Russia is making an effort to shake off its reputation for difficult entry requirements but it’ll come at a small extra cost for Australian travellers submitting visa applications.
From 1 April 2019, the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Sydney will no longer accept visa applications for Russia. Instead, it will refer them onto the Russian Visa Center opening in the suburb of Woollahra today.
As part of its establishment, the Russian Visa Center is authorised to accept and process applications, hand over passports with ready visas and provide other services such as answering enquiries.
Image: Nikita Karimov/Unsplash
Although outsourcing the visa process will “improve the quality of service” for Australian citizens (direct from the Consulate), the cost of ease will be amount to around $43 extra per application. This will be in addition to the existing $120 fee for a single-entry application, bringing it to a total of $163 per person.
Despite the Russian Visa Center’s new authority, the decision of the visa and the timing of consideration will remain with the Consulate General.