Changes to Student Visa requirements
John Givens
givn at MAIL.ROCHESTER.EDU
Wed Feb 4 19:14:58 UTC 2009
Dear Colleagues:
I noticed that there are several changes this year to the requirements for
obtaining student visas to Russia.
The NYC Russian Consulate website lists the following requirements (below).
Items 2, 3 & 5 are new and item 4 now requires Russian translation and
Apostil certification. I understand that these new requirements are usually a
response to new requirements imposed on our side of their students seeking
visas. My question is to those of you who, like the University of Rochester,
run summer programs in Russia. Do you have any advice how to fulfill these
requirements without expending an enormous amount of time and labor? Is there a
visa service that does student visas? ("ExpresstoRussia"--the formal "partner"
of the Russian Consulate--does not do student visas. I called them already.)
Also, what do they mean by "Apostil of the local office of the Secretary of
your State"?
I noticed that the Russian Embassy does not have instructions for student
visas and, in any case, no longer accepts mailed visa applications (you have to
apply in person or through a service, but none of the services listed on their
websites do student visas).
Thanks for any help! Here are the requirements from the Russian Consulate
website:
For a Student Visa, please, submit:
A letter of Invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or its
Regional Office (if the Region you are going to study in does not have
Regional Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the invitation is issued
by the University, Institute or College on its official letterhead signed by
the rector and certified either by the Office for International Affairs of
the local administration or by the local office of the Ministry of Interior).
Your current diploma or educational certificate, certified by the State
or Federal authorities
General health certificate on your current health condition (must be
certified by Apostil at the local office of the Secretary of your State and
translated into Russian, then certified by the Consulate)
A copy of HIV test certificate (must be certified by Apostil at the local
office of the Secretary of your State and translated into Russian, then
certified by the Consulate)
A confirmation of the payment arrangement directly from the University,
Institute or College you are going to study at.
Your original passport with at least 2 clean, side by side pages to
attach the visa to. The passport must be valid for up to 6 months AFTER you
planned departure from Russia.
2 signed and dated Visa Application Forms (click to download form for US
Citizens, click here to download form for non-US citizens. The forms
require Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download this free if you do not have
it installed on your computer. 3 identical passport size (on white
background) photos. Please, write your name on the back of the photos.
Your payment by money order or cashier's check made out to the Russian
Consulate in accordance with your local Consulate's fees (see Consulates
Website or call them). Do not send cash or personal checks.
Pre-paid self-addressed return envelope from a reliable delivery company
(FED EX, DHL, UPS).
John Givens
Associate Professor of Russian
Modern Languages & Cultures
Box 270082
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY 14627-0082
585-275-4272
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