Yes, it’s true that’s where I want to go next. For a concert too (surprise, surprise). It’s going to be a summer of concerts between the Scorpions final touring year and Iron Maiden touring North America at the very same time.
To complicate matters – months ago I bought a ticket to see the Scorpions in St. Petersburg, Russia. The initial plan was to go to a few concerts in France and then head to the place I’ve always wanted to go to, but will be very lost. BUT the process is daunting to say the least and last week when I made a trip to the Russian Consulate I was DENIED for the most stupid reason ever and now I have to return.
Whoa ahead of myself again. So here is the deal, to go to Russia you need a Visa. To get a Visa you need a few things, application, health insurance, information on why you are going and pretty much your life history on paper. Oh I can’t forget this either – you need an INVITATION to visit Russia. Oh that’s fun. Oh yes and payment, which has to be in the form of a certified cheque or money order.
So, first step – concert ticket – check. (That was the most fun thing ever, trying to figure out everything on the forms because it’s all in Russian – but it went through and supposedly I will have a ticket to pick up when I get there.)
To get an invitation to visit Russia you can either go through a random company you find online who does those things for a fee in which I have read that they cause problems with the visa approval process OR if your hotel can do it if they are established as an agency that can do so. The kicker here is that in order for the hotel to process the invitation you need to make a reservation. (Maybe I’m strange, but usually I reserve my flights before a hotel, so this was a bit backwards for me.) Also getting travel insurance first is kinda funny too.
Anyhoo the invitation was the start of my delays. It took the hotel longer than expected to get me my invitation, but I finally got it. Not that I quite understood it and found it very difficult to find the actual number I needed, but at least I can visually see St. Petersburg in Russian and know that it’s St. Petersburg. (Hey baby steps in this new language!)
So then I got everything else needed, photo, money order for what they said I needed to pay (more on that soon), filled out the form of doom. I mean really, my previous employers? I can understand that they want you to be employed somewhere and all, but you go ahead and call my previous employers they will get a kick out of it. 🙂 I got everything I needed and then had to wait for the weather to cooperate here in Canada before making the 2+ hour trip to Montreal.
Unfortunately they are only open from 9am – noon every day, so I was delayed. I arrived at perhaps 11:15 or so, just waiting in line with the 3 people ahead of me, thinking to myself “They are going to kick me out at noon, I know it!” Well, I thought I predicted my doom but at noon I managed to proudly hand over my application. I thought I even was on good terms with the guy when I told him I didn’t staple or tape my photo as I didn’t know what they wanted me to do, he nodded his approval as he got the glue stick out. He wrote a bunch of things in red (which I giggled to myself but then thought, is that bad?) on my application, asked a few questions then said “Everything looks in order for your application. Now about the payment.”
/facepalm
So because I have a US passport (and not Canadian), the fees are different. This isn’t mentioned anywhere. In fact he didn’t bring up the different fees on the computer it was from a stack of paper – hey stacks of papers are rare these days – it’s true! So my fees are almost double of what I had a money order for. Except! My original goal was to put a rush on it, which was $135 but the new fees were $250 for a rush (no thanks – really that’s crazy) or $131 for regular. So I’m like just use my money order for $135 since it’s MORE than the $131 fee. This is when I got the “YOU SHALL NOT PASS” look. The amount apparently has to be exact. And since by the time I got to talk to the guy it was past noon, he wouldn’t let me run to the bank almost next door to get another money order. I admittedly begged and told him I was from out of town, thinking it would help – but it wouldn’t.
So now, I need to go back to Montreal twice – once to submit my application with the correct funds and the next time to pick up my passport when the visa is approved. IF it’s approved.
Of course I fully expect them to find something else they need from me in between.
That my friends is how you go to Russia. Or don’t go…I’ll update when I have news.
