Olympics attendees get same-day visas - Official
MOSCOW. December 31. KAZINFORM - Foreigners planning to attend February's Olympic Games in Sochi will be able to get Russian visas on the same day they apply, a foreign ministry head said in an interview published Tuesday.
The shortcut will drastically cut down the waiting time to receive visas to Russia, which normally can take several days and sometimes weeks to process.
Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov said that the same-day visa deal is a temporary window specially created for the Olympics at Russia's major consulates around the world.
"In those missions abroad, where the volume of visa work isn't huge, applications for spectators of the Games are accepted outside the [usual] line," he said. "If desired, visas can be issued on the same day."
A detailed explanation of visa application requirements is posted on the Foreign Ministry's official website, he said, as well as on the sites of foreign consulates and visa centers abroad.
Sochi, a city of some 350,000 in Russia's south, will host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games starting February 7.
Source: RIA- Novosti