Do I need a visa if I go with a cruise line to St. Petersburg?
Last week I discussed with a friend if it is necessary to get a Russian visa if you travel with a cruise liner to Saint Petersburg in Russia? I think so, but my friend has the opinion that it is not necessary since you're accomondation is not in Russia but on the "international" cruise line. Who is right?
I have to edit my question to clarify something: I'm not asking if I need to care about the visa by myself or if the tour operator does it. I already did that this summer and I know it can be a PITA. I want to know if I need a Visa at all.
Best Answer
Actually, this is one exception where an organized "shore excursion" works better than venturing out on your own. In other words, you will be better served taking the tour with the cruise line. The cruise line takes care of the paperwork involving the entry visa.
We disembarked at St. Petersburg with the cruise company and had the visa taken care of, while others in our party who explored on their own, had to submit paperwork and seek visa approval before hand.
Enjoy St. Petersburg. It's truly breathtaking!
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Do I need a visa to go to Russia on a cruise ship?
International Cruise Ship/Ferry Passengers: You are permitted to visit Russian ports without a visa for a period of up to 72 hours.Do cruise ship passengers need visas?
All Non-U.S. Citizen Guests Must Carry A Valid Passport, (Not Expiring within (6) Months of Return Of Your Cruise). In addition, a tourist visa may be required for entry into certain countries/ports of call.Do I need a visa for a Baltic cruise?
A visa is required to disembark from the Cruise Ship in Russia and wander off on your own, walk around the city, see the Hermitage, etc. If you buy those costly tours from the Cruise operator, you do not need a visa and will be covered by the group "BLANKET VISA" that is issued for the group.Do I need a visa to Russia if I travel on a cruise ship?
More answers regarding do I need a visa if I go with a cruise line to St. Petersburg?
Answer 2
You DO NOT need a Russian visa if you book for shore excursions through ANY licensed tour operator (absolutely not necessarily through the cruise line).
Smaller tour operators offer better services and more personal care. You can have a look at the tour operator Tour De Force or any other -
I have been working in the shore excursions industry in St. Petersburg since 2000 and I guarantee the info provided. We provide shore excursions without visa for thousands of customers every year.
Answer 3
To answer your follow-up question, your friend is definitely wrong if he meant that the ship is not subject to the local laws and somehow allowed to go everywhere and disembark passengers without visa in each and every country of the world, just because they are not staying for the night. As far as I know, the only situation in which international law would mandate something like that is if the ship is in distress.
That said, many countries welcome international cruises and might provide ways to go on-shore without visa or facilitate the visa process because they are happy to get a boatload of tourists to spend their money. But that's still entirely up to them, it has nothing to do with the ship being some sort of “international accommodation”.
Similarly some countries have generous visa waiver provisions or offer exemptions from visa or even passport requirements for organized tours as a way to foster tourism (e.g. Tunisia, where some foreign nationals can go with ID but no travel document if they are part of a group), even though there is no ship and no international anything in this scenario.
Others have already commented on the specifics for Russia and Saint-Petersburg.
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Images: Allen Beilschmidt sr., Athena, Brett Jordan, Brett Jordan