Changes to Student Visa requirements

[Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby]

An apostil is essentially the equivalent of a notary's seal, however,  
it is given only by the secretary of state (a government position  
held in each state). To obtain one, a person must visit the secretary  
of state's office in the state capital. I am not sure if it can be  
mailed and an apostil affixed, I suppose one would have to contact  
the secretary of state's office. Best, JRW

On Feb 4, 2009, at 2:14 PM, John Givens wrote:

>      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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