Welcome to the Real Russia dedicated Dragoman Overland page!   Real Russia is very happy to help you obtain the visas you need for what promises to be the trip of a lifetime for your journey starting in Helsinki, Finland and going between St. Petersburg on Russia's Baltic coast, through the Russian heartlands, the steppes and mountains of Kazakhstan, the wilds and deserts of Mongolia through to the thoroughly ancient modern capital of Beijing in China ... and of course back again!   We hope the information given below is comprehensive but if you do have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us on dragoman@realrussia.co.uk or +44 (0) 20 7100 7370 and we will be happy to help.

Which visas do I need for my trip?

For the Dragoman Overland XPB19 trip from Helsinki to Beijing the following visas are required:

Russian cultural visa - double entry valid for 90 days

Kazakh tourist visa - single entry valid for 30 days

Mongolian tourist visa - single entry valid for 30 days (not required by US passport holders)

Chinese tourist visa - double entry valid for 30 days per visit with a 180-day window for use

Please note: All passengers are responsible for their own visa arrangements to cover their time in Finland. EU passport holders do not require a visa for Finland; Australian, New Zealand, USA and Canadian passport holders do not currently require a visa for Finland for stays of less than 90 days. Other passport holders would need a Schengen visa. Please double check the latest entry requirements with your local embassy/consulate.

How long does it take to get the visas I need?

We will process your visas "back to back" at the required consulates and, assuming that you are using the standard processing (cheapest service), then it will take a maximum of 20 working days (approximately 4 weeks) from receipt of your applications, excluding any UK public or consular specific public holidays.

If you require your visas processed more quickly than this, then please contact us directly on dragoman@realrussia.co.uk or by phone +44 (0) 207 100 7370 and we will be happy to advise you of your options.

We can only start the application for your Russian visa 45 days in advance of your visa start date.

We can apply for your Kazakhstan visa as far as 6 months in advance of your entry into Kazakhstan.

We can apply for your Mongolian visa up to 5 months before your entry into Mongolia.

We can apply for your Chinese visa up to 180 days before your exit date from China.

It is therefore advisable to apply to us for your visas six to seven weeks before the start of your trip, if this is not possible then please contact us directly on dragoman@realrussia.co.uk or by phone +44 (0) 207 100 7370 and we will be happy to advise you of your options.

What paperwork is required for the visas?

Generally you will need to provide the documents listed below and we will provide all other necessary documents and support.

Certain passport holders may need to provide additional documents; generally we will advise you about these when you order online but if you're not travelling on a UK passport, please contact us to check the latest requirements.

How much will it cost?

If you are using the standard service for the processing options, which takes about four weeks, then the visas will cost as listed below. If you need faster processing or you hold a passport of certain non-UK nationalities then you may find that the visas cost more, again, we will advise you of this when you apply.

Russian visa: £275.30

Kazakh visa: £54.50

Mongolian visa: £60.00

Chinese visa: £104.50

Return postage or courier of your passport and visas is charged separately.

What is included in the price?

Our prices include all costs necessary to get your visas:

• Fees for all necessary visa support documents and letters of invitation
• Ministry processing charges
• Local taxes
• Consular tariffs (some non-UK nationals have additional tariffs)
• Delivery, collection and management of your application at the various consulates by our staff.

You also have the option of choosing in addition:

• Central London courier delivery the day your visas are ready
• Royal Mail Special Delivery of your passport and Russian visa back to you (UK only)
• £5,000 of consequential loss postal insurance (UK mainland only)
• European mainland delivery by Royal Mail International Delivery
• Return courier to anywhere in the world.

How can I pay for my visas?

You have several options to pay for your visas including:

• credit or debit card when you place your order online (please note there is an additional 3% card processing fee)
• credit / debit card by phone / fax
• cheque
• postal order
• cash
• bank transfer

Please note that we accept Pounds Sterling only and that any cheques should be drawn on a UK bank account.

Can I deliver my passport and collect my visas from your office in person?

Yes, of course you can; we have an office in central London and we will be happy to see you and assist with your applications if needed. If you intend to deliver your applications in person or collect your passport and visas, we are open for collection and deliveries during the following times.

I'm not in the UK and / or not a British citizen, can you process my visas?

Unfortunately we are not able to process Chinese and Russian visas for non-EU nationals who cannot prove residency in the UK. The Chinese application form should be completed with UK home/work addresses and telephone numbers.

If you are not in the UK when applying for your visas you would need to send your applications to us by courier and we would return them the same way. All you need to do is complete the credit card authorisation form, enclose this with your applications and we will charge your card directly for the return courier to your requested address.

For the return courier, please ensure that you give us the full return address including a post code and local contact telephone number.

What details should I put on the applications?

For the Russian visa it is important that if you intend to enter Russia before the actual Dragoman trip starts that you request the visa for the date that you intend to enter Russia.

The tour starts in Helsinki on 19^th April 2009 and you all have to cross the border into Russia together on the Dragoman vehicle; for flexibility we recommend that request your Russian visa for a minimum start date of 19^th April 2009. The visa will then be valid for 90 days from this date.

Regardless of which country you arrive from, Moscow will automatically be selected for “arriving to” and “departing from”; St Petersburg and Samara will also automatically be listed in the cities to be visited, but you should add Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod as City 3 and City 4. Set the country departing to as Kazakhstan.

For the Kazakh visa set your entry date to 4^th May 2009 with entry from Russia to Aral and departure from Almaty to Russia.

For the Mongolian visa set your date of entry to 1^st June 2009 entering from Russia to Olgiy and departure from Zamin Ud to China.

For the Chinese visa set the date of entry to 28^th June 2009 entering from Mongolia to Beijing and exiting from Beijing to your onward destination. To allow you to apply for your visa in good time before the trip starts, while making the visa validity sufficiently long, we advise that you apply for a double-entry Chinese visa. Please set your dates as: entry 1 – 28.06.09, exit 1 – 08.07.09; entry 2 – 18.07.09, exit 2 – 22.07.09.

For all visas except the Chinese one, do not adjust the end date calculated by our system to ensure that the visas are prepared for the maximum validity period.

What will happen when I select the services I want?

You can follow the progress of your order through our online order tracking system which will detail the steps taken and the steps remaining to obtain your visas. You will also receive regular visa status updates by email.

OK, I am ready to order - what do I do next?

Can you tell me more?

We try to give you as much information as we can to help you choose the services you need, though if you still have more questions please feel free to look at the Real Russian Forum, the Frequently Asked Questions section or contact us directly and we will be happy to help.