Mult-entry Russian Visa - advice on how to obtain or completely avoid with an alternative route?

[MichaelAngelo]

Hello all, I've read through the Russian visa information page and it was very helpful.

I'm a Canadian citizen planning a trip for June, July, and August this year. The goal of my trip is to drive my own vehicle from Europe (norway) to Vladivostok, Russia (or the reverse direction if it is easier) and passing through the 'Stans (my goal here is Kyrgyzstan) and Mongolia.

My ideal route involves entering and exiting Russia 3 times over the course of 3 months. The three crossings would be (if going from europe to vladivostok) once from northern Norway through Russia to get to Kazakhstan, from Kazakhstan through Russia to get to Mongolia, and from Mongolia through Russia to get to Vladivostok where I can ship the car home and fly home.

Unfortunately, I have yet to find an agency that can help me get a multi-entry visa. I was wondering if a) anybody can recommend an agency that might help me or b)if anyone has any suggestions how how I can do this same trip with a double-entry visa.

Here are some alternate plans I have been suggested:

1) Try for a 30 day double-entry visa and then apply for a transit visa in Ulan Batar to get to my plane in Vlad - but the uncertainty of not being able to get this visa and thus having to abandon my car (the port to ship home is in Vladivostok) makes me nervous.

2) Try for a double-entry visa and start in Vladivostok instead of Europe. Then find a way to get to Europe from the 'Stans without needing to pass through Russia a 3rd time. The issue with this is that customs clearance for my vehicle might eat up a lot of the 30 days allotted for the tourist visa.

3) Try for a double-entry visa and start in Europe, but find a a way to the 'Stans without passing through Russia. Then use the 2 entries to get to Mongolia and Vladivostok.

Thank-you in advance for any advice you might have .

-Michael

[steven]

Reading the UB visa updates, only in 2015 some ppl reported not being able to get visas (not even sure if that included transit visas), otherwise it has always been possible to get a transit visa for Russia in UB.

So chances are very high you can get a transit visa in UB. I would go for option 1.

Not sure how the embassy works in Canada, but it should be possible, if very expensive, to ask for a 6-month multiple entry business visa instead of a tourist visa if the embassy does not offer that.

[Milad]

Getting a business visa directly from the embassy is impossible if you aren't a (real) business traveller. However, there are agencies that can arrange such a visa for you, although it's going to be really expensive (very rough estimate: around USD 500). In Europe, there are lots of such agencies and most are trustworthy too. You might just want to google for Russian visa agencies in Canada and contact them, often, they don't offer business visas on their website as it's not entirely legal for them to issue fake business invitations, but they'll do it anyway (at a high price) if you contact them. If you don't want to pay such an amount of money, I'd go with the transit visa in UB.

If you want to go for option 3), you'll basically have only one option if you don't want to make a really big detour via Turkey and possibly Iran: Using the ferries Odessa -> Batumi and Baku -> Aqtau.

[MichaelAngelo]

Thank-you for your help everybody! I received my business visa last week using an inviting company and providing a very detailed travel plan and intention (fishing/angling writer promoting fishing tourism in Russia).