Embassy Report : Russian Visa in Uralsk

[steven]

All reports and questions regarding visa application at the Russian consulate in Uralsk are welcome below.

We summarize all info in our Russia visa guide.

See here if you are still in need of a letter of invitation for your Russian visa.

[nomadichappiness]

Hi,
I create this Topic after having successfully applied for and obtained a transit visa through Russia, in Uralsk / Oral .

The Uralsk consulate webpage is : https://uralsk.mid.ru/
It's in Russian, but don't worry, scroll down to find a section written VISA in english. Click on it to have the instructions in English on how to apply. On the right side is mentionned in Russian when you can file your application, as of October 16th, 2018, Tuesday and Thursday between 9h30 and 11h.

On the Transit Visa page https://uralsk.mid.ru/transit-visa , there's a list of documents to provide :
1/ visa application form completed on the web-site http://visa.kdmid.ru/ ;
2/ national passport + its copy;
3/ copy of the Kazakhstan visa or of the residence permit : As French and EU citizen on a Visa-Free stay in KZ, I didn't need to provide any of these.
4/ two passport pictures, 3.5 x 4.5 cm; Stick one on your online form (1). I personnally was not asked about the second one.
5/ visa of the country of destination; : If applicable, usually EU citizen don't need visa for Ukraine and they know it.
6/ tickets for the whole itinerary or car documents+ driver license; : I provided copy of car docs and drivers license and also a copy of my license translation to Russian (or International Driver's License) even if not asked for.
7/ medical insurance certificate valid for all period of stay in Russia; Some days before I asked a certificate online to my VISA card included travel assistance. They issued me a certificate which they send by post stating that Russian embassies need an original document. I had it scanned and emailed by my mom, I printed it here in Uralsk with a very poor quality obviously displaying it's not an original. I submited the document and I was not told anything about it not being an original. Uuuf!

Consular fee: EU citizens : 4-20 days processing – 35 Euro = 15000 Tenge 10/2018; (1-3 days) processing – 70 Euro = 30000 Tenge 10/2018
Bring Tenge in cash and not Euros or Dollars : you can only pay the fee in Kazakh Tenge.

And a very important information : if you apply for an express visa, you can obtain your visa in your passport in an hour or so, but you will have to wait anyway 3 days before actually entering Russia and you need to ask an entry date to Russia at least 3 days after your application. Example based on my experience:
I applied on tuesday 16th. On my online application form I indicated entry date 17th. The woman at the window told me I should change the date to the 19th, going through the online form again and printing it again, and come back before 11h. There's absolutely no way of leaving KZ the next day.
You will be handled back your passport holding a visa stating "visa delivery date : 19th" (even if they actually deliver it on the 16th) and "entry date : 19th"

When you arrive at the Russian consulate (location: https://goo.gl/maps/d9WawqpRPqM2 ), you have your passport checked, then you are invited to wait, the guard will then tell you when is your turn. You will need to leave your belongings and especially your mobile phone in lockers.
Then the guard will tell you to climb to the 3rd floor, where you ring at a bunker door. Enter, have your passport checked, then wait your turn.
The woman at the window spoke averagely good english, so don't worry about having locked your google friend!
She will ask you general questions you have already answered on the online form such as "do you have other nationalities? have you been to russia before? what is your purpose of visit? what is your itinerary? etc.
To avoid much talking and misunderstanding, I provided as well a simple letter written in english and friend-translated russian, where I had specified some details about why I would ask 10 days for only 2000km itinerary. I'll leave this letter at the end of this post for inspiration, feel free to change details to fit yours.

The woman told me that the entry date would not be 16th but 19th and there was nothing to do to get around. So, to avoid some sweating, only come asking an entry date at least 3 days after your application. Then she told me I would not have 10 days but 9. This seems to be more of a policy than about counting your itinerary kms : she didn't checked my itinerary before telling me about the 9 days. So I advise asking 10 days anyways, and see what you harvest.
Then you have to pay, in Tenge, at a cash desk in the same room. Come back to the window with the receipt. Then you are told to come back at 12 to pick up your passport holding your visa.

Easy. A British, an Italian and an Egyptian were going through this too on the same day and didn't have any trouble either.

Now, here's my little letter to facilitate my application (I don't think it was too much necessary, but I was more relaxed thinking I would be asked less questions) :

Dear sir,
I need to transit Russia with my car.
It is an old car, year 1981, which I drive slowly. My average distance in a day is 300km
I calculate 2000km through Russia.
I ask for 10 days transit visa in precaution to have time to repair any mechanical issue that would come out in spite of the good condition of the car.
I apply for express transit visa to be able to leave as soon as possible.
Thank you

Уважаемый господин,
мне нужно проехать Россию на моей машине.
Это старая машина 1981 года, на которой я еду медленно. Мое среднее расстояние за день составляет 300 км.
Я рассчитываю 2000 км езды по России.
Я прошу 10 дней транзитной визы в мере предосторожности, чтобы успеть исправить любой механический вопрос, который может выйти, несмотря на хорошее состояние автомобиля.
Я обращаюсь к вам за экспресс-транзитной визой, чтобы иметь возможность уехать как можно скорее.
Большое спасибо

[Luctus]

Hey dear travellers, I received so much good infos here, so I wanna contribute aswell.

Just got my russian TRANSIT VISA in Uralsk yesterday (05. March 19). Very easy and got it at the same day (express = 30'000 Tenge). 9 days.

I'm Swiss citizen. They first wanted to charge me the double, because we're not in the EU. After some talking I could convince them that yes we're not member of the EU but in the Visa-Zone Schengen (like Norway) and have same rules like EU-Countries, and at the end it was no problem.

