How to get a Russian visa (3/3)?

APPLYING FOR THE VISA AT THE RUSSIAN CONSULATE

On the first Wednesday after getting my invitation I went to the embassy with all papers prepared – it was also the first week of June. The whole procedure was supposed to take ca. 4 weeks. I hoped there wouldn’t be so many people applying for a visa at that time of the year and I was lucky – mine was done in one week. Moreover Wednesday is that kind of day, where not so many people find the time for such tasks – the most chose Mondays or Fridays. Therefore again, if it suits you I strongly recommend applying on Wednesday in the first week of June.

How to get a Russian visa (2/3)?

THE VISA APPLICATION FORM

After receiving the official invitation (e.g. from your university) one has to fill out the visa application form. Therefore I used the guidelines from visum.de and of course the references from the consulate. The first source emphasizes the content and the second the printing of the application form, and correctly gluing the picture. I must honestly confess, both information sources weren’t elaborate enough and I still had many doubts about some particular points.

Therefore, I had 6 different versions of the application form, including one, where only the basic data was filled in. This is something I recommend to everyone: a semi-blank form with a spare photo and glue in the bag, when applying for a visa. The idea of two times going and waiting at the consulate didn’t seem very teasing therefore the preparation time was considerable.