Andrew Unsworth answers your travel queries
Q. We are hoping to travel to St Petersburg and perhaps Vienna and Prague around the middle of this year.
However, a friend was told recently it is very difficult for a South African to get a Russian visa.
What is your advice? - Andre Pienaar
A. There is no reason why a Russian visa would be any more difficult to obtain than the Schengen visa you will need for the other countries, in fact it could be easier.
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Russian visas are simple to obtain. Once you make a booking with a tour operator or hotel they will produce an official letter of invitation.
This invitation is submitted with a few personal details and, if granted, the visa is issued within five days.
Single-entry visas start from about R1,200, depending on how quickly you want it processed and the type of visa for which you are applying.
Applications must be completed online and printed out for submission to the consular office of the embassy.
The embassy is at 316 Brooks Street, Menlo Park, Pretoria, and there is a consulate at Norton Rose House, 8 Riebeek Street in Cape Town.
• Do you have a query for our travel expert? Send your question through to travelmag@sundaytimes.co.za
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