# Russian Embassy/Visa



## Lenochka

Dear All,
Many thanks for all the useful information so far...and the occasional smile by following some of the threads here....

I am in need of a visa to Russia. Anybody out there has 

a) address and contact details for the Russian Embassy in Dubai
b) a good contact who can help to arrange/speed things up eventually ?
(Russian Bureaucray has lots of room for improvement and certain contacts and
some "nice gestures" always help to speed things up.....

As I will be travelling around Jan 19/20 this is already rather urgent....

Many thanks for your help in advance and
have a nice weekend
Lenochka


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## Elphaba

Google is your friend for the basic info... 

Russian Consulate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates



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## Lenochka

Hi Elphaba,
many thanks....althought that's what I already found myself. Unfortunately, no surprise here though, nobody picks up on that line and, more importantly, there is no physical location visible. 

Hence my question if anybody knows the co-ordinates...and maybe even has some connections. 

Many thanks anyway and I just hope I manage somehow to get this visa done 
in a relatively painless way..

Regards
Marcel


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## crazymazy1980

Lenochka said:


> Hi Elphaba,
> many thanks....althought that's what I already found myself. Unfortunately, no surprise here though, nobody picks up on that line and, more importantly, there is no physical location visible.
> 
> Hence my question if anybody knows the co-ordinates...and maybe even has some connections.
> 
> Many thanks anyway and I just hope I manage somehow to get this visa done
> in a relatively painless way..
> 
> Regards
> Marcel


Russian Consulate is in Abu Dhabi

russian embassy, uae - Google Maps

To reach the Russian embassy in Abu Dhabi head towards the Royal Meridien hotel road intersection. Take a left turn (if the main hotel entrance is to your left) then make a right turn immediately after Bavaria coffee shop. Drive straight in the small road and find a parking when you reach the T-junction.

Google *Maps* is your friend


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## mymnmgfy

Dear Marcel

I may be able to help you with some info.

1)

The process for applying for a tourist visa (which is what I assume is what you need) is as follows:

a) You must be invited to visit the Russian Federation by a Russian entity (company or person). The easiest way to do this is through a travel/visa agency for a small $ fee. I have used visahouse ru successfully in the past - they take credit cards and generate the invitation online. They will email you the details (invitation # and, I think, a letter) in about 20 minutes.

b) You take the invitation number/letter to the consultate, complete some application forms, pay an application fee and drop off your passport/photos/invitation. You may also have to drop off some nonsense like a copy of your UAE residence permit but I doubt it (I admit that it has been a while since I applied for a Russian visa from the UAE, but the basic process is the same everywhere).

The amount of the fee depends on your citizenship, the type of visa, and how quickly you want it to be issued. The more you are willing to pay, the quicker it will be issued. In London, you can (used to?) be able to get it in an hour if you were willing to pay GBP200 or so.

c) When you get to Russia, you will need to "register" your visa. If you are staying in a hotel, they will do this for you automatically or for a nominal fee.

2)

According to the official website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MID), the Russian Consulate General in Dubai's contact details are as follows:

Phone 97142) 23-12-72
Fax 97142) 23-15-85 
Email [email protected] 

According to the russianhome (non-government) website for the Russian community in Dubai, the Consulate-General's details are:

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday, 1000 to 1330

Tel +971-4-223 12 72 
Fax: +971-4-223 15 85 
Address: Office # 307, Al Maidan Tower, Al Maktoum Road, Dubai, UAE 
General Consul: Sergei Alexeevich Krasnogor

3)

If you have not received any response in the last couple of days, it's probably because 07 Jan is Russian (Orthodox) New Year, which is a public holiday there, and a few days later on 14 Jan IIRC it's Russian New Year (although I am not sure if that is an official public holiday) . Many government institutions close for the first one or two weeks of January. 

I suspect if you are willing to pay a large enough processing fee, you will get your visa in time. (I am not talking about bribery).

PS sorry I can't post direct links to those websites I quoted above, I am a new member. But if you google, you will surely find them easily.


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## Lenochka

Hi mymnmgfy,
many thanks. I have to admit...really stupid of me that I have not thought about the Russian Holidays....I am perfectly aware of them.....

The process is also something I am aware of in general. however, I found, from applying to Russian Visas in other countries, that there is always a quicker way if you know someone who has a friend who knows someone....

so I will try to catch up with the process asap next week and will pay the necessary $$$ to get it on time...

many thanks and best regards
Marcel


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## tjj

*Abu Dhabi experience*

I used this forum a couple of days ago to get information on obtaining a Russian Visa from UAE. Many thanks to the previous contributors.
However there is one BIG issue that nobody appears to have mentioned previously and it has subsequently prevented me from taking my planned trip to Moscow tomorrow.
The invitation for visa part of the application can indeed be obtained on-line from organisations such as VisaHouse ... and once you have paid the $US65 they will send you the "invitation for visa" which you print out and take with the rest of the documentation to the Russian consulate. HOWEVER ... when you present the on-line version of the invitation for visa the official will immediately inform you that "THE RULES CLEARLY STATE THAT IT MUST BE ORIGINAL". So getting one of these invitations for visa on-line is apparently useless ... 
I'm not sure whether this is just a big scam, but why would a company issue on-line invitation for visas if they weren't going to be accepted at the consulate. Yes, maybe the Abu Dhabi consulate has different rules from Dubai but I suspect that it may be a general requirement. So ... beware.
TJJ


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## Richard on the move

*Visa/Invite letter to Russia, problems.*

Well for me it seems to be a somewhat frustrating process getting a Visa/Invite letter to Russia. The Russian Embassy has told me that wont except a letter of invite (unless its the original) from a on "online visa co". So as I see it this may make it a bit challenging to get this letter of invitation, as I have no contacts in Russia. 

Would anyone have any ideas for me as how I can get this 'Letter of Invitation"?


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## Jewles

Go to the airport, wait for a plane to arrive from russia and find a nice russian person to write one for you?


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## Richard on the move

Now that’s a practical idea. (buy that’s assuming I have the time to spare & to wait at the Airport, and I could speak Russia, “Nyet”!)

I'll pass on that one.


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## Lenochka

you can ask them to DHL/FEDEX it. This is what I've done. However, I finally got a one year multiple business visa.


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## Richard on the move

Cool! Thanks for the info, I'll try that!


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## Lenochka

Unless you know your way round, the best bet is probably book a flight/hotel with travel agent. Then the travel agent will handle the invitation with the hotel in Russia. I know my way round so I book flights but always stay private.


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## Richard on the move

Thanks I will also look in to that.


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## Lenochka

I strongly recommend that if you do not know your way round russian bureaucracy. It is also the cheapest way. If you organize the invitaiton yourself you will have to pay for the invitation itself, the fedex/tnt cost, the visa itself...and in order to get the visa you will need to go to the Russian Embassy.....pick up a form, fill it, go to a bank close to Russian Embassy, queue up...pay the visa fees in cash, take receipt, go back to Embassy and give them the prove you paid. Then 2-3 days later to back to Embassy pick up your passport...

easy way - go to Travel Agent. Book flight and hotel and hand over passport. Rest is done by Travel Agent. 

reason I do it myself is that my wife is Russian so I go frequently. Arrange a business visa via the office so I have to do the above ONCE a year...and that's it.


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