Russian Visa

[Bubba54]

Hey all experienced cruisers. I have a question regarding Russian Visas . I know there is the 72 hour cruise  ship Tavel visa waiver. I know you need a visa if you plan on staying in Russia.

 

 Here my question, if you debark the ship in St Petersburg  and take the ships transfer straight to the airport. Do you need to obtain a visa or would you fall into the 72 hour waiver.

 

any help opinions will be appreciated. 

[Heidi13]

Haven't boarded or disembarked at a Russian port, so this is simply a best guess.

 

Since the local tour companies or ship tours do not require a Visa, as the tour ticket is presented at Immigration and functions as a temporary visa. I would hope if the airport transfer is arranged by the cruise line that your transfer ticket should also count as a temporary visa. 

[SbbquilterUT]

Are you taking a river or ocean cruise?  That would have to be answered by the cruise line.  We are flying in to Moscow for a river cruise, therefore need a Russian visa due to arrival by plane rather than  on a cruise ship.  Departing from St. Petersburg we will need our passport/visa for clearance at the airport.  

[napoxoguk]

My *guess* (at about 99.99% confidence level) would be you can't do that - the 72hr waiver rule applies to passengers that ARRIVE and LEAVE via the port. The airport passport control will simply not let you through - in their book, you would not have the paperwork to prove you're in the country legally.

Long story short, if you debark the ship for good, you need a visa - it could be a transit Visa, but you still need one.

Edited February 19, 2019 by napoxoguk

[dogs4fun]

15 hours ago, Bubba54 said:

Hey all experienced cruisers. I have a question regarding Russian Visas . I know there is the 72 hour cruise  ship Tavel visa waiver. I know you need a visa if you plan on staying in Russia.

 

 Here my question, if you debark the ship in St Petersburg  and take the ships transfer straight to the airport. Do you need to obtain a visa or would you fall into the 72 hour waiver.

 

any help opinions will be appreciated. 

You absolutely must have a visa if you depart Russia by any means other than a cruise ship. The 72 hour visa free rule applies only to passengers arriving and departing via cruise ship (or ferry). If you intend to fly home, then you must have a visa (I have one as I fly into Russia).

[LHT28]

Curious  what  ship  ends the cruise in SPB?

Where does the cruise start?

 

I see Princess  have some that start & end in SPB  so a VISA  will be required  to enter for  embarkation

[Bubba54]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your responses.

[dogs4fun]

4 hours ago, Bubba54 said:

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your responses.

Below is a link to site that I use to procure my Russian visas:

 https://ils-usa.com/