Getting a Russian Visa 

In order to travel to Russia you need a visa. To get the Russian visa, you need to get an invitation (also called visa support) first. The invitation can be for a tourist or a business visa. The tourist visa is usually valid for up to 30 days and can be single- or double-entry (double-entry only valid if you travel to/from CIS countries the second time). The business visa can be valid for up to 1 year and can be multiple entry. You don't need to be in a business to get a business visa, but you should be careful to specify the information consistent with the type of your invitation when you apply for a visa at the Russian consulates (so you can't say you're visiting friends if you're getting a tourist visa or that you're going for sightseeing if you're getting a business visa).

The invitation (for a tourist or a business visa) can be obtained through a hotel, a Russian travel agency or your local travel agent. If you get it through a hotel you will be bound by a fixed itinerary and will have to stay at this particular hotel. While it's the best option if you just want to stay a couple of days in Moscow on a business trip, it's completely unacceptable if you're up for traveling around. The agencies usually offer more flexible options, but you should make sure they don't tie you to any fixed itinerary. Such companies as Way to Russia, Visa House or Godzillas Hostel provide no-ties visa support online (the standard price is $30 for a tourist invitation that is ready in 1 business day) -- you simply receive it by e-mail or fax and then bring it along with other documents needed to the Russian consulate. You can also apply for a visa by post. For example, the consulate in London, UK, is very good in processing applications sent by post and takes only 1 week to issue a visa.

A little bit more on that. Once you have the invitation, you need to make sure you have the other documents ready. Usually it's your passport, which should expire not earlier than 6 months after your visa expires, 2-4 passport-sized photos, visa application form (available at the consulate or on their websites). If you live in a EU country (except UK) or USA, you will also need insurance. Usually your credit card will have insurance that covers you worldwide -- if that's the case, just print it out and bring it along. If not, go to a specialist agency or get it online. Shouldn't cost more than $0.5 per day really. If you're getting a Russian visa for 6 months or longer, you'll also need an HIV test certificate (available at most hospitals, costs about $25). That's it. Once you apply, wait for about 1-2 weeks and your visa will be in your passport. The consulate's fee is usually $50-$100.

Once you're in Russia, you need to register your visa if you're staying longer than 3 working days. This can usually be done at the office of the travel agency that issued your visa support or at your hotel. If you got your visa support through your local agency, they used the Russian one anyway (that's how it works), so you should ask them about the office address in Russia of the agency they used. If you don't register you may be fined $30 US by police. The registration costs from $1 to $30, depending on where you go.

There's a very useful and detailed guide to Russian visa procedures put together by Russian backpackers, which is recommended by Lonely Planet and Rough Guides, so you might want to take a look at it before you apply for a visa.

Crossing the Russian Border

Once you've got the visa, things become really simple (unless you bring your own car). The regulations are not much different from anywhere else. There are limits on how many cigarettes, how much alcohol you can bring in. You can also bring in up to $3000 US in cash without declaring it, if you've got more on you make sure it's declared, so that when you leave they don't charge a tax on it. Regarding equipment, you can bring stuff worth not more than $2000 US without a tax. If you've got more expensive items, you'll have to pay 30% tax on them. So if you want to avoid that say it's for your personal use, very old, crappy, and cheap. If you're taking any medicines, make sure they are allowed in Russia and always carry your prescription with you, so the customs don't think you're carrying drugs.

When you arrive, you'll be faced by a somber-looking passport control. Just let them do their job, don't say more than what they're asking for, and make sure you're consistent with the information in your visa. Any questions -- tell them to contact the agency that issued your visa support. 

Crossing the border to Russia with car at Narva

Bringing you own car to Russia requires patience, time and the documentation of the car.
At least when crossing the border at Narva you may need to wait up to 24 hours before you can cross the border. The border control only has a capacity of approx 6 car per hour. The queue is administrated at a parking lot a few km before the border. Turn right after the Statoil gas station. And you find it at the left side behind concrete walls. There are signs. There you will get a queue number and a time when you can queue up at the border. So you need not stand in the actual queue for 24 hours (you can take the opportunity of getting to know Narva). If you are in a hurry you can buy yourself a faster passage for 300 Estonian crowns. But not that fast... You might bring it down from 24 hours to 12 hours. The actual border crossing takes about 2 hours once you have been allowed to queue up at the border in Narva.