20 east

Trying to get a Russian visa. Well, to be precise, I have a Russian visa valid for a year, I just need to get it put into my passport as opposed to being a piece of paper. To be even more precise, it looks like I have a visa for Moscow & St Petersburg. They don’t like you visiting the real Russia. I’ve been to Moscow a few times before. I’ve had a year long visa before and on no occasion was I rude to Putin or anything else naughty so this should be easy, right? Wrong!

There is a small team involved in this – myself, my office admin folk, a sub-contract agency, the Russian consulate. In the past I’ve done it myself but it’s not pretty so I am thankful to avoid it when I can. We gathered all the extra items needed, in addition to the actual visa invitation:

• Passport
• Permit for staying in Poland
• 4 visa photos of a specific size as used by Russia
• Application form
• Money
• Certificate of health insurance in my name, valid for Russia or the whole world, for €30,000, for the duration of the visa

My admin team thought it would be a wizzo idea to get the company private medical company to issue a certificate as this insurance is part of my cover anyway. They issued something. Having been through this too many times before, I took one look at the certificate and suggested that this might not be acceptable for a few reasons;

1. It does not state €30,000. It mentions greater amounts but in PLN. (i.e. will vary depending on exchange rate)
2. It does not have an end date. (i.e. might be cancelled if I leave the medical plan)
3. The certificate itself is not signed and has no official stamps.
4. The certificate does not mention my name. This comes in an attached letter.

It just didn’t look right. I suggested they try an application quickly because this will be rejected and then we’ll be struggling to get the second attempt to stick before I have to fly on Monday.

They listen to me, although not believing I am so in tune with Russians as to know it will be rejected.

It is rejected. Not for the reason I would reject it (the fact that I could cancel it at any time) but for all the silly reasons – no stamps, no signature, no name, no Euros.

Stay tuned for application number two, tomorrow. As we are now into “priority” service, the price has trebled!

There is the possibility that they have cross checked my name & visit times with terrorist activity in Moscow. I do have the great fortune of my rare visits coinciding with trouble. I was there when the metro was bombed. I was there when the terrorists took hostages in the theatre and then the security forces made things worse. I don’t think there has been any terrorist activity in Moscow that I have been a lot closer to than I care to think about!

This is what life is all about.