St Petersburg tours..ok to give passport info?

We are arriving on a cruise and about to book a 2 day group tour with a private company. They have requested our passport information in order to process visas....Is that normal? Are there any risks in giving this information?

Hi,

We are also in the process of trying to reserve space for a tour with Alla tours. I did complete the on line form including passport info. I have now received messages indicating that they didn't get that info and want me to resend. Now I'm reluctant to do this. I do believe they need this info to process a group visa, but to ask again is a little suspect. Maybe you would be better to call them on their toll free number with such conficonfindetal information.

it's routine for them to ask for your passport info-they need it to issue your visa waiver/tour tickets

We are arriving on a cruise and about to book a 2 day group tour with a private company. They have requested our passport information in order to process visas....Is that normal? Are there any risks in giving this information?

Yes, this request is routine. Your existence and you passport number must be registered with immigration control so you can enter SPB. That said, I recommend you phone whatever Russian tour company you're using rather than sending the information in an email.

Email is not secure!!! It can be hacked. Chances are, you'll be safe simply because hackers are interested in much more interesting targets than the occasional tourist to SPB. (Can you say Sony Corporation?)

But it is worth knowing that an https site -- "s" for secure -- offers some level of protection against hackers. (If you do any online buying, look at the URL the next time you're at the point where you input credit card information. You'll see the ordinary URL has become a safe URL with an "s." )

If you tour company does not run an https site, then definitely phone the company to provide the information. My tour company did not run an https site. They recommended I send the credit card number and the passport number over the course of several emails. That's better than doing nothing, but I still phoned with the information.

Before we did our tour of St Petersburg, we came here and asked that exact question and the responses I received are the same you are receiving. It is safe.

Some companies try and make it a much more secure line to send this info, so just check with whomever you decided to book with and ask them that question, is the line as secure as possible.

Do not fret it, as everyone who has done a private tour has had to send this info to the tour company.

Routine stuff.

Cheers

Len

Passport information is not anywhere as risky as credit card information. It is like your driver's license except it has less personal information, just name, dob, issuing agency, date of expiration and number. You show it to anyone who wants to verify who you are, since it is your only valid form of ID outside your country. Any time you buy a train ticket, a cell phone SIM, check into a hotel, you give that information. The tour operator needs that info to create a port list for immigration, hand delivered to them a few days before you arrive. Otherwise you do not enter the country.

We also are preparing to book our SPB tour with Alla. I know that passport info is needed but will I be asked to provide credit card info to "hold" our spots?

We also are preparing to book our SPB tour with Alla. I know that passport info is needed but will I be asked to provide credit card info to "hold" our spots?

Hasn't been required by Alla in the past. :)

And I think that's true of (all?) others.

JB :)

Hasn't been required by Alla in the past. :)

And I think that's true of (all?) others.

 

JB :)

Thanks---that's reassuring. Ready to book!

We also are preparing to book our SPB tour with Alla. I know that passport info is needed but will I be asked to provide credit card info to "hold" our spots?

We used SPB Tours and they also didn't require any CC info. Just your word that you will be taking their tours.

I thought I had read that one company was asking for a sort of deposit, up front, to assure that people who say they are taking the tour, do take the tour, but, I simply do not recall who that company was. I haven't heard this in a while, so maybe they stopped this practice as most of the regular tour companies don't do it that way.

Cheers

Len

My FINAL tour question...what are the seat configurations on the Alla tour buses? My husband is tall & hopes he does not have to climb over people to get to his seat:(

My FINAL tour question...what are the seat configurations on the Alla tour buses? My husband is tall & hopes he does not have to climb over people to get to his seat:(

Two seats on the right, two seats on the left - aisle in the middle - Mercedes minibus. No need to climb over anyone. :) I'm quite tall & BIL is 6'3" - we were all very comfortable on our tour with Alla.

Two seats on the right, two seats on the left - aisle in the middle - Mercedes minibus. No need to climb over anyone. :) I'm quite tall & BIL is 6'3" - we were all very comfortable on our tour with Alla.

Thank you! Also I appreciate your info on the Faberge museum & have decided to go on the Imperial Splendors & Faberge Tour. We don't expect to return to St Petersburg so we might as well take this opportunity to see as much as we can even if it is a brief visit.

Thanks to everyone who has helped with tour information. CC is so helpful & I am so thankful to all.:)

My FINAL tour question...what are the seat configurations on the Alla tour buses? My husband is tall & hopes he does not have to climb over people to get to his seat:(

I feel your pain. Just how tall is tall? My DH is 6'8" and it's always a trick to get him to fit into any seat. I always have to pay extra on airplanes to get him more leg room, and we normally sit in the back of tour buses, where there is a middle seat where he can put his legs in the aisle.

I feel your pain. Just how tall is tall? My DH is 6'8" and it's always a trick to get him to fit into any seat. I always have to pay extra on airplanes to get him more leg room, and we normally sit in the back of tour buses, where there is a middle seat where he can put his legs in the aisle.

Your husband wins...mine is short at 6'4".

Your husband wins...mine is short at 6'4".

I just booked with Alla Tours as well, after I got assurances that my 2 meter (6'8") tall husband would fit in their vans. Now if June would just get here! After making final payment on Friday, booking our airline tickets and arranging our tour tickets I am ready to go!

We are arriving on a cruise and about to book a 2 day group tour with a private company. They have requested our passport information in order to process visas....Is that normal? Are there any risks in giving this information?

When I was booking my first St. Petersburg tours I was really nervous about passport info. I was nervous about tour tickets which didn’t look like visas and many other things. I have to say that it was my first cruise at all. I asked the same question. To tell the truth I asked a lot of funny (not to say silly questions). All the things worked. I sent our passport info and got the tour tickets. The tour tickets worked - we passed passport control without any problems. Our guide and driver were waiting for us with the sign Best Guides and another sign with my name on it. We had no problems to find them. Both of them – the guide and the driver were just fantastic. We enjoyed our tours a lot and afterwards safely returned back to the ship. It was 2 years ago. This year we are returning to St. Petersburg and we booked 3 day itinerary with Moscow on the second day. Of course we booked with the same company as two years ago – The Best Guides.

Jess.:)