Registration of foreigners in Russia
According to the Russian legislation, a foreigner is required to register at the local OVIR (migratory services, depending on the police department) if staying in a particular town or location for more than three consecutive days, and has to be done in every place that is visited.
If you are travelling in an organised tour, or in major hotels, your host will normally do it for you. Otherwise, you will need to do it yourself, or via a registration service.
In the beginning of 2007 a new migratory law has come into force in Russia. Apparently, it has completely changed the procedure of legalization of foreign citizens who decide to visit Russia.
The new procedure seems to be easier and more convenient for both the host and the guest. Instead of asking permissions (!) to have a guest, now a Russian host (person or organization) only has to notify the migratory service about it.
It is possible to declare the arrival of a foreigner in two ways: to go personally to the migratory service, or to send a mail notification through the post office. The migratory or mail services will accept the notification and return a part of the form with a stamp stating acceptance. This part of the form confirms the registration of the foreigner in the migratory register.
This new administrative legislation established the responsibility for the absence of documents that proves the registration and so the right to stay legally in the country; in particular, the notification that the visitor gets during the procedure of registration. The penalty is from 2 to 5 thousand roubles.
In any case, it can cause you problems or delays at customs, so we strongly advise to comply with the above mentioned requirements.
