Registering w OVIR

[Ivan S. Eubanks]

Some time ago someone posed a question about registering with OVIR when 
staying with a friend or in a friend's apartment rather than a hotel, 
etc.  I couldn't find the original email, but just today I registered at 
the post office.  It's not difficult (or it doesn't have to be, although 
we all know how that goes), but you need to have your host/hostess with 
you--in fact, that person can do everything alone.  I'm not sure, but I 
think the following instructions will work for those holding Russian 
passports because most of the people in line were doing it for Russian 
nationals.  You'll also need the following:

1) two identical copies (not photocopies--both must be filled out and 
signed by hand) of a zaiavlenie filled out correctly and with no 
corrections or mistakes (I had to redo the whole thing because of an 
ink-blot)
2) a photocopy of your passport
3) a photocopy of your migration card (if indeed you have one)
4) an opis' describing everything in the application package (you can 
get this, form no. 107, at the post office with the zaiavlenie)
5) a photocopy of your host's (or hostess') passport
6) the zaiavlenie must be signed twice by the host/hostess
7) a legal-sized envelope (properly addressed to the appropriate office 
depending on the address of the host/hostess, much like with the 
American IRS; the post office can provide the appropriate information)
8) it will cost approximately 200 rubles.  It might be worth the higher 
cost to get a tourist agency or hotel to do it, but if all goes smoothly 
you can do it yourself (or get your host/hostess--whomever rented you 
the apartment or allowed you to stay with him/her) to do it in a 
relatively short amount of time.

If this doesn't work, I'll be having headaches when I cross the border 
by train back into Latvia.  It took me seven hours to get everything 
right, and this includes the first post office being out of forms and 
sending us to a second one, an argument with one postal worker that 
resulted in my hostess asking why she had such a bad attitude, which 
required us to go to a different post office.  This one employed a very 
attentive official who made us refill all the forms twice due to the 
aforementioned inkblots and the fact that I put "Leningradskii" instead 
of "Rossiia" where the zaiavlenia asked for oblast'.

Good luck!

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