
months to obtain --an unacceptable delay for many businesses. The visa
also is single entry, meaning a foreigner cannot leave the country and =
return
later with the same visa. Furthermore, it requires that the holder apply
for an exit permit 45 days in advance of his planned departure.

The authorities now are promising to give foreigners with work visas the
documentation needed to come and go as many times as they want within 20
days of their arrival.

As for travelers with tourist visas, they now must also go through the
registration rigmarole -- the DEZ letter and a visit to the local OVIR
office, or pay a tourist agency to do this. The rule does not apply to
tourists staying at hotels.

"They [the rules] are just not suitable for foreign tourists," a travel
agency official said. "I feel sorry for people who have to do this."

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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Because I am doing genealogy research =
in Russia I=20
get information on what is happening there. This article is from the =
<EM>Moscow=20
Times</EM> explaining how much more difficult Putin and his thugs have =
made it=20
to travel in Russis. I cheered yesterday when the Russian Navy had a =
huge=20
failure in a missle demonstration and Putin was there watching all =
dressed up in=20
his little sailor suit!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Dick Schmidt</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><BR><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Moscow Times<BR>February 12, =
2004<BR>Changing=20
Visa Rules Creating Hassles<BR>By Kevin O'Flynn<BR>Staff =
Writer<BR><BR>Expats,=20
tourists and companies with foreign employees face a few more =
visa<BR>and=20
registration hurdles that promise to create more paperwork --=20
and<BR>headaches.<BR><BR>The new rules, which came into force over the =
past=20
couple of weeks,<BR>appear to be an attempt to keep closer track of =
foreigners,=20
particularly the<BR>large number from other former Soviet republics who =
live and=20
work illegally in<BR>Russia.<BR><BR>Officials responsible for visa and=20
registration regulations are notoriously<BR>inaccessible to the media, =
and none=20
could be reached for comment about<BR>the new rules. But lawyers and =
visa=20
agencies, whose livelihoods depend on<BR>understanding the rules, =
explained the=20
changes. Many of them spoke on<BR>condition of anonymity, saying they =
did not=20
want to antagonize<BR>the authorities.<BR><BR>The simplest and perhaps=20
least-welcome change is in registration.<BR>Expatriates and tourists =
staying in=20
a private apartment now need a letter<BR>of permission from their =
landlord and=20
anyone else registered in the flat.<BR><BR>The landlord has to go to the =
local=20
maintenance department, known by its<BR>Russian acronym DEZ, and get the =

document officially stamped. The rules<BR>leave it unclear whether just =
the=20
landlord or all the people registered<BR>in the apartment have to go to =
the DEZ=20
office.<BR><BR>Getting the DEZ stamp could be difficult -- DEZ offices =
are known=20
for<BR>keeping erratic hours, and one visa agent said a client -- a =
landlord=20
--<BR>recently went to his local DEZ office and learned that no one =
there=20
was<BR>aware of the new rules.<BR><BR>This change was prompted by =
numerous cases=20
of people being registered in<BR>apartments where they never lived and =
without=20
the knowledge of those<BR>actually registered there, said a =
representative of=20
Infinity Travel,<BR>which offers visa services.<BR><BR>"They're probably =
just=20
trying to track foreigners more closely and are<BR>looking for tax =
revenues,"=20
another visa agent said.<BR><BR>A second new rule is that a foreigner =
must=20
register his place of residence<BR>at the OVIR office handling passports =
and=20
visas nearest to his apartment.<BR>Before, foreigner registrations were =
handled=20
at the central OVIR office.<BR>Local OVIR offices are housed in local =
police=20
stations, and they<BR>previously only dealt with registering foreign=20
students.<BR><BR>This promises to create a logistical nightmare for =
companies=20
with large<BR>foreign staffs. For example, a company with 50 foreign=20
employees<BR>previously was able to take all the documents to one place, =
the=20
central office on<BR>Ulitsa Pokrovka. Now it has to visit an untold =
number of=20
local OVIR offices.<BR><BR>Complicating matters, the registration -- =
which is=20
issued for a maximum<BR>of six months at a time for all visas but work =
visas --=20
is now being stamped<BR>on the migration card that everyone fills out =
when=20
arriving in Russia.<BR>This<BR>means that those with business visas have =
to get=20
re-registered every time<BR>they leave and return to Russia, as border =
officials=20
remove the migration<BR>card every time foreigners leave the=20
country.<BR><BR>"For a businessman who perhaps leaves and goes back to =
Russian=20
50 times a<BR>year, this is a problem," said Sergei Melnikov, a lawyer =
at the=20
law firm<BR>Your Lawyer.<BR><BR>The Russian Embassy in The Hague, the=20
Netherlands, recommends that<BR>foreigners avoid this hassle by keeping=20
photocopies of their migration<BR>cards in their passport that they can =
give=20
border officials when they<BR>leave the country.<BR><BR>Two other new =
rules --=20
these involving one-year multi-entry business<BR>visas and tourist visas =
-- also=20
will create difficulties for foreigners, but<BR>they appear to be part =
of a=20
drive to adopt international standards. The<BR>authorities are trying to =
make=20
sure that a foreigner carrying one type of<BR>visa is in Russia doing =
exactly=20
what that visa entitles him to.<BR><BR>As such, a foreigner working here =
must=20
have a work visa -- not a one-year<BR>multi-entry visa as in years past. =
Those=20
with one-year multi-entry visas<BR>which are for business travelers -- =
can no=20
longer stay in the country<BR>longer than 180 days in one stretch. So =
foreigners=20
used to going once a<BR>year to renew their visas now have to leave and =
then=20
re-enter the country<BR>at least every six months.<BR><BR>A reason the =
work visa=20
was shunned was because it typically takes four<BR>months to obtain --an =

unacceptable delay for many businesses. The visa<BR>also is single =
entry,=20
meaning a foreigner cannot leave the country and return<BR>later with =
the same=20
visa. Furthermore, it requires that the holder apply<BR>for an exit =
permit 45=20
days in advance of his planned departure.<BR><BR>The authorities now are =

promising to give foreigners with work visas the<BR>documentation needed =
to come=20
and go as many times as they want within 20<BR>days of their =
arrival.<BR><BR>As=20
for travelers with tourist visas, they now must also go through=20
the<BR>registration rigmarole -- the DEZ letter and a visit to the local =

OVIR<BR>office, or pay a tourist agency to do this. The rule does not =
apply=20
to<BR>tourists staying at hotels.<BR><BR>"They [the rules] are just not =
suitable=20
for foreign tourists," a travel<BR>agency official said. "I feel sorry =
for=20
people who have to do this."<BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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