MIGRATION CARDS

27-Dec-2002 at 1:32:38 pm Posted by All Ways International

Starting November 25, 2002, every foreign citizen arriving to Russia must complete a migration card application while passing through customs.

The card consists of two sections and the top section is collected by the passport/visa control officials right then and there, while the bottom part is collected when the person leaves the country to return home.

It is important to know the changes this new document requirement brings:

1. When entering Russia, foreign visitors will be asked about their inviting organization or travel agency.

2. Foreign visitors will also be asked how long they intend to stay in Russia - and may be asked to show a return ticket. The migration card will then be stamped with a specific departure date. If the visa is good for 30 days and the migration card was issued for only 25 days, the person will have to leave Russia within 25 days or on or before the date on his or her migration card.

This "Entry Interview" is going to be extremely important and may very well determine if the person is even allowed to stay in Russia. Although this fundamentally changes the former virtually guaranteed admission policy, this procedure is very similar to the US INS policy on admissions where a US visa is not a guarantee of entry into the country and the decision is ultimately made by the INS officials at the port of entry.

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