Where’s Komei?

I’m back in Krasnodar after spending 3 weeks in America. I needed to go back to Boston because my Russian Work Permit expired on January 17th. A word for the wise, you need to reapply for your Work Permit 3 months before it is to expire. I, unfortunately, didn’t know this fact and so when I went to renew my Work Permit in early December I was told, “No go.” Oh well, it was nice to be back in my hometown for a little while and catch-up with family and friends.

Since the processing time for a Work Permit takes a while, I was forced to get a Business Visa. I used a company out of NYC called Russian-American Consulting Company (you’d think they could’ve come-up with a slightly more original name) to do all the Visa processing with the Russian Consulate in NYC and also to procure the necessary Letter of Invitation. The cost? $600 bucks for the expedited service (5 business days).

While spending my final week in Key largo I received the FedEx package with my Business Visa and I was all set to go. So I thought.

I did make it back to Krasnodar and as you know, I needed to then register my the local office of OVIR (an acronym for the department which registers non-residents). It’s a requirement that all visitors to a city register within 3 business days (72 hours) upon arrival. While we might spend some time debating the continued necessity of such a registration process, rules are rules, and I think it’s best to follow the rules. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Anyhow, my father-in-law took off the morning from work on Tuesday and went to the OVIR office to register me. Often people will get registered by the hotel where they stay but if you are staying in a private residence then the owner of that residence needs to do the registering.

As I am so aware now, things in Russia don’t always go as smoothly as you might like. My father-in-law was told that there was a slight problem. Apparently, the company in NYC who did the Visa processing has an arrangement with a company in the Komei Region and it is this company that actually issues the Letter of Invitation. You don’t know where the Komei Region is in Russia? Neither did I. Suffice it to say, the Komei Region is near the Artic Circle way, way up North.

So the person at the Krasnodar OVIR office tells my father-in-law that since the Letter of Invitation came from the Komei Region I should go there and register. Huh? Nice of the folks at Russian-American Consulting to not tell me this fact. Small detail!

Fortunately, this is Russia and the folks at the OVIR office were understanding. I went back the next day and they registered me without problem. No “extra fees” or anything like that. It was good that my friend knows the Director of the OVIR office and he was very helpful.

I write about this experience to give all of you who may be getting a Business Visa to Russia to double confirm BEFORE the application is submitted to be sure that the company issuing the Letter of Invitation is located in the region where you are to stay.

I can’t wait until Russia, America, and Europe establish less a less arduous VISA system.

// 02.15.2008 at 10:58 am // Tagged russia,
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Viewing 3 Comments

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    • v
    I'm sorry I missed you during your visit to the States.

    Glad to hear you got all the visa issues worked out.
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    • v
    Yeah, the arduous visa system is silly, really, especially for people who have suffered through it over a dozen times and proven that they can go through it without detracting from Russia. There should be some kind of honored guest plan or something, where, instead of filling out the endless homestay paperwork with the exact same facts and numbers, and wearing out one's nerves in OVIR, which in the smaller towns (like where I go) often means standing in the same line as people filing for ANY civil act --- and take a long, dramatic time doing so, --- one could apply for and pay for the visa on-line, then check in at a kiosk at the point of entry. Again, these would be guests who had always done exactly as they said they would, so why squeeze them out of a few meetings and shopping exercizes in Moscow and force them to always chose the most break-neck route to their "final" destination? I think us homestay old-timers deserve something for our loyal patronage.
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    • v
    Things haven't changed much in the last 20+ years since I left. I was back this summer -it was hard to adjust.
 
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