Even though I’ll be traveling around-the-world by plane and by train, I’m only visiting 11 countries (counting the U.S.) Luckily, as an American, I need just two visas — Russia and China — but they’re both communist countries, and I’ve read online that getting those visas can be a nightmare and takes forever. I had only 3 weeks in the U.S. to get both.
I researched the visas online, downloaded the form for China and did the online application for Russia. I took new passport photos so they’d be up-to-date. Checking out the requirements was confusing because I found conflicting information. One site for the Russian visa listed income tax returns, bank statements, divorce certificate, hotel reservations, travel tickets, etc. etc.. But when I called the ILS (Invisa Logistic Services) office in San Francisco, I was relieved to learn that the only thing besides the application and $160 for a 3-year multiple entry Russian visa was an invitation letter.
Being such an experienced world traveler, I’m embarrassed to say that I got ripped off by paying $50 for an invitation letter. I like a blog called “The Man in Seat 61” which is about train travel around the world. He recommends Real Russia in the UK for getting your Russian visa, and he mentions that if you go through the link on his website that he gets a small commission. Without price checking, I paid $50 for the invitation letter through Real Russia, which they emailed immediately and I printed it up.
Then I booked a few hostels in Moscow and St. Petersburg through booking.com, a website I’ve used quite often and am generally pleased with. Most of their bookings include free cancellations, which is helpful when you want to play it by ear, but need proof of a reservation. One hostel that I booked temporarily offered an invitation letter for $15. Didn’t I feel stupid?
For my Chinese visa, I needed a ticket out of the country, so I bought a train ticket from Beijing to Ulan-Bator, the capitol of Mongolia. The entire Trans-Siberian Railway from Beijing to Moscow is 7,621 km (4,735 miles) and takes six nights if you do it non-stop, which I won’t.
I prepared all my paperwork in Manila, flew to San Francisco, then directly to the Chinese Embassy. I had hoped to arrive by 9:00 a.m. when they open, but instead I was a half hour late. By then, the place was packed, with a line out the door. I got number 87 and had to wait 2-1/2 hours for my turn. There were mostly Chinese in the embassy, but also Americans like myself. After sitting for 13 hours in a plane, I decided to walk around the neighborhood, always checking in to be sure I didn’t miss my turn.
I was a little nervous that I might not get the Chinese visa without an invitation letter also. A student from China had stayed a few nights at my house last summer when her host family was ill, but because of restrictions on email and Facebook, I had lost touch with her. Still, I filled in what information I did have on her where it asked for my invitation. Finally, it was my turn. The woman went over my paperwork quickly, handed my hostel booking confirmation back to me, and gave me a receipt to pick up my passport and visa in four days.
Exactly on the fourth day, I went back up to San Francisco (1-1/2 hours from Santa Cruz where I live) paid $160 for my Chinese visa and took my passport directly to the ILS office a mile or two away. In contrast to the bustling Chinese embassy, this office was quiet and empty. They had about five windows — Russian citizens, group tours, drop off application, cashier, pick up application. No line at any of them, just serious-faced very white-skinned clerks sitting behind glass. I took my application, invitation letter and passport to the appropriate window. The woman showed me where to sign and said to come back in a week. Who knew I could get both visas in a week and a half?
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