BOOKING PROCEDURES AND VISAS

White Nights caters to individuals, customizing travel to their wishes. Once one has the anticipated start and end dates of a trip and an idea of places to visit, a White Nights representative can generate for you a computerized itinerary for your consideration. Such itineraries can be amended, changing dates, replacing accommodations or upgrading/ downgrading modes of travel, etc. Once a travel itinerary has been settled upon one will then generally render payment, and the White Nights representative will assist in arranging necessary visa support documents (if a booking is for a date far in advance, it is possible to pay 25% of the trip as a deposit, with the remainder payable 2-3 weeks before the trip is to commence).

It is recommended to allow a minimum of 30 days but ideally as much as 60 days prior to a trip to start booking. Most countries of the ex Soviet Union require visas from Western visitors, and up to three weeks can be required to obtain a single visa (visas can often be expedited, but one then pays increased consular fees to embassies for faster processing). White Nights arranges for required visa support documents, but travelers will submit documents and applications themselves to embassies and consulates for processing (it is possible to contract with visa processing firms to perform this service). Last-minute bookings can be possible, but one would have to be prepared to pay not only increased visa fees, but to pay for visa processing service to ensure that visas are received in time, and understand that certain trains or hotels could be booked out. On the other hand, when booking too far in advance, train schedules may not be exactly known for future dates, and cancellation fees can apply if unexpected circumstances arise requiring a cancellation.

A travel voucher will be issued for every leg of a journey, with addresses and the phone of a person responsible for local services. Train tickets can often be reserved far in advance, but the tickets cannot be issued more than 30 or 45 days in advance. Train tickets are often only issued in the country where the train journey begins, and so typically onward train tickets will be received upon arriving at interim destinations (train tickets can be delivered, using services such as DHL or FedEX, but guarantee of delivery, along with insurance, resides with the courier firms themselves; train tickets cannot be replaced if delivery is delayed, or if tickets are stolen, etc).

Notice: Clients are advised that they are responsible for services they order at hotels and homestays, other than expressly booked through White Nights, such as room service, telephone calls, or for damage to premises, etc. If clients fail to reimburse hotels or homestay hosts for services not pre-paid or for damages, clients agree to debiting for such reimbursement from credit cards (when paying for travel services by credit card).

VISAS: White Nights endeavors to inform travelers of visa and customs requirements, but regulations of government officials can change without warning. Consequently, information listed below is accurate at time of publication, to the best knowledge of White Nights, but should not be considered as definitive.

CUSTOMS: In several countries, customs officials present you with an opportunity to fill out a declarations form, and to have this form stamped by customs (such forms are not valid without the customs stamp). It is in the traveler's best interest to fill out this form, declaring sums of money being imported, expensive watches, jewelry, gold, etc, as such items might be confiscated upon leaving a country without a declaration. (As of 2005, Russian customs officials can confiscate sums exceeding $3000 if this was not declared when entering the country). Some countries will either prohibit or sharply regulate export of antiques or items deemed of cultural importance (such as icons, samovars, rugs, etc).

RUSSIA: Before applying for a Russian visa, required for all Western visitors, one must have Russian visa support documents (currently, two separate documents), with specific concrete entry and exit dates to/from Russia (one is allowed to enter or exit Russia only within these dates). One must generally have booked a trip to Russia, with a day-to-day itinerary documented in the visa support documents (White Nights provides these documents free-of-charge to clients who book at least three nights of accommodations in Russia). Currently, a Russian tourist visa can be issued for a maximum of one month (single or double entry), but for certain nationalities this might be for only two weeks. Processing time of Russian visas can range from one day, to several weeks, depending on the consular fee required. It is best to apply for a Russian visa in one's home country, but often Russian visas can be applied for in other countries while traveling. One must be cautious that procedures to apply for Russian visas can differ, depending on which consulate one applies at, and one's nationality (some, not all, consulates may require original visa support documents, not facsimiles, or require presentation of exit tickets from Russia, or verification of medical insurance valid in Russia, etc).

Migration Card: All foreigners entering Russia must fill out a migration card, depositing one part with immigration authorities at the port of entry and holding on to the other part for the duration of their stay. Upon exit, the migration card, which serves as a statistical tool and a record of entry, exit, and registration, must be submitted to immigration authorities. The card is also necessary to register at hotels, most of which will not allow a traveler to check in if he or she does not have a migration card. Migration cards, in theory, are available at all ports of entry from Russian immigration officials (Border Guards), and they may be issued along with visas that are processed by Russian consulates. The cards are generally left in literature racks at arrival points. Officials at borders and airports usually do not point out these cards to travelers and it is up to the travelers to find them and fill them out. From time to time, various ports of entry - even the major international airport in Moscow - run out of these cards. There is no mechanism to obtain such cards once a traveler has entered into Russia. The Russian government has not indicated what a traveler should do in such a case.

MONGOLIA: USA citizens do not require visas for Mongolia for stays of less than 30 days, although Mongolian immigration officials may ask to see a voucher valid for Mongolian services. Other Western nationalities require visas (one cannot depend that visas will be issued at the border, including transit visas). Some Mongolian consulates may require a visa support document, which White Nights can provide to its clients. A Mongolian visa is generally valid for entry to Mongolia within 3 months of the date of issue of the visa.

CHINA: Applying for a Chinese visa is straightforward, as no visa support documents are generally required. However, some Chinese consulates will only process visas for official residents of the country where the consulate is located. A Chinese visa is generally valid for entry to China within 3 months of the date of issue of the visa.

UKRAINE: Visa support is required from most nationals, but there is an exemption for a growing list of nationals (USA, Canada, Japan, Switzerland). White Nights arranges for Ukrainian visa support when services are booked for Ukraine.

BALTIC STATES (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia): Visas are not required for nationals of most Western countries (South Africans generally require visas, although a visa of one Baltic state is valid for the other two).Note that Latvia may require foreigners to possess medical insurance, valid while one is in Latvia.

KAZAKHSTAN: Visa support is no longer required for the majority of Western nationalities, although visa support is required for a double-entry visa. A tourist visa is normally issued for a maximum of 30 days.

KYRGYZSTAN: Visas are required for most Western nationals (exception, Japanese nationals), but visa support is not generally required.

UZBEKISTAN: Visas are required for most Western nationals but visa support is not required for the majority of Western nationals.

BELARUS: Visas are required for Western nationals, as is visa support. It is important to note that transit visas are required, even if one is a holder of a Russian visa, and that transit visas are not issued at the border.