Every Russian tourist planning to travel to another country faces the most common problem - applying for a visa and other documents. This is a very boring, long and slightly unpleasant thing, because the preparation process takes from several days to a couple of months. Before starting this process, modern travelers look on the Internet in the hope of finding answers to their questions about the visa. This article will help tourists who choose Estonia as their first or next travel destination.
Traveling to Estonia: what do Russians need to do?
Estonia is a member of the Schengen countries, so a visa is strictly necessary to visit it. Without it, there is no way to be in the country, even passing through. As a result, tourists are advised to pay due attention and rigor to applying for 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 past couple of years, the list of places where you can apply for a visa has become wider, as visa centers are opening in all 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 with a Russian passport can apply to the Estonian Visa Application Center in Moscow. As a rule, short-term is more popular and widespread. With this type of visa you can stay in the country no more than 3 months. It is provided for up to 5 years. A long-term visa can be obtained only if the tourist has already received 3 visas earlier in any of the Schengen countries. According to Estonian law, foreign students studying in the country for exchange are also entitled to a long-term visa. In addition, the presence in Estonia of a family or an invitation from an employer within the official framework is another legal way to stay in the country with a long-term visa application. In this situation, it is necessary to transfer documents of kinship or an invitation to work in the visa center of the Estonian Embassy in Moscow. All papers must contain stamps and signatures.
Documents, terms and cost of a visa
Regardless of external and internal factors, the standard set of papers for applying for Schengen in Estonia contains the following items:
- passport and copies of its main pages (several should be blank);
- tourist application form;
- two photographs according to the established model;
- bank statements that confirm the availability of the necessary finances (the calculation is made relative to the current Estonian currency rate);
- copy of the passport of the Russian Federation;
- voucher (air ticket, hotel reservation or travel agency ticket).
In addition, the service of the Estonian Visa Application Center in Moscow may directly require additional extracts, papers, certificates, etc.
The terms for obtaining a visa are almost everywhere, in all centers, the same. Usually a Schengen visa is issued about a week after the submission of a package of documents. An urgent visa, carried out for individual reasons, is issued in 3 days (namely workers).
The price of a visa depends on how the tourist gets 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 contacting the center of Moscow, you will also need to pay 18.5 euros as a tax charge. In case of refusal to issue a Schengen visa, all financial resources spent on documents and other are not returned.
By proxy, you can transfer a set of documents for a visa only in one case, when a travel agency is engaged in all the design. It is also important to note that the tourist must 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 use ready-made data from the database. This is possible only in the center of the capital, in other regions and regions of Russia such a service, unfortunately, is not available.
Address of the Estonia Visa Application Center in Moscow
Where to turn to a Russian tourist? To get a visa in the capital, you need to go to the Estonia Visa Application Center in Moscow, which is located at 31 Shabolovka Street, Building 5.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to book an appointment by booking in advance. The only option is to collect all the necessary papers and submit them to the center in a live queue. Ready documents are taken in the same manner. On the official website of this center there are all contacts, including a phone that is allowed to call in order to consult with a specialist.
In addition to the main visa center, the capital has a Consular Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Estonia. It is located near the Arbatskaya metro station, in Kalashny Lane. All information, data and contacts are listed on the organization’s website.