Staying 15 days but moving around, do I need to register my Russian visa?
I am staying in Russia for a period of 15 days, travelling to:
- Moscow for 6 days (Arrived by flight - Staying at hostel)
- Murmansk for 5 days (Moscow to Murmansk by flight - CouchSurfing)
- St. Petersburg for 4 days (Murmansk to St. Petersburg by train - CouchSurfing)
Leaving Russia from St.Petersburg into Tallinn by Simple Express bus.
From what I read online, I do not need to register if I am changing cities (and living in each city for less than 7 working days)
I have all the travel documentation with me however I am still afraid about being asked at the border about registration while departing.
Do they ask for registration at the exit border?
I am currently in the Moscow part of my trip and four days have already passed since I've arrived. I am staying at a hostel in Moscow and CouchSurfing in the other two cities.
*EDIT: I arrived in Moscow on 4th August afternoon. I just asked my hostel if they could register me now, they said it is not possible since Friday has almost ended and it takes three days to register so I can only be registered on Monday (But I'm leaving Moscow on Monday 7am for my flight to Murmansk.
So registration is not possible for me - what should be my plan of action now ?
Best Answer
This was resolved in chat. I will leave a basic summary here for anyone who was following the question.
Chat summary
- I think the OP should register, taking a contrary view to other sources the OP has consulted;
- The two couch surfing hosts are required to register the OP;
- It doesn't take a long time to register, certainly not 3 days; more like an hour;
- Both the host and the guest can be fined if the host does not register the OP;
- The OP is leaving Russia by train. Based upon the way registration paperwork flows through the system, this provides an almost foolproof opportunity to lie about it at the exit control;
- When in Russia the best policy for travellers is to play it strictly by the book.
The cost of registering depends upon the local authority; I would guess in Murmansk the cost would be about EUR 5; and in Peter it would be about EUR 20. But those are guesses whose purpose is to give an indicative range of what kind of money we're talking about.
The fine for not registering is about EUR 100 and may possibly attract a ban of 5 years. For those wanting to lie about having registered, leaving by air is a whole lot more risky than leaving by train.
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How many days can you stay in Russia without registering?
The legal period of stay of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation without registration is 7 days. It does not matter whether you are a citizen of a country that has a visa or visa-free regime with Russia.Do you have to register in Russia?
In accordance with Russian law, every foreign visitor must be registered at the Migration service within 3 days of their arrival into the Russian Federation. If you are staying in a hotel, the hotel will process your registration.What is registration in Russia?
What is registration? The registration is basically the process by which the Russian authorities are notified, after your arrival in Russia, of the place where they can find you if needed.How long is a Russian transit visa valid for?
Transit visa is required only for those travelers who are going to leave the customs zone of the airport. You can get a transit visa at the Russian Consulate upon presenting your tickets to and from the Russian airport. Transit visa is valid only for a period of 72 hours.How to apply for the Electronic Russian visa online
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