I had all the documents ready according to the consulates homepage. I'm travelling by TRAIN, printed out the traintickets (and one busticket to Georgia). I will visit four cities. Only little problem was that I go through Vladikavkaz. They first said for this I need a special permit and my passport should stay for 10 (!) days at the consulate. After some talking the visa-lady just changed my route to some other random cities and printed out the application form again (even she obviously knows that i will pass through Vladikavkaz). Thats the spirit!

I found noone who speaks english, so some russian helps. Staff is friendly and uncmplicated, even ended up drinking a coffee with the visa-lady afterwards.

cheers

[heightwithoutflight]

Just got back from the Consulate in Uralsk to apply for the transit visa through Russia.
We are hitchhikers and will go from Uralsk via Atyrau towards Aserbaidschan, crossing through Astrachan, Elista and Dagestan. Thus, there is some fake included as follows:

Documents needed:
-Passport+copy
-1 Passportphoto for the application form
-train tickets showing the way
-health insurance
-itinerary for the 9 days transiting
(-Kazakh and Georgian Visa only if you are not from EU)

The transit visa will not show the entry and exit points, so you just can make up sth.

The train tickets booked via http://eng.rzd.ru/ should be refundable. Even though we will not go this way, we booked 5 tickets via Samara, Syzran, Volgograd, Salsk, Mineralnaya Voda, Wladikavkas in order to get 9 days for Transit.
On the itinerary we said, we will go by taxi from Uralsk to Samara, and from Wladikavkas to Georgia - which was ok for the guy at the counter (so not the ENTIRE way must be provided by tickets). He speaks very good english and he told me that it is recommendable for the next time, not to mention Wladikavkas in the application form (where you need to state the cities you will visit). But it is not an issue either, he said, it just takes more time for checking.

Opening hours for the russian consulate to get visa: Tuesday and Thursday 9.30-11. We had to wait an hour even though we were there 9.20 so it might be helpful to come even earlier in order to be the first in the wainting line.
Express fee is 30800 Tenge which you pay directly beside the counter in the consulate. If you go on Tuesday, the visas shall be ready on Friday.

In case you need to do some paper work at the spot, there is a computer with internet, a printer, glue and pencils provided at the waiting lounge in the 3rd floor.


Update:
Finally, we got the Transit visa in our passport jej.
The guy on the counter gave us back half of the money because it was the "no express" version: so we paid 15100 Tenge, in order to receive the visa actually on Friday after application on Tuesday (I cannot follow the calculation but obviously 1 day is counted as same day).
In the end, the refunding of the train tickets was not for free, they charged a fee of app. 200 - 300 Rubles per ticket.

If you want to stay in Uralsk, there are a bunch of nice camping spots along the the rivers in the forest, otherwise there is Hostel Wigwam (bit gross and pricy I heard) or you can try this appartments if you speak some russian https://www.apartamenty.kz/en/uralsk/ho ... ralsk.html. Uralsk is actually a funny town to hang out for a couple of days.

Good luck!
Complete report will be soon on http://heightwithoutflight.wordpress.com

[Gaelle]

Hi everybody,
We heard that if you ask a transit visa now to go to Georgia it take 2 weeks but if you ask for Estonia (for exemple) it only take few days.
The question is : In you passport do they put the destination in you transit visa ? Or it s just written "Transit" and nothing else ?

Other question does anybody has said that they will go by bike to avoid the the fake train ticket organisation x) ?

Kinds regards

[Milad]

In the visa, the destination country is not written in. But the FSB guys at Verkhnyi Lars (RU-GE border crossing) may know from a database that you told the consulate you're going to Estonia, and in this case, they won't be happy about you showing up there.

I also can hardly imagine that you'll get a transit visa to cross Russia by bike (that's simply "not provided for" in their visa law). Of course, you can show them fake train tickets, but then you get only as much time as the train needs on your visa - you'll be slower. If you say you're going by car, they'll expect you to make 500 km per day. You need a Tourist visa for this.

[Gaelle]

I m gonna quickly answer on what we did finally. So we decide to not follow your advice Milady because we had some others informations.


So we make a fake train journey to Estonia. It was 4 days and the guy gave us one more day just in case of train delayed/missed (very nice guy). We went at the embassy Thursday and we received our passport back the next Tuesday, so less than one week and it wasnot express. We knew that if we would have asked for Georgia we would have to wait 2 weeks...
In our Visa it s just written "transit".

We hitchhiked from Atyrau to Astrakhan and then to the Georgian Border. We arrived at the Vladikavkaz border the 3th day of our Visa. They wanted to interrogate us but as soon as they understood that we didn't speek Russian, they gave up...

One of our friend asks at the Uralsk embassy if we could have a visa for bike traveller and they say yes

[Milad]

Thanks for your report!

We knew that if we would have asked for Georgia we would have to wait 2 weeks...

Who told you this, why should the visa take longer depending on your destination? I can hardly imagine political reasons for this considering the, erm, mediocre relations between Russia and Estonia.

[ELTomate]

We knew that if we would have asked for Georgia we would have to wait 2 weeks...

Hello Gaelle.
Did you get this information from the consulate ? I'm planning to get the transit visa in Uralsk to drive back to Georgia. I tried to send emails but no luck...
Thanks in advance.

Cheers

[Gaelle]

Milad and El tomate, it s the embassy it-self who say that for Georgia it will be longer and it was true.

One our friend make his visa in Uralsk before us and put Georgia. Ha had to wait 2 weeks to have the visa