There are several ways for you to meet ladies.
Romance Tours, See: http://www.romance-tour.com
What are Romance Tours & Socials?
Tours & Socials are a great way to meet beautiful women.
Typically your host agency will arrange meetings with ladies
who have interest in meeting you either individually or in
groups. Most commonly there will be a group of ladies (the
numbers vary) that will gather at a meeting place i.e. hotel
etc. that are all waiting to meet you. Once there you will
have a chance to meet these ladies and converse with them
usually with a translator. Each agency has their own itinerary
of events and methodology.
You will be able to understand their personalities and attitudes
which is a definite plus. Also, if you are a US citizen and you
are thinking about marriage to Russian woman you will need to
prove to the US Department of Naturalization and Immigration
(if you decide you want to bring her to the US) that you and
your lady have met in person. If you go on a Tour / Social and
meet someone you have interest in, make sure you have plenty
of photographs of you and her together. If not, you will find
yourself planning another trip to Russia or another country in
which she can travel to.
Are Tours & Socials worth doing?
Yes, they are worth doing. Writing someone and meeting someone
are two different things. They say a picture is worth a thousand
words but meeting someone is worth much much more. If you go on
a Tour / Social you will meet more than just a few women, you
will more than likely meet a bunch. You will be able to interact
with the ladies and learn more about them in a shorter time.
Usually there will be more than just one beautiful lady
interested in you and hopefully you will have found a few you
have interest in as well.
If you can go on a Tour / Social then I recommend you make the
effort. You will be surprised at how many beautiful women you
will meet. Some ladies do not have good photographs and go
unnoticed in the online catalogs because of that. I have meet
ladies who have "ok" photographs but in real person they are
gorgeous! See: http://www.romance-tour.com
If the Romance tour idea does not appeal to you there are some
other options. Personal Tours, See:
http://www.special-lady.com/personal_tours.htm
You could visit her.
If your girl lives in one of the bigger cities where you can
get trusted travel assistance, this can be the best option for
meeting your lady. However this idea can create several problems
for you. First there are security issues that should be
considered. If you are relying on the lady to help you make
your travel and accommodation arrangements you are exposing
yourself to a huge and very real risk. Even if the lady can be
trusted and has the best intentions for you she may have family
or friends that cannot be trusted. She may also refer you to
someone for transportation or accommodation who she does not
know so well. When you travel to an area where there is wide
spread poverty and people with many needs for survival you can
become a target for scams and crimes. It can create a situation
similar to leaving a large sum of money in plain view around a
large group of people. The temptation is too great for some
people to resist. In small towns you will definitely have
language problems, very seldom do people speak English in the
smaller towns and villages, and a trip to the destination won't
be very comfortable for you.
On the other side of the coin you will be able to meet the
girl's family and friends; it is the wonderful opportunity to
see a woman in her everyday environment, she will be natural
in her relation to other people in her life - and this
experience is invaluable. It is important to meet the lady's
family and friends at some point but it is best to get to know
the lady first on neutral ground.
You can invite her to meet you in a larger city.
Inviting the girl to come to meet you Moscow, St. Petersburg,
Kiev or Odessa (or even in a third country).
This variant may be the most convenient for both of you. You
can book two rooms in the same hotel or rent a private flat
with two bedrooms and have lots of fun sightseeing together.
You could invite her to visit you in your country
(not possible for the USA and Canada residents)
She can buy a tour (in this case she won't have problems with
visa) or try to get the visa herself (using your official
invitation if necessary). It's an exciting experience for a girl
especially if she has never been abroad. It's also a perfect
chance to impress her (the standards of life are really
different). And, after all, it's a place where she is going to
live! A Russian travel agency can organize an individual tour
for her if there is not a standard one. You are supposed to pay
the expenses but usually it's cheaper than for you to go to Russia.
(It's extremely difficult for a single woman to receive a
visitor's visa to some countries like USA or Canada, almost
impossible. So if you reside in one of those countries, make
your mind from the beginning that you will have to go to the
other end of the world.)
