Visa

[Laurian]

I watched a tv program that said you needed a visa for Russia. Does that include cruises. 

[LHT28]

YES  if you  go on your own

However  if you do a ship's excursion or hire one of the many licensed guides  they provide  a group type VISA

lot of discussion of tour guide companies in Russia on the Baltic forum

[Shmoo here]

9 minutes ago, Laurian said:

I watched a tv program that said you needed a visa for Russia. Does that include cruises. 

Yes.

[Flatbush Flyer]

13 minutes ago, Laurian said:

I watched a tv program that said you needed a visa for Russia. Does that include cruises. 

 

13 minutes ago, Laurian said:

I watched a tv program that said you needed a visa for Russia. Does that include cruises. 

Simple answer is YES.

That said, do know that WHAT type of visa (in a wide variety of countries) may depend on nature/length of stay, etc. Always cross reference info from the country's Consulate, the Cruiseline and the US State Department.

 

Related to this, I always have to chuckle when someone on CC asks: "Do I need a passport (or visa) if I don't get off the ship at that port?"

[Hlitner]

Let me start by saying this applies to those with a valid USA Passport (rules can be different for other countries).  Yes, you do need a Russian Visa to go ashore anywhere in Russia, even if you are on a cruise.  But (and this is the big but), there are some easy options and one very difficult (and expensive option).  The expensive one is if you decide to obtain your own personal travel Visa which you would have to do prior to your cruise through the normal Russian Visa process.  Very few cruisers ever get their own Visa (we have done it on one of our visits) as the procedure is somewhat complex, takes time, and is quite pricy,

 

For cruisers there are some other excellent options.  You can book excursions sold by your cruise line and this will cover you under a Group Visa that extends to your entire tour group.  So, in a sense, the cost of your excursion covers the Visa!  

 

The other option (our personal favorite) is to book a private tour through any of the licensed Russian tour companies (there are many online).  These licensed companies will also cover you under their own Group Visa, e-mail you the appropriate documents (which get you off the ship and through Russian Passport control).  Our particular favorite tour company is called TJ Tours and another highly recommended tour company is called Alla Tours.  You can Google these companies and read about their various tour options.  The advantage of the private tours, when compared to cruise line excursions, is that you will have smaller groups and generally lower prices.  On our last visit (about 18 months ago) to St Petersburg we booked 2 days of excursions through TJ  Tours.  We did this as a couple, but were put together with a small group of 10 (all from our ship).  We had a very new Mercedes Mini-bus with seating for 20 (we were only 10), were provided with an excellent English speaking guide, and even our driver spoke some English.  DW and I had also booked a local ballet tour (a full performance of Swan Lake) and TJ Tours actually sent a car/driver to pick us up (just the two of us) and take us to the theater in town.  After the Ballet our driver was waiting outside of the theater to take us back to our ship.  All this for a lower price then the large group tour provided by the ship...and we had better seats :).

 

Hank

[Laurian]

29 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Let me start by saying this applies to those with a valid USA Passport (rules can be different for other countries).  Yes, you do need a Russian Visa to go ashore anywhere in Russia, even if you are on a cruise.  But (and this is the big but), there are some easy options and one very difficult (and expensive option).  The expensive one is if you decide to obtain your own personal travel Visa which you would have to do prior to your cruise through the normal Russian Visa process.  Very few cruisers ever get their own Visa (we have done it on one of our visits) as the procedure is somewhat complex, takes time, and is quite pricy,

 

For cruisers there are some other excellent options.  You can book excursions sold by your cruise line and this will cover you under a Group Visa that extends to your entire tour group.  So, in a sense, the cost of your excursion covers the Visa!  

 

The other option (our personal favorite) is to book a private tour through any of the licensed Russian tour companies (there are many online).  These licensed companies will also cover you under their own Group Visa, e-mail you the appropriate documents (which get you off the ship and through Russian Passport control).  Our particular favorite tour company is called TJ Tours and another highly recommended tour company is called Alla Tours.  You can Google these companies and read about their various tour options.  The advantage of the private tours, when compared to cruise line excursions, is that you will have smaller groups and generally lower prices.  On our last visit (about 18 months ago) to St Petersburg we booked 2 days of excursions through TJ  Tours.  We did this as a couple, but were put together with a small group of 10 (all from our ship).  We had a very new Mercedes Mini-bus with seating for 20 (we were only 10), were provided with an excellent English speaking guide, and even our driver spoke some English.  DW and I had also booked a local ballet tour (a full performance of Swan Lake) and TJ Tours actually sent a car/driver to pick us up (just the two of us) and take us to the theater in town.  After the Ballet our driver was waiting outside of the theater to take us back to our ship.  All this for a lower price then the large group tour provided by the ship...and we had better seats :).

