Bjorn Olsson

Deep Foiled Malls wrote:

    >On 21 Jan 2005 02:00:06 -0800, [email protected] (Bjorn Olsson)
wrote:
    >>Deep Foiled Malls wrote:
    >>>Pity those that want to travel from the other side of the planet,
    >>>and do not want to be turned away due to some technicality. It
    >>>can happen!
    >>I don't quite understand what you are talking about. We were
    >>discussing how to get a visa by applying in your home country well
    >>in advance of your planned trip, right? If your application is, for
    >>some reason, "turned away", you are "turned away" well before
    >>embarking on your trip.
    >No, I mean that if there is a problem with arriving there and
    >finding that something it wrong with your visa, and being sent back.
    >It does happen, and (as I have relayed before) almost happened to me
    >due to a mistake by the Russian embassy.

Well, it also happens that people get run over by a car or that they
are hit by lightning. That's why you should look twice before crossing
the street and never stand under trees during thunderstorms. In the
visa case, you should check the visa so that dates, names, and other
crucial information is correct. That's why the lady who hands over the
visas at the Gothenburg consulate always says "Pliiz check your visa"
when handing it over.

Before setting off on a trip to the other side of the planet you
should also check that the dates and times on your fligth tickets are
correct, that your money and passport is in order, that you have valid
travel insurance, and that you have packed enough underwear.

Bjorn

Agena 2003

non-smoking restaurants in Russia
http://www.smokefreeplaces.net/en/FR

Deep Foiled Malls

On 23 Jan 2005 02:46:48 -0800, [email protected] (Bjorn Olsson) wrote:

    >Deep Foiled Malls wrote:
    >
    >>On 21 Jan 2005 02:00:06 -0800, [email protected] (Bjorn Olsson)
    >wrote:
    >>>Deep Foiled Malls wrote:
    >>>>Pity those that want to travel from the other side of the planet,
    >>>>and do not want to be turned away due to some technicality. It
    >>>>can happen!
    >>>I don't quite understand what you are talking about. We were
    >>>discussing how to get a visa by applying in your home country well
    >>>in advance of your planned trip, right? If your application is, for
    >>>some reason, "turned away", you are "turned away" well before
    >>>embarking on your trip.
    >>No, I mean that if there is a problem with arriving there and
    >>finding that something it wrong with your visa, and being sent back.
    >>It does happen, and (as I have relayed before) almost happened to me
    >>due to a mistake by the Russian embassy.
    >Well, it also happens that people get run over by a car or that they
    >are hit by lightning. That's why you should look twice before crossing
    >the street and never stand under trees during thunderstorms. In the
    >visa case, you should check the visa so that dates, names, and other
    >crucial information is correct. That's why the lady who hands over the
    >visas at the Gothenburg consulate always says "Pliiz check your visa"
    >when handing it over.

Hang on a second...

*gets passport*

OK, the problem was this. I got the invitation and voucher through
Intelservice, who are very good. I then sent this, with all the forms
etc. to the embassy, with my passport, and got the visa back.

There is a long code called "INVITED BY, GROUP AND REFERENCE NO.", in
Cyrrilic and numbers. The embassy put down the GROUP number as 1805
instead of 1850. I don't think there is any reasonable way I could be
expected to find this in a 35 character code! The rest of the details
were correct. When it came to registering it though, only they was it
clear what had happened.

Next time I know to check, but quite simply this just illustrates how
a small piece of incompetence can make things much, much harder. It
took days to sort out, and cost a lot of money.
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DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
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