You can consider any of the ways, but it also must suit your
girl. The tour organized for you by a travel agent might be
cheaper than a marriage agency's tours, but marriage agencies
know Russian realities better and will be able to help you with
all of the services that you will need, choosing a good quality
hotel in a particular Russian city, or organizing an individual
tour especially for you.
If you decide to invite a girl to your place, it will be wise
not to send her travel expenses directly to her. Buy the ticket
yourself at your travel agent so only you will be able to
receive a refund, and she will be able to pick it up at her
local office. If she needs money to come to Moscow, tell her
that you will refund her when you meet. If she is really
interested in you, she'll find money for the ticket - the price
for a train ticket usually will not exceed $50.
Plan your meeting ahead of time. If she doesn't have a passport
for traveling abroad ("foreign passport"), it can take up to
2-3 months to get it. You can ask if she has the passport in
the beginning of your acquaintance, it will show your serious
intentions.
When you decide that you are good for each other or get engaged,
you will face the problem how to bring your fiancee into your
country. The right way depends on the country.
This question is particularly real if you live in the USA.
Usually the best way to get into the country is receiving a
fiancee visa for your lady. It requires your meeting in person
before application. Any other way will be more complicated or
even impossible. Marrying in Russia may solve the problem, and
since August 2001 bringing your wife into USA is not any more
difficult than bringing your fiancee (visa K-3). But fiancee
visa is still a better way because in many countries arriving
on *spouse* visa results in many restrictions in status while
arriving on *fiancee* visa does not. There are many attorneys
who will assist you though you of course can do it yourself.
If your relationship is genuine and you don't use tricks, you will
eventually get it - but an immigration attorney will secure you do
not make mistakes and your fiancee will be with you as fast as
possible. Delays in the fiancee visa process often result in
breaking the engagement, and a simple mistake in a form can cause a
delay for another 3-12 months. According to USA immigration lawyers
Larry Holmes and Allan Lolly, from 100% of fiancee visa
applications, about 40% are not resulting in issuance of the visa,
and the most common reason is withdrawing of the application by a
foreign fiancee or USA fiance because of the delays. Imagine if
YOUR application is delayed or refused! I believe it is worth the
attorney's fee to secure your fiancee visa application goes smoothly.
My best advice is that you meet the lady at first in an area
where you can be assured of security and professional assistance.
Hire a US based agency that has contacts and resources in the
city you are going to travel to and have them make all or your
arrangements for apartments, hotels, drivers, interpreters and
anything else that you need or want.
See: http://www.special-lady.com/personal_tours.htm
What do I need to travel to Russia?
The simple answer is a passport, Russian visa, and
transportation. If you are thinking of being in a relationship
with a foreign woman and you do not have a passport you will
need to obtain an international passport from your country, a
Russian visa (usually a tourist visa), and transportation to
and from.
Comments:
If you do not have a passport then and you are thinking of a
relationship with a foreign woman you should go ahead and obtain
your passport right away.
How do I obtain a passport?
For US citizens to obtain passport visit US Department of State
Passport Services:
http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html
All the information you need is located there.
For professional processing see:
http://www.passportexpress.com
http://www.americanpassport.com
Basically all you need is proof you are a US citizen
(birth certificate) and drivers license, passport photographs,
and complete the Application for Passport form DS-11.
If you are not a US citizen you will need to check with your
government's requirements and procedures.
Comments:
You can obtain your passport from various places, travel
agencies and US Post Offices are the most common. The cost is
around $40.00 USD.
If you have a passport check the dates to make sure it is
valid for at least one year more.
How do I obtain a Russian visa?
NOTE: The Russian Embassy has announced that effective
immediately (November, 10, 2002), the actual passport will be
required to be submitted - NOT A PHOTOCOPY. Many websites are
still posting outdated information, even the Russian Embassy
website listed below.
You can obtain a Russian Visa from the Embassy of the Russian
Federation, various web sites or a travel agent.