 

Hank

Thank you Hank for you kind reply.  I have never been to Russia and this was one of the cruises we fancied. Why some people need to be sarcastic about a question is beyond me. 

[Hlitner]

10 minutes ago, Laurian said:

Thank you Hank for you kind reply.  I have never been to Russia and this was one of the cruises we fancied. Why some people need to be sarcastic about a question is beyond me. 

IMHO most sarcasm is just a lame attempt to cover up inadequacies :).  Just ignore that stuff and keep posting your questions, comments, etc .

 

I should have added one more disturbing factoid.  Up until about 1 year ago, those that had private tours could usually get off the ship soon after the ship was cleared.  In fact, on our last trip to Russia we were among the first off the ship...several minutes ahead of the first big onboard excursion group.  But the rules have changed (likely because the company that contracts with the cruise lines to provide excursions, along with the cruise lines themselves, were unhappy at the growing hoards who were booking lower priced private excursions.   The cruise line's mark-up all their shore excursions and its a nice profit center.

 

So the last we heard, the Russians have joined with the cruise lines in a bit of a conspiracy to delay the exit of those with private tours.  In simple terms they apparently now give priority to the cruise line excursions and we suspect that the cruise line's are hoping this will encourage more folks to book their oft overpriced. overcrowded, excursions.  The local private tour companies have apparently adjusted to the delays in getting their charges ashore...but it still is an annoyance.

 

Hank 

[Laurian]

32 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

IMHO most sarcasm is just a lame attempt to cover up inadequacies :).  Just ignore that stuff and keep posting your questions, comments, etc .

 

I should have added one more disturbing factoid.  Up until about 1 year ago, those that had private tours could usually get off the ship soon after the ship was cleared.  In fact, on our last trip to Russia we were among the first off the ship...several minutes ahead of the first big onboard excursion group.  But the rules have changed (likely because the company that contracts with the cruise lines to provide excursions, along with the cruise lines themselves, were unhappy at the growing hoards who were booking lower priced private excursions.   The cruise line's mark-up all their shore excursions and its a nice profit center.

 

So the last we heard, the Russians have joined with the cruise lines in a bit of a conspiracy to delay the exit of those with private tours.  In simple terms they apparently now give priority to the cruise line excursions and we suspect that the cruise line's are hoping this will encourage more folks to book their oft overpriced. overcrowded, excursions.  The local private tour companies have apparently adjusted to the delays in getting their charges ashore...but it still is an annoyance.

 

Hank 

Thank you Hank. May come back with more questions once we’ve decided 👍👍

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Let me start by saying this applies to those with a valid USA Passport (rules can be different for other countries).  Yes, you do need a Russian Visa to go ashore anywhere in Russia, even if you are on a cruise.  But (and this is the big but), there are some easy options and one very difficult (and expensive option).  The expensive one is if you decide to obtain your own personal travel Visa which you would have to do prior to your cruise through the normal Russian Visa process.  Very few cruisers ever get their own Visa (we have done it on one of our visits) as the procedure is somewhat complex, takes time, and is quite pricy,

 

For cruisers there are some other excellent options.  You can book excursions sold by your cruise line and this will cover you under a Group Visa that extends to your entire tour group.  So, in a sense, the cost of your excursion covers the Visa!  

 

The other option (our personal favorite) is to book a private tour through any of the licensed Russian tour companies (there are many online).  our 

 

Hank

 

Thanks for this excellent information. 

 

Side question, if you don't mind.   If someone with a USA passport were to stay on the ship in port, would they be required to get their own Russian travel visa?  I'm not intending to do this.  I'm just curious about how the rule might work.     

[LHT28]

6 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Thanks for this excellent information. 

 

Side question, if you don't mind.   If someone with a USA passport were to stay on the ship in port, would they be required to get their own Russian travel visa?  I'm not intending to do this.  I'm just curious about how the rule might work.     

for Russia you can stay the ship  no problem

[John Bull]

7 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Thanks for this excellent information. 

 

Side question, if you don't mind.   If someone with a USA passport were to stay on the ship in port, would they be required to get their own Russian travel visa?  I'm not intending to do this.  I'm just curious about how the rule might work.     

 

 

Simple answer is NO.

(those who argue that if a visa is needed then it's needed even to just enter territorial waters Not so here.)

