Dear Slava!

I want to spend a week in Europe with my fiancee. But she writes that it will be difficult for her to get a visa, because she is young and unmarried. I don’t understand why it is so? Explain, please. What would you do if you were me? Maybe she just doesn’t want to meet with me?

Rick

    First of all, I want to say that what this girl says is true. Really, for young and single girls it is very difficult (next to impossible) to get a visa to Shenghen countries. And it is explained easily. Since the moment when “iron curtain” collapsed and Russians were allowed to travel abroad, a great number of Russian women have supplemented bawdy houses of Europe. At that time our country experienced increasing number of jobless people, deficit of food and unstable economy. Since that time Russia has changed a lot, however the flow of women hasn’t decreased. Trying to earn for a better life young girls have thought out a lot of ways to deceive embassies. This is why they pay so great attention to every young and single Russian girl and deny her a visa nearly 100%.  

    It is insulting and offensive for decent and honest girls, but the Embassy has its own share of truth.

    But there is no ground to despair. There are many countries where Russians can travel without a visa. And some places are even more interesting than conservative Europe.

So, 74 countries for your date.

Visa-free

1. Antigua and Barbuda to 28 days

2. Armenia to 90 days

3. Azerbaijan to 90 days

4. Barbados to 28 days

5. Bosnia and Herzegovina to 90 days (confirmation of hotel reservation or invitation is required)

6. Byelorussia to 90 days (medical insurance is required)  

7. Costa Rica to 30 days

8. Cook Islands to 31 days (confirmation of hotel reservation is required)

9. Croatia to 90 days (voucher is required)

10. Cuba to 30 days

11. Dominica to 21 days

12. Dominican Republic to 90 days (Tourist Card is sold at the customs, $10)

13. Ecuador to 90 days (entry permit is $25)

14. Fiji to 30 days

15. Grenada to 3 months

16. Haiti to 3 months

17. Kazakhstan to 90 days

18. Kirghizia to 90 days

19. Malaysia to 1 month

20. Maldives to 30 days

21. Micronesia to 30 days

22. Moldavia to 90 days

23. Montenegro to 30 days (Entry only through the airport of Prishtini)

24. Morocco to 90 days

25. Namibia to 3 months

26. Nicaragua to 90 days (Tourist Card is sold at the customs, $7)

27. Niue to 30 days

28. Peru to 90 days

29. Saint Lucia to 28 days

30. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to 14 days

31. Samoa to 30 days

32. Seychelles to 1 month (confirmation of hotel reservation; Visitor’s Permit is sold at the customs).

33. Sri Lanka to 30 days

34. Tajikistan to 90 days

35. Timor to 30 days (Entry permit is sold at the border, $25)

36. Tuvalu to 30 days

37. Ukraine to 90 days

38. Uzbekistan to 90 days

39. Vanuatu to 30 days

Visa at the airport

40. Burkina-Faso to 3 months (Western Africa)

41. Cambodia to 1 month

42. Comoro Islands to 2 months

43. Egypt to 30 days

44. Ethiopia to 3 months, only at the airport of Addis Ababa

45. Georgia to 14 days

46. Indonesia to 30 days

47. Jamaica to 30 days

48. Jordan to 3 months

49. Kenya to 90 days (confirmation of hotel reservation or invitation is required)

50. Laos to 15 days (at the airports of Vientiane, Pakse and Luangphabang)

51. Lebanon to 3 months. (Entry to the country is forbidden if in your passport there are marks about visiting Israel)

52. Macao to 30 days

53. Madagascar to 30 days

54. Marshall Islands to 30 days (Entry to the country is forbidden for those who have visa to Macao)

55. Mauritius to 15 days (confirmation of hotel reservation or invitation is required)

56. Mozambique to 30 days

57. Nepal to 30 days

58. Niger to 1 month (confirmation of hotel reservation is required)

59. Palau to 30 days

60. Tanzania to 90 days

61. Thailand to 15 days

62. Tonga to 30 days, can be prolonged

63. Turkey to 2 months

64. Uganda to 30 days

65. Zambia to 30/60 days

Visa less efforts:

66. Albania (visa at the customs on presentation of confirmation from the MIA of Albania).

67. Cape-Verde to 30 days (visa at the airport, 2-3 days before arrival it is necessary to send the passport copy to the MIA of Cape-Verde)

68. China, without a visa to 6 days if enter some towns of the province of Guangdong from Hong Kong or Macao in groups organized through a Chinese travel agency)

69. Guinea-Bissau (visa at the airport, if 14 days before arrival two pictures and passport information are sent by post to the State Commissariat of national safety and public order)

70. Malta (visa at the customs to 30 days; the accredited travel agency must submit all the documents beforehand)

71. Qatar to 14 days (visa at the airport, can be prolonged if the accredited hotel submitted an application at least 24 hours before).

72. South Korea, to 30 days only to the Chechzhudo Island.

73. Suriname (visa at the airport to 1-2 months, it is necessary to send passport information to the Consulate department of MFA in Suriname or to the Embassy of Suriname in the Netherlands or Belgium).

74. Tunis without a visa to 30 days; travel agency must send passport information to the Special department of National police beforehand).

    As a rule, countries that don’t require visas from the citizens of Russia or give them on the border, insist on your having enough money (the maximal amount is required at the Seychelles: from $150 per day of staying) and a ticket back to home country or to the third country (if this third country requires visa from the citizens of Russia there must be the visa). Besides, the passport must be valid for some more time after the planned departure from the country (in Malaysia and some other island states from 6 months).

    In June (2005) two more countries made it easier for the Russian citizens to enter them, they are Morocco and Indonesia. Since the 13th of June Russian citizens can simply buy a ticket and take an international passport to go to Morocco.  As for Indonesia, Russian tourists can get a visa (to 30 days) at arrival in the country and it costs $25.

So the above information can change with time and it is advisable to make inquires at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia before deciding on a trip. (www.mid.ru).

    Plan, meet, fall in love!