Visas & Red Tape
Trans - Siberian RailwayTrip Selection
Our trips are not group trips, so the dates we list are not “group departures”- just the dates when all the travel sectors fall into alignment for snag-free connections through remote areas. Please contact us if you would like to amend any of our standard itineraries.
The Booking Process & ‘Red Tape’
We know the booking form is dull stuff, but the governments in our destinations love red tape so it’s important that your travel documents match your personal details to the letter. Once you’ve sent this to us, we’ll send you the Visa Application forms you’ll need for your trip. Most visas can only be obtained in the ninety days prior to your arrival-we will let you know when.
Do not apply for visas until you have booked your trip with us-without the supporting documents we provide for you, your application will usually be rejected, resulting in wasted time and costs to you. Anyway we do all the visa submission stuff-saving you the hassle of queuing for days at different Consulates.
Because the Consulates only accept applications within 90 days prior to the start of your trip (the Russians sometimes accept applications up to 6 months prior to your arrival however), we will lodge your passport in this time and returning them to you 3- 4 weeks from this point (depending on the number of visas you require). Along with your passport and visas, we’ll be sending your travel documents too.
Train tickets are only issued “in-destination”, so they’ll be awaiting your arrival. We’ll need to know the confirmed arrival details, flight number, train number and station, or bus details, no later than a week prior so we can meet you (obviously if we have booked your flights or alternative connections for you then we know this already)
Visa Information for Russia
Handy to know:
(A) Russian visas are dated around the dates of your travel plans-the visa permits you to be in the country to complete your itinerary, but not for unscheduled extra activities. They give you a day’s grace either side, but only for emergencies.
(B) Arriving /leaving by surface? Russia’s so big its Western borders are more than a day’s ride from the main cities… so we’ll need to fix your entry dates accordingly. Please let us know if this applies to you!
(C) When we submit your visa, we need to show what travel services have been booked-any dates you list that aren’t evidenced with travel vouchers to match will be knocked back. It’ll also delay your application whilst they do it.
(D) Your passport must be valid for travel (i.e. not expired, or within six months after the end of all services) If you have two passports please consider which one you will travel on when applying for your visas and use the same one throughout for all visas.
(E) If you do not have an Australian or New Zealand passport or are not a permanent resident of Australia (with your visa in your current passport) then Russian visas can not be normally obtained in Australia. Contact us for options if this affects you.
Visa information for Mongolia & China
Mongolian visas largely follow the same pattern as the Russian-we’ll sort these out also. Chinese visas are quite simple-but there are numerous old Travellers’ Tales about them! They are good for 30 days travel in China. You have 90 days to enter China from the day of issue, when the clock starts ticking.
Please note that the visa on arrival for China is only applicable for people arriving and departing by air. Crossing the border by train requires a pre-obtained visa.
| VISA FEES CHARGED | |||
| Nationality | Russia | Mongolia | China |
| AUS | $165.00 | $230.00 | $110.00 |
Flower Travel Visa “done for you” visa processing – $140 per visa (in addition to consular fees).