But it does seem pretty pointless - St Petersburg is the crown in any Baltic cruise. 

 

Being pedantic here, but technically Hank isn't correct. 

Neither the ship nor the accredited local tour operators arrange visas for their clients, because those tours are visa-free, not visa-included. But the result is the same. 

Your max time in port is 72 hours (all ships' visits are one or two or three days).

You must overnite on the ship - to stay ashore in a hotel you need a visa.

If you book through a local accredited operator you need to book in advance in order to print-off the e-mailed tour ticket.

Your tour ticket gets you through immigration without a visa. But only for that tour - if you book a tour for day one you can't use that ticket to get you through immigration on day two. 

The concessions only to those arriving & leaving by cruise ship, other visa-free arrangements for those arriving by ferry. Visitors flying it etc need a visa.

 

JB  

[zqvol]

7 hours ago, Laurian said:

I watched a tv program that said you needed a visa for Russia. Does that include cruises. 

 

Yes, the issue is how it is obtained. If you use a ship tour it usually includes the visa. If you go out on your own, you have to get it on your own.

[John Bull]

49 minutes ago, zqvol said:

 

Yes, the issue is how it is obtained. If you use a ship tour it usually includes the visa. If you go out on your own, you have to get it on your own.

 

Correct only if "go out on your own" means without an accredited guide.

Privately-booked tours (with SPB Tours, TJ Travel, Alla Tours, DenRus, etc) have exactly the same visa-free status as tours booked thro' the cruise line.

 

And as per my post #11, if you use a ship's tour or a local accredited operator's tour, there is no visa -  you go ashore "visa-free", not "visa-provided".

 

JB   

[Shmoo here]

11 hours ago, Laurian said:

Why some people need to be sarcastic about a question is beyond me. 

Someone was sarcastic?

[Itchy&Scratchy]

if you are from a country that has a visa-free entrance agreement with Russia, you won't need a Russian visa at all.

For example, our friends are not yet US citizens, but they are citizens of an Eastern European country, whose citizens have a visa free access to Russia. They went on a Baltic cruise last year and didn't have to worry about Russian visas.

[SRF]

BTW, one source of info about visa requirements is www.visahq.com

 

They have an option on the left side once you see the requirements, to select Cruise.  That can change, as many countries that require a visa, do not require one for cruise ship passengers.

 

But ALWAYS check the info by contacting that country's Embassy or Consulate.  THEY have the definitive info.

[John Bull]

2 hours ago, SRF said:

BTW, one source of info about visa requirements is www.visahq.com

 

They have an option on the left side once you see the requirements, to select Cruise.  That can change, as many countries that require a visa, do not require one for cruise ship passengers.

 

But ALWAYS check the info by contacting that country's Embassy or Consulate.  THEY have the definitive info.

 

Sounds good, SRF.

But I see no "cruise" option on that page. Or when I hit "tourist visa" or any other button.

 

JB 

 

[donaldsc]

On 1/16/2019 at 10:25 AM, Laurian said:

Thank you Hank for you kind reply.  I have never been to Russia and this was one of the cruises we fancied. Why some people need to be sarcastic about a question is beyond me. 

 

I thought that everyone was being very polite.  I didn't see any sarcasm.   If you consider these replies to be sarcastic, wait until you post a question or comment on a sensitive topic.  If you can't handle these replies, I would suggest that CC is not for you.

 

DON

[John Bull]

20 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

I thought that everyone was being very polite.  I didn't see any sarcasm.   

 

DON

 

Ditto, Don.

But mebbe a post that got deleted or edited?

 

Anyway, I can't hang around on this thread - I've got important questions to ask about removing gratuities, dress codes, chair-hogs, and smoking 

 

JB 

[SRF]

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 

Sounds good, SRF.

But I see no "cruise" option on that page. Or when I hit "tourist visa" or any other button.

 

JB 

 

 

Put in country of citizenship, and county visiting.  Hit the Check Requirements, then to the left will be a list of types of travel.

 

Business, Tourist, Cruise, Transit.

 

Of course, if the country is land locked, there is no Cruise option. 😄

 

 

[Hlitner]

6 hours ago, SRF said:

BTW, one source of info about visa requirements is www.visahq.com

 

They have an option on the left side once you see the requirements, to select Cruise.  That can change, as many countries that require a visa, do not require one for cruise ship passengers.

 

But ALWAYS check the info by contacting that country's Embassy or Consulate.  THEY have the definitive info.

