Denise Burton wants to visit her daughter at Moscow university. She would prefer to organise the trip herself but is concerned about Russia's complicated bureaucracy.

To stay with friends, you each need an official letter of invitation from a Moscow resident. This is the so-called militia clearance certificate, valid for up to three months. The resident will need details of your passport, full name, date of birth, etc. Alternatively book accommodation through a reputable company such as Hotel Select, supplying all the above details at the time of booking. Eventually, you will receive a tourist voucher and confirmation of accommodation from the hotel. You then apply for your visas with either the private invitations or tourist vouchers. The Russian embassy is in London, but we prefer to use the Edinburgh consulate. They take about seven days to process the applications and telephone to sort out problems. Their customer service and attitude is excellent. You must send your passports, recent passport-sized photos, £30 fee and insurance details.

Sheila Robinson

A visa agency such as DJB Passports and Visas (020-7689 5905), which specialises in the former Soviet bloc can be invaluable. I have also used a specialist tour service located at St Petersburg university named Rusistika Travel (contact Sergei Volkov, e-mail: rusistik@rusakad.spb.ru). They can organise letters of invitation, accommodation, internal travels and guided tours, too.
David Williams

www.hotelsrussia.com takes hotel bookings by credit card and for a fee of $30 will give "visa support" - it will fax the confirmation you need to organise your visa, and register your passport once you're there. Alternatively, try the Moscow youth hostel (tel: +7 (095) 378 0001, e-mail: hostelasia@mtu-net.ru) - I've found them very efficient. You pay for one night's accommodation plus visa support and they fax you a letter stating you're staying for the full duration of your visit. (I've never actually stayed at the youth hostel, but that's the way things work in Russia.)
Margaret Matthew

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