See: http://www.russiagateway.com/default.asp
http://www.visahouse.com/eng1
http://www.passportexpress.com/?page=visa
- A completed visa application form:
http://www.traveldocs.com/ru/visa.htm
- Valid US Passport, Must be signed, AND be valid for more
than six months from your planned date of entry, AND have at
least one blank visa page.
- Supplement Questionnaire Form:
http://www.passportexpress.com/Passports/pdfs/Russiasupplement.pdf
US male citizens age 16-45 requesting a Russian entry visa are
required to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire Form.
- Three professional identical passport size pictures of
the applicant. Pictures can be black-and-white or color,
preferably on matte paper. MailBoxes Etc., Kinkos Copies and AAA
provide passport photos, or consult yellow pages under
"Photographers-Passport."Do NOT use vending machine or your own
photos.
- Letter of Invitation, A visa invitation from the Foreign
Ministry of Russia is required of all visa applicants. Passport
Expresscan make arrangements for the invitation.
- A cover letter from your travel agency in the USA,
containing the following information:
• Applicant's name or Directory list of a group;
• Dates and points of arrival and departure in and from
Russia and means of transportation;
• Itinerary in Russia;
• Index and reference number of the receiving organization.
- If you apply by mail, you should enclose a completed-
addressed stamped return envelope or prepaid waybill, bearing
your postal account number and showing yourself as both shipper
and recipient regardless of delivery address.
Can I use credit cards in Russia?
There are some larger hotels in the major cities (Moscow, St.
Petersburg) where you can use Visa and American Express. Visa
is the most excepted credit card in Russia. Do not count on
using your credit cards in Russia for dining or traveling etc.
like you would in America. Russia is basically a "cash only"
country especially in the smaller cities so make sure you have
money with you. Recently (October 2001) the Visa credit card has
become more widely accepted in Moscow and over the past few
months more restaurants have started accepting the Visa credit
card. There are also ATM machines in most cities but use only
during daylight hours and where plenty of people are visible.
ATM machines attract thieves & pickpockets who watch for
tourists. Use an ATM at bank if possible.
Comments:
Before you depart on your trip to Russia, as a backup plan, it
would be advisable to have someone back home who can transfer
you the money via Western Union if you find you need an
additional sum of money over $500 USD (you cannot transfer money
to yourself via Western Union).
Western Union is available in most midsize cities throughout
Russia. You should not have a problem locating a Western Union
office.
What if my passport and/or visa is lost or stolen?
If your passport and Russian visa is lost or stolen while you
are in Russia you have a problem.
If you are US citizen contact the American Embassy Citizens
Services Unit they can assist you with obtaining another
passport with no major problem. They also can help you with the
basic information you need to obtain another Russian Visa
(which is the problem). Loss of a Russian Visa is a problem and
hopefully you notice its missing before the Russian authorities
do. It will take some time to get another Russian Visa issued.
It is not a fast process. Expect a full day or two of just working
on getting a replacement visa.
Recommendation:
Make a two copies of your Russian Visa to take with you on your
trip. If your Russian Visa is lost then you can present a copy
to the Russian authorities to help the locate your visa record.
The Russian visa system is not as automated as one might expect.
The majority of the time spent on getting a new visa is locating
your original visa information. Having a copy can help them
locate the record but they will still need to verify everything
on that visa again. It is basically like applying for another visa
on the spot with the problem being that you are in their country
and in violation of the law until they issue you another visa.
The American Citizen Services Unit Contact Information: Moscow
The American Citizen Services Unit (telephone 7-095-728-5577)
is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and
from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., except on Russian and American
legal holidays. In the event of an emergency, American citizens
may telephone 7-095-728-5577 anytime from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.,
Monday through Friday. After 6:00 p.m., please call the Embassy
duty officer at 7-095-728-50.
For information for Ukrainian Visas see:
http://www.travisa.com/ukraine/ukraine.htm
http://www.passportexpress.com/?page=visa
For information for other countries visas see:
http://traveldocs.com/europe.htm
http://www.passportexpress.com/?page=visa
