Russia country information

Russian Federation
Area: 17,075,400 sq km
Population: 142,008,838
Population density: 8.3 per sq km
Capital: Moscow

Passport & Visa

Passport Required?
British	Yes
Australian	Yes
Canadian	Yes
USA	Yes
Other EU	Yes
Visa Required?
British	Yes
Australian	Yes
Canadian	Yes
USA	Yes
Other EU	Yes

Passports

Passport valid for six months after the visa expires and with at least two blank pages required by all nationals referred to in the chart above.

Visas

Travel visas to Russia and passports for US citizens.

Required by all nationals referred to in the chart above except:
(a) transit passengers who are continuing their journey within 24 hours without leaving the airport transit area.

Visa Note

(a) Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.
(b) Those who are travelling in groups and tours should submit all documentation to the tour operator making the travel arrangements. For visits to relatives/friends in Russia, enquire at the consulate for details of application procedures.
(c) All travellers staying in the Russian Federation for longer than three days must register their visas within three working days of arrival with the local branch of the Ministry of the Interior. Most major hotels will do this automatically. Private visitors must register with local police on arrival.
(d) All visitors requiring visas are advised to carry their visa registration documents with them during their stay in the Russian Federation.
(e) All visitors must have confirmed accommodation or transit information for every night of their stay in the Russian Federation.
(f) Nationals of the Schengen states, Estonia and Israel are required to submit travel insurance documents with their visa applications.
(g) Nationals of France may be required to submit bank statements for the last three months, return tickets and travel insurance documents with their visa applications.
(h) USA passport holders are required to fill in a special visa application form.
(i) Nationals applying for a multiple-entry/working/student visa must also submit a HIV certificate.

Types of Visa and Cost

Tourist: £50 (single-entry, minimum five days processing); £100 (single-entry, next day processing); £65 (double-entry, minimum five days processing); £130 (double-entry, same day processing). Business: £100 (single-entry, minimum five days processing); £200 (single-entry, next day processing); £130 (double-entry, minimum five days processing); £250 (double-entry, next day processing).

Costs given are for British nationals. Prices may vary for other nationalities. Check with your nearest embassy.

Validity

Business: up to 90 days; Multiple-entry: six or 12 months with unlimited entries/exits; Tourist: maximum of 30 days.

Applications to:

Consulate (or consular section at embassy).

Working Days Required

Depending on nationality, type of visa and amount paid (see above). Postal applications usually take 10 working days.

Getting there

Getting There by Air

The national airline is Aeroflot (SU) ( www.aeroflot.com ).

Approximate Flight Times

From London to Moscow is 3 hours 50 minutes, and to St Petersburg is 3 hours 25 minutes.

Main Airports

Moscow Domodedovo (DME) ( www.domodedovo.ru ) is 48km (25 miles) southeast of Moscow. To/from the airport: An Aeroexpress train goes from Moscow's Paveletsky Station to the airport (journey time - 40 to 50 minutes). Express buses and a 24-hour shuttle service are also available. Two official taxi firms operate at the airport. Facilities: Duty-free, shops and restaurants.

St Petersburg (LED) (Pulkovo) ( www.pulkovoairport.ru ) is 17km (10.5 miles) south of the city. To/from the airport: Buses are available to the city centre frequently throughout the day (journey time - 50 minutes). Taxis are also available (journey time - 40 minutes). Facilities: Banks/bureaux de change, flight information, duty-free shops, restaurant, bar, snack bar, left luggage and first aid.

http://www.caspianferry.ru/en/routs.htm

Departure Tax

None.

Getting There by Rail

There are various connections from London. The main route is: London-Brussels-Cologne/Berlin-Moscow/St Petersburg. The journey from London to Brussels can be made by a variety of train and ferry services (including via Eurostar), or via the Channel Tunnel. There is a sleeper service from Cologne to Moscow.

The Moskva Express runs from Berlin to Moscow. There are through trains or coaches from other Western and nearly all Eastern European capitals, from CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries, and from China (PR), Mongolia and Turkey.

Getting There by Road

Foreign tourists may drive their own cars or may hire cars. Those entering by car should have their visas registered at the hotel, motel or campsite where they will stay for the first night, and must also ensure that the car registration number is recorded in the visa. Travellers driving their own vehicle will get a temporary permit from customs to be able to use their car legally in Russia. Travellers should also insure their vehicle with Ingosstrakh, which has offices at all crossing points and in most major cities, and to purchase service coupons at the border. A road tax is payable upon entry to the country.

The following crossing points between Finland and the Russian Federation are available: Vaalima-Torfianovska; Nuijamaa-Brusnichnoye; and Rajajooseppi-Lotta. There are also crossing points between the Russian Federation and all neighbouring countries although, at present, there are restrictions on cross-border travel to Azerbaijan and Georgia.

There are numerous and excellent road links with neighbouring countries: Eurolines (tel: 08705 143219; www.eurolines.com ) runs regular coach services from other European countries to the Russian Federation. Travellers can buy a 15- or 30-day pass.

Cycling & Maps

Cost of living

Russian Federation: all prices in Russian Rubles (RUB)

drinks and snacks			food: local markets; restaurants; and stores
water (mineral) juice soft drink (can) soft drink (bottle)	1 litre 1 litre 300ml 1 litre	15 26 tba 20-40	bread loaf-white bread loaf-whole grain	700g 750g	31 40
			local market food cheap restaurant meal pizza-takeaway	one serving one serving one serving med	tba tba 120-200 tba
beer-local wine	330ml 750ml	20 150
tea coffee (cafe / bar) Nescafe instant coffee-ground	25 bags per cup 125g 500g	40 80-120 80 100	rice (white) pasta eggs tinned tomatoes	kg 500g per dozen 250g	30-40 15 40 20
milk yoghurt / curd cheese Magnum icecream	1 litre 200g kg each	15-40 10-20 150+ tba	potatoes onions tomatoes green beans	kg kg kg kg	14-25 20 50-80 55
chips salted peanuts dried apricots	200g pack kg kg	tba tba tba	apples oranges bananas	kg kg kg	120 90 30
cornflakes chocolate biscuits-plain biscuits-chocolate	375g pack 100g block 200g pack 200g pack	100 20 20 30+	pineapple (can) oil (corn)	500g can 500ml	35 18
			peanut paste jam	500g jar 400g jar	tba 55

accommodation			personal
budget city hostel	550 rub per dorm bed 2000 double share bath		deodorant - roll-on soap shampoo toothbrush toothpaste disposable razor toilet paper	50ml 150g bar 200ml each 100ml 5 pack each	50-80 15 80 tba 40- 60 45 tba
camping smaller campsites	2.00 per person
internet	60-120 per hour

* tba = price to be announced
* January 2009: at time of writing 1.00 USD = 36.12 RUB
all prices have been taken from internet resources such as wikitravel, hostel world, leading supermarket chains, travel blogs, forums and of course our own travel experiences and purchases of everyday products in food markets, bazaars and local shopping facilities. Items are geared towards the budget conscious traveller with an occasional craving for a bit of luxury. They are only an indication and designed to give a general impression of the cost of living in the Russian Federation.

Source:www.exchange-rates.org