Unless I am blind (have been accused of that somewhere on these boards) there is nothing on that web site that would help a cruiser who is visiting Russia on a cruise!   Point me to the section what talks about the Visa Waiver Scheme available to cruisers on excursions from licensed tour agencies (including the cruise ship's own excursion provider)

 

And I should correct the record as I used the incorrect term on a previous post, which was corrected by my good friend John Bull (I owe JB a Guinness for him catching my error).  The licensed Russian tourist companies do not cover cruiser under a "Group Visa"  (which is what I posted) but rather covers them under a Russian Visa Waiver Scheme (available to duly licensed tour providers).

 

Hank

[LHT28]

my goodness

what ever the  scheme is called  if you use a licensed guide  you will be covered  during the tours  or  with the ship's tours if you take those

 

 

[John Bull]

4 hours ago, SRF said:

 

Put in country of citizenship, and county visiting.  Hit the Check Requirements, then to the left will be a list of types of travel.

 

Business, Tourist, Cruise, Transit.

 

Of course, if the country is land locked, there is no Cruise option. 😄

 

 

Thanks,

Yes, I've just done that for Barbados. And waddayaknow - there, just as you said, was the cruise tab with "no visa required"

 

But - and clearly Hank has done the same as me - I had only checked for cruises to Russia, that being the subject of this thread.

No "cruise" tab or concession there, although we all know there is.

Ditto for Turkey.

And no mention of ship-issued visas for places like Vietnam or Egypt, though that's a different ball-game.

A shame that it's a site not to be totally trusted, but you did wisely suggest that folk should also check with the relevant embassy or consulate. 

 

Hank - your grovelling apology accepted 

As is your offer of a pint - but it'd have to be proper artisan English "Real Ale", the colour and clarity of a muddy puddle with bits of brewing debris floating in it, without even a hint of fizz, and served luke-warm.

Not the demon black stuff from Dublin that you drink 

 

JB 

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, LHT28 said:

my goodness

what ever the  scheme is called  if you use a licensed guide  you will be covered  during the tours  or  with the ship's tours if you take those

 

 

What you say is not true...   There are plenty of licensed guides in Russia and most are not part of their Visa Waiver Program which apparently involves additional steps (and fees).  Licensed guides can choose to work for the companies that have the Visa Waiver authority, but others may not.  When we were in St Petersburg on our own personal Visa, we hired a licensed guide outside the Hermitage...who turned out to be a very good investment.  Since he had previously worked inside the Hermitage as a guide he know most of the staff.  He was able to take us in a back door and then got us in the museum for the Russian entrée price (less then a dollar) which helped pay for much of his fee :).  We later found that there were all kinds of licensed guides working in St Petersburg...many of them having nothing to do with private cruise tours.  Why?  Our guide told us he could do a lot better on his own and made less money working for the larger companies (like Alla and TJ) that deal with cruisers.  Most of his customers came from local hotels, land groups, river cruises, etc.

 

Here is the shocker.  There is a lot more to the tourist market then cruise ships/passengers.   We also met some professional guides in Turkey that only got involved with cruise tours as a last resort.

 

Hank

[LHT28]

54 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

What you say is not true...   There are plenty of licensed guides in Russia and most are not part of their Visa Waiver Program which apparently involves additional steps (and fees).  Licensed guides can choose to work for the companies that have the Visa Waiver authority, but others may not.  When we were in St Petersburg on our own personal Visa, we hired a licensed guide outside the Hermitage...who turned out to be a very good investment.  Since he had previously worked inside the Hermitage as a guide he know most of the staff.  He was able to take us in a back door and then got us in the museum for the Russian entrée price (less then a dollar) which helped pay for much of his fee :).  We later found that there were all kinds of licensed guides working in St Petersburg...many of them having nothing to do with private cruise tours.  Why?  Our guide told us he could do a lot better on his own and made less money working for the larger companies (like Alla and TJ) that deal with cruisers.  Most of his customers came from local hotels, land groups, river cruises, etc.

 

Here is the shocker.  There is a lot more to the tourist market then cruise ships/passengers.   We also met some professional guides in Turkey that only got involved with cruise tours as a last resort.

 

Hank

 

Does  this  special guide  advertise on the internet ?

Most cruise passengers are going  to look for the regular  recommend guides  like ALLA  & SPB-Tours 

if the  guide  is NOT  part of the program then hopefully they will tell  the person  that before booking them for a tour

 

sometimes "too much info"  is just more confusing to some people

I believe in the K.I.S.S method  unless  the person wants a more involved answer  or information

YMMV

 

You do give a lot of good information here but sometimes  you do go on a bit