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=== The Ultimate Guide to a €35 Russian Visa without an Agency for Most EU Citizens (except UK, Ireland and Croatia, among others) ===
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Also, there are maps almost completely presenting full infrastructure of some cities including public transportation system at [http://www.2gis.ru/ 2gis.ru]. November, 1st 2009 there were 22 cities: Астрахань, Барнаул, Бийск, Екатеринбург, Иркутск, Казань, Кемерово ,Красноярск ,Курган, Нижневартовск, Нижний Новгород, Новокузнецк, Новосибирск, Одесса, Омск, Пермь, Самара, Тольятти, Томск, Тюмень, Уфа, Челябинск. U can use on-line version or download installer and use maps off-line. Also there is opportunity to use 2gis on Windows Mobile platform and even on usual cellphone with Java MIDP-2 engine (needs internet access).
A more modern alternative is Maps.me, as it has offline maps and shows gas stations. (Most platforms)
Another alternative Application to MapsMe is Yandex Maps. It's like Russian Goole maps. You can download offline maps there and find every address or public transport.
(July 2019)
== Hitching ==
Somehow, Russians are still very amused by foreigners, and many report that solo traveling even extremely long distances, like Central and Eastern Russia, for a foreign girl who speaks some Russian is absolutely safe since she is treated like someone ‘from the outside’ by virtually everyone. Keep in mind that being a foreigner you are somewhat protected from some issues that Russian hitchhikers face on the roads.
''Most Russian embassies in the EU don't require you to submit an application through a visa center/travel agent or to complete any additional steps, but it's very important to check the respective embassy's website for their particular requirements.''
1. Get an appointment at the respective embassy of your choice. This is the biggest hassle of the entire process as appointments are usually booked out for at least two months ahead... You'll find a link to the online appointment booking system on the embassy's website - it'll look something like http://paris.kdmid.ru/queue-en/. Record the appointment details.
2. Two weeks or so before your appointment, book accommodation through this [http://www.saint-petersburg.com/russian-visa/free-visa-support/ website]'s affiliate link to Booking.com. They give free tourist invitations to anyone who books using their affiliate link - it's important to follow the link to Booking.com from their website. As it's Booking.com, you can give them a fake credit card (using a fake CC number generator of course) and you don't actually have to stay at the places or pay for them in advance. But you do need the reservations. Alternatively, you could also get an invitation through the many websites which offer it for as low as €10 (look up Fortuna Travel) - but the steps above will get you one for free.''Recent reports seem to suggest that the agency is getting wary of suspicious free visa support request, so if you're going to Russia for longer than a week, you're probably better off coughing up the €10.''
3. Once you've managed to successfully book accommodation through Booking.com, fill out this [https://www.saint-petersburg.com/russian-visa/free-visa-support/request/ form]. They should send you scans of the invitation to your e-mail. Print those out.
3a. If you need a visa for over 30 days, then you have to get a "Business" visa instead of a tourist visa. It's Russia, so white lies are not out of the ordinary here... To get a business visa, you'll need a more expensive invitation (usually between €45-80), but the visa fee remains the same and the same visa support companies issue these. For visas up to 180 days, a simple stamped letter over email is enough, but this really depends on the embassy. For a 1-year visa(although it's valid for a year, one entry can only be 90 days), you'd need a formal invitation initiated by the company via the Russian Migration Service, which is much more expensive and can take up to a month. 4. Fill out this [https://visa.kdmid.ru/PetitionChoice.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 form] exactly as you've filled out the previous form. This is the official Russian form which you'll submit to the embassy. Print it. Sign it. Glue two a passport photos photo onto it (3.5x4.5cm size).
5. Get travel insurance which has at least €30,000 cover. Print a confirmation. If you're good enough with photoshop you can give them something legit looking. You'll also probably need this at the Russian border.
IMPORTANT: Every embassy and every nationality is different! Check the embassy website before following these steps as there may be extra requirements not covered here!
=== E-Visa ===
Starting from July 1, 2019 people from many countries can get electronic visa to enter the [[Far Eastern Federal District]] and the [[Kaliningrad Oblast]]. The e-visa is free and lasts only for eight days. Rules for these visas can be found on the official website [https://evisa.kdmid.ru/].
== Cities ==
== External links ==
* [http://010-vladok.reitsma.ru/ Story about hitchhiking from Rotterdam to Vladivostok] {{en}}
* [http://no-planes.de/?p=76/ Story about hitchhiking from Hamburg to Lake Baikal] {{en}}
* [http://ru_autostop.livejournal.com Russian] hitchhiking communities. {{ru}}, but you can ask questions and get replies in {{en}}
* [http://takemeeast.blogspot.com/search/label/russia Hitchhiking in the Russian far east] {{en}}
== Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==
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