My Reply to the Russian Consul's letter!
Consul General
...................................................................................................................... 30 January 2011
Consular Department of the Russian Embassy
5 Kensington Palace Gardens
London W8 4QS
Dear Mr ...........
Thank you very much for your letter dated 25 January 2011 in reply to my letter to his Excellency, the President of the Russian Federation, dated 28 October 2010 and I would like to bring to your attention the following:
- I am very happy to read your encouraging comment, which implies that the Consulate will do it’s best, under the current legislation, to help me resolve my difficulties and make it easier for me to travel to my family and home in Russia:
“We do understand your difficulties and inconveniences and would be happy to facilitate your journeys to Russia”
Unfortunately with the same breath you continue to advise me:
“But for the present the Russian legislation neither allows us to issue you a multiple one year visa nor change the visa procedure.”
Having followed meticulously over the years the continuous negotiations between the Russian Federation and the European Community, I come to realise, now, that with a good will on your part and as promised in your letter, a satisfactory solution can be found
under the current legislation and the 2007 Agreement between the EU and the Russian Federation to resolve my problem. Find detailed below the pre-conditions under which you could facilitate and help me to avoid more difficulties when travelling to visit my family and home in Russia.
May I remind you the following?
- I was born in Greece, hold a Greek Passport and Greece is part of the EU and I used my right under the EU directive 2004/38/EU to bring my Russian wife into the UK, as explained in my original letter to his Excellency, the President of the Russian Federation. Of course I have a dual nationality and hold also a British Passport but in this case it’s not applicable.
- I am sure that you are aware of the agreement that was signed in Shochi and came into force on the 1st June 2007 between the European Union and the Russian Federation.
- Please find attached a copy of the said agreement in English language referring to the conditions for travel for the Citizens of the Russian federation and naturally the same conditions apply for the citizens of all the EU countries too BUT this agreement does not apply for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Ireland, The Kingdom of Denmark, the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway.
1. Documents required. For the categories of persons listed below, only the mentioned documents are requested to justify the purpose of the journey.
(The general requirement of personal appearance for the submission of the visa application and supporting documents will remain unaffected. In individual cases, in which doubts remain regarding the purpose of the journey, the applicants’ intention to return to his/her country of residence or to proof sufficient means of subsistence proportionate to the length and the purpose of the stay, the visa applicant can be called for an additional in depth interview to the embassy/consulate. Additional documents can be provided by the visa applicant or exceptionally requested by the consular officer.)
- close relatives (spouse, children, parents, grandparents and grandchildren) visiting citizens of the Russian Federation legally residing in the territory of the Member States:
o a written request from the host person including proof of the relationship and residency (original);
What is in the written request?- For the invited person: name, surname, date of birth, sex, citizenship, number of the identity document, time and purpose of journey, number of entries, and name of minor children accompanying the invited person.
- For inviting person: name, surname, address and contact details.
2. Visa handling fee. - The fee for processing a visa application is 35 €.
- This fee will benefit all EU and Russian citizens (including tourists) and concern all types of Schengen visas, i.e. both transit and short-stay visas, irrespective of the number of entries.
3. Exemption from the visa fee. Certain categories of persons benefit from a waiving of the visa fee: - close relatives (spouse, children, parents, grandparents and grandchildren) visiting citizens of the Russian Federation legally residing in the territory of the Member States;
4. Criteria for issuing multiple-entry visas (for staying max 90 days per 180 days) valid for a long period of time. - Multiple-entry visas valid for 5 years to spouses and children visiting citizens of the Russian Federation legally residing in the Member States and members of national and regional governments and parliaments, Constitutional and Supreme Courts; or for the time of duration of their authorisation for legal residence or of their mandate, if these are less than five years
It is my view under the requirements of the said agreement of 2007, between the European Union and the Russian Federation that as a spouse of a Russian National, I qualify for a Multiple-entry visa valid for 5 years and also benefit from a waiving of the visa fee!It is clear, the above conditions and requirements reciprocate the same benefits as those my Russian National wife has been afforded by the EU, with her Resident Card. Of course, now, it is up to your decision and your willingness to help me to make it easier for me to be able to travel, visit my old age mother in Law and also our family house in Russia.
As the only male in the family, I can’t stress enough my frustration for my inability to travel at a moment’s notice, in an emergency, to support and take care of my mother in law, as it happened to us last November when she was taken urgently to hospital and had a gall stone operation! Of course I couldn’t travel and be there to offer my care and support.
2.
.... In reply to your other comments regarding the simplified procedure, after the change of the law last March, may kindly I refer you to my comments made in my previous letter to his Excellency, the President of the Russian Federation, after my personal experience last May.
“Unfortunately the new Law does not resolve my problem and its implementation by the Consulate and the Russian Visa Centre in London, on the contrary makes it more difficult. It is more expensive now, especially as we have to travel from far away to London by train, to acquire a visitors Visa with a Private invitation for the following reason, as stated in their web site at the Russian Visa Centre:1.) Citizen of the Russia Federation must be present in person at the time of application submission to sign the visa request form (this must be signed with presence of the Visa Centre officer). Hence, no postal application can be accepted. “
May I add that my wife is in a full time employment and she has to take a day off to go to London thus adding an additional cost with the loss of her income for that day!
3.
..... Your suggestion that I can travel to Russia under another type of visa, eg Tourist visa unfortunately doesn’t comply with the requirements for the registration of the immigration Card with OVIR and obviously either I will be refused registration of my Immigration Card or I will be forced to pay a fine.
4.
..... I am also a supporter of the Russian proposition for a visa free travel between Russia and the EU countries and I believe, like you, that if the EU accepts the Russian proposition both parties will benefit immensely. Having worked as a Tour operator in the travel industry here in the UK for many years, I can foresee how beneficial it will be, especially for the Russian Federation such new regime, which bound to create a large number of new, jobs, in construction of new facilities and also will increase its service industry dramatically. I am sure you also realise this will be an additional and very profitable currency revenue stream for the Russian economy and its citizens too. I think it’s about time that the doors to Russia open for the mass tourism.
I feel extremely frustrated in the knowledge of the hidden treasures of your country, that so few people, like me, now can visit. I have always advocated that you have a very beautiful and wonderful country and very nice people too, (when they get to know you) like my many Russian friends. I think it’s a pity that your Government doesn’t take the bold step and drop the visa requirement, for at least the Europeans citizens, which of course will throw the EU bureaucrats with their negative attitudes into depression.
I believe millions of visitors will travel to the new holiday destination, “Open Russia”, visit the many interesting places and treasures in the Russian Federation and not only Moscow and St Petersburg as it happens now and of course the sun and sea masses that will sunbathe in the Black sea resorts and forget about Spain, Portugal, Cyprus etc.
May I kindly ask you if it is convenient for you to arrange an appointment to come and meet you, as this problem cannot be resolved via the Russian Visa Centre in London?
I hope your Excellency would consider my request and help me to resolve this problem once and for all and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Your sincerely