Every Russian tourist who plans to go on a trip to another country faces the most common problem - obtaining a visa and other documents. This is a very boring, long and slightly unpleasant business, since the preparation process takes from several days to a couple of months. Before embarking on this process, modern travelers look to the internet in hopes of finding answers to their visa questions. This article will help tourists who have chosen Estonia as the place of their first or next trip.
Traveling to Estonia: what should Russians do?
Estonia is part of the Schengen countries, so a visa is strictly required to visit it. Without it, there is no way to be in the country, even in transit. As a result, tourists are advised to apply due diligence and rigor in obtaining a visa in order to avoid problems at customs.
A visa to the Republic of Estonia is issued in the standard manner according to the rules of the law. In the last couple of years, the list of places where you can apply for a visa has become wider, as in allvisa centers open in cities.
Visa to Estonia. Visa Application Center in Moscow
There are two types of visas to this country - long-term and short-term. All citizens of the Russian Federation who have a Russian passport can apply to the Estonian Visa Application Center in Moscow. As a rule, the more popular and common is the short term. With this type of visa, you can stay in the country for no more than 3 months. It is provided for up to 5 years. A long-term visa can only be obtained if the tourist has previously received 3 visas to any of the Schengen countries. According to Estonian legislation, foreign students studying on the territory of the country on exchange are also eligible for a long-term visa. In addition, having a family in Estonia or an official invitation from an employer is another legal way to stay in the country with a long-term visa option. In such a situation, it is necessary to submit documents on kinship or an invitation to work at the visa center of the Estonian embassy in Moscow. All papers must be stamped and signed.
Documents, terms and cost of visa
Regardless of external and internal factors, the standard set of paperwork for obtaining a Schengen visa to Estonia contains the following items:
- passport and copies of its main pages (several should be blank);
- questionnaire completed by a tourist;
- two photos according to the established pattern;
- statements frombank accounts, which confirm the availability of the necessary finances (the calculation is made in relation to the current exchange rate of the Estonian currency);
- copy of Russian passport;
- voucher (air ticket, hotel reservation or travel agency package).
In addition, the service of the Estonian Visa Application Center in Moscow may directly require additional statements, papers, certificates, etc.
Terms for obtaining a visa almost everywhere, in all centers, are the same. Usually a Schengen visa is issued approximately one week after the submission of a package of documents. An urgent visa, performed for individual reasons, is issued in 3 days (working days).
The price of a visa depends on how the tourist obtains it. For example, in Moscow, a consular fee is paid. It is about 35 euros. But with an urgent visa, the fee is already more expensive - 50 euros. Payment is made both in cash and non-cash.
When applying to the center of Moscow, you will also need to pay an additional 18.5 euros as a tax fee. In case of refusal to issue a Schengen visa, all financial resources spent on documents and other things will not be returned.
It is possible to transfer a set of documents for a visa by proxy only in one case, when the travel agency handles all the paperwork. It is also important to note that the tourist is required to undergo the procedure for submitting biometric data. In the future, they will be transmitted provided that there are no violations. All information on biometric data is stored in one huge common database. Therefore, when applying for a new visa (for example, at the Estonian visa center in Moscow), you can already useprepared data from the database. This is possible only in the center of the capital, in other regions and regions of Russia, unfortunately, there is no such service.
Address of the Estonian Visa Application Center in Moscow
Where should a Russian tourist go? To get a visa in the capital, you need to go to the Estonian Visa Application Center in Moscow, which is located at Shabolovka Street, Building 31, Building 5.
Sorry, it is not possible to book an appointment by making an appointment in advance. The only option is to collect all the necessary papers and submit them to the center on a first-come, first-served basis. Prepared documents are taken in the same order. The official website of this center has all the contacts, including the phone number that is allowed to call to consult with a specialist.
In addition to the main visa center, there is a Consular Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in the capital. It is located near the Arbatskaya metro station, in Kalashny Lane. All information, data and contacts are listed on the organization's website.
