Changes to Student Visa requirements
Donna Seifer
donna.seifer at COMCAST.NET
Wed Feb 4 22:26:30 UTC 2009
Dear all,
An Apostille is a certification process for all documents going to countries
that are members of the 1961 Hague Convention. The office of Secretary of
State in each state can certify that the State Notary Public who witnesses a
signature by notarizing a document is duly registered with that state. So,
an Apostille is authentication that the local notary public is bona fide.
In Oregon one can get an Apostille in person or by mail. Each costs $10.
I find ambiguity as I read the text on the student visa: Does the document
on health or HIV test certificate itself have to translated into Russian as
well as the Apostille?
Translating the Apostille into Russian is familiar to me, since in the US
this document is in English. I normally certify my Apostille translations
in both Russian & English and have them notarized.
This might need clarification, but I assume (logically) that the health
documents in question here can be notarized locally. Then those notarized
documents must be Apostilled at the Secretary of State's office and the
Apostille then translated into Russian for certification by the Russian
Consulate.
Sorry, if I lost anyone.
Donna Turkish Seifer, M.A.
Russian Language Services
5909 SW Southview Place
Portland, OR 97219
Tel: 503-246-0329
donnada at mac.com
On 2/4/09 11:45 AM, "Christine A Dunbar (cdunbar at Princeton.EDU)"
<cdunbar at PRINCETON.EDU> wrote:
> In New Jersey, at least, it can be done by mail.
>
> Christine
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby <jrouhie at EMAIL.UKY.EDU>
> Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2009 2:20 pm
> Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Changes to Student Visa requirements
> To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
>
>> 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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