Comments on: How do you get a permit to visit the Altai Republic in Russia?

Question: How do you get a permit to visit the Altai Republic in Russia?

madcow20 — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:27:18 -0800

Me and my gf want to visit the Altai Republic in Russia. However a friend of ours wanted to visit the place, but weren't allowed to enter because he didn't have a permit. So where does one get a permit to enter the Altai Republic and why is it necessary to get one? I mean, a tourist-visa should be able to give you access to most of the country as long as the cities you want to visit is stated on the visa.

By: fairytale of los angeles

fairytale of los angeles — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:02:18 -0800

Here's a thread from Lonely Planet on getting into the Altai Republic and doing the required visa registration in Gorno-Altaisk.

The Altai Republic is a semi-autonomous region; its rules are a little different from the rest of Russia, as I understand it.

By: holgate

holgate — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:02:29 -0800

Post 3 here has a report from August discussing registering their visa in Gorno-Altaysk. You'll likely need some kind of letter of introduction/support from a visa support company providing a basic itinerary, ideally faxed in advance to the OVIR where you're planning to enter the Altai. Basically, you're going to need a visa support company to get the tourist visa, so go with people who have familiarity with the requirements of the Altai.

By: halogen

halogen — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:07:42 -0800

You can find a list of prices and all the contact information you may need in the official Altai Republic portal. Scroll down to the paragraph beginning with "If you have come to the Altai Republic from a foreign country, you should keep to some formalities."