Tatjana

I got an e-mail today from Tatjana at the travel agency stating that I may pick up the passport at the office on July 7, after 2 pm. I suppose this means she has spoken to the consulate and got a more or less reliable response about my visa. Another step closer to Moscow.

Yes, ANDREAS

Of course there was no problem getting a new and correct insurance certificate. It was done in a minute. This time I checked the data thoroughly. All clear!

I stopped by the travel agency to hand in my passport, application form, insurance proof and hotel voucher (visa support letter) from the hotel in Moscow. The woman at the travel agent said that it would cost Eur 100. That’s good, Eur 40 cheaper than I was told before and I could pick up my passport in about one week. She also mentioned that she would call the consulate tomorrow and then send me an e-mail telling me the exact date I could pick up the passport. I was a little surprised that she didn’t give me a receipt or some kind of evidence that I had left my passport with them. Well, I’ll just have to trust them and hope for a granted visa from the consulate.

A photograph of me

Great, it turns out that I have some passport photos that were taken about two years ago. I haven’t changed since then so I’m using one of those photos when applying for my visa, allthough the photos shall not be older than 1 year. I’m sure it will be allright. Good thing that those passport photos were paid by my employer for a business trip to Belarus. Forgot that I had them and now I don’t have to pay Eur 8 or even Eur 10 to get new ones. One step closer to Moscow.

ADREAS who?

I can’t stand the heat. Summer has really hit us hard now. Moving 10 metres makes me all sweaty. I keep telling myself this is practice for queueing in Athens and Istanbul. Took the bus to the local office of  my insurance company. What a nice surprise. I was the only customer at the time and got splendid help immediately. The girl knew exactly what kind of paper that was required to get a visa for Russia and it was of course in English. She asked me to carefully check the details printed on the paper. Seemed ok so she signed it and I was another step closer to Moscow. On my way back home I checked the paper again. I was told the consulate is very strict when applying for a visa so the information has to be 100% correct. DAMN, my first name was actually spelled wrong. How-da-hell could I miss that when going over the information at the desk? I will not take a chance and have my application refused by the consulate because of ”ADREAS” instead of ”ANDREAS”. Well, back to the insurance company tomorrow to get a correct certificate.

Insurance

I need a document that proves I have an insurance that is valid in Russia to enclose with my visa application. It has to be in English and I only have a document in Swedish. I called my insurance company today to get some information and the woman I spoke to seemed quite unsure on how to get that piece of paper in English. She told me to visit their local office in Malmö to get a certificate.

Closer to Moscow

I guess I’ll have to deal with that visa for Russia soon. Since the news about Bono’s back surgery, I think most fans have been a bit careful with booking flights and hotels. The same goes for me. I’m the kind of person who wants to have everything set and ready to go as soon as possible. Gives me peace of mind. Still there are obvious disadvantages in booking things too soon and unable to cancel.

There are Russian consulates in Stockholm, Gothenburg and also in Copenhagen. First problem is that I cannot apply for a visa sending the forms, certificates and my passport to the consulate. The documents have to be presented to the consulate by me personally. Travelling from Malmö to Stockholm or Gothenburg is quite an expensive mission. Copenhagen will cost me about Eur 10 one way from Malmö. I’ll have to leave the documents there, go home, wait for about 10 days and then go back to pick it up. I think the consulate fee for the tourist visa is about Eur 50. So, it should all add up to about Eur 100.

I spoke to a travel agency here in Malmö. They charge Eur 140 for a visa and I think that is the best option for me. A bit more expensive but still ok. Also, I believe that it’s more likely to be granted a visa if the documents are handled by the agent. The news on Bono recovering makes me more confident, so I’m off to get a passport photo for the application form.