Immigration Card

When you arrive to Russia and plan to stay there more then 72 hours, you are required to fill out an immigration card.The immigration card may be offered in English and in Russian. The problem is that the card is very often in Russian, which is why we would like to explain to you how to fill it out.The card is consisted of 2 parts, the both should be filled the same way. One part you should give when you arrive, the second one -when you leave Russia.You can use Latin alphabet.
You should fill the next blanks:

1. фамилия - surname
2. имя - name
3. отчество - patronymic (the latter one is not required)
4. дата рождения день, месяц , год - date of birth (dd/mm/yyyy/)
5. пол: Муж./Жен. - sex (M/F)
6. документ, удостоверяющий личность - kind of travel document (your passport number)
7. гражданство - nationality
8. цель визита (нужное подчеркнуть) - the purpose of your visit to Russia (please underline the applicable)
   • 8.1 служебный визит - official business
   • 8.2 туризм - tourism
   • 8.3 коммерческий визит - commerce
   • 8.4 Учеба - education
   • 8.5 Работа - employment
   • 8.6 Частный визит - privite
   • 8.7 Транзит - transit
9. Сведения о приглашающей стороне (наименование физического или юридического лица, адрес) - information about inviting organisation (name of the privite person, address)
10. идентификационный номер визы - visa ID
11. номер приглашения на въезд - the number of your official invitation for entering the country
12. срок пребывания с ... по - dates of your stay in Russia
13. подпись - signature

Moscow airports

There are three international airports in Moscow: Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo and Domodedovo. You can get to the city by cab or by bus from each airport. It is possible to order a cab in advance or from the airport, the price is 1000-1500 roubles to downtown Moscow. If you arrived to Domodedovo airport, you can get to the city by a very comfortable non-stop train for only 200 rubles.

On the way out from the airport, there is going to be a lot of drivers who will offer you to take a ride from them in a private car. It is very expensive and often just dangerous

Why Russians don't smile?

Foreigners often put this question to themselfs, because they pay attention to it immediately in Russia. " May be a smile is not expression of politeness in Russia?" - they think.- " May be Russians can't smile and laugh at all?"- think others. "We head that Russians are gloomy and agressive -that's true, we see it now with our own eyes",- other group decides. So is it true that Russians don't like to smile?

Of course not! Russians like anecdotes and jokes, they prefere comedies instead tragedes. One can see a lot of spectetors at the performances with comic actors and showmen. Russian like to laugh very much!

However, a Russian smiles and laughs easily when he feels relaxed - with close freinds, at home with his family. But there is not a common rule, a habbit to smile politely to unknown person in the street or to a neighbouer in your house. This rule of behaviour did't become a standard form of politeness in modern Russia yet. Because of pecularities of Russian culture, history, traditions formal smile to unknown person ( it's very impotrant that's the person is unknown, alien) was not an obligatory element of Russian traditional communicative culture ( if you compare for examper with such easten countries like Japan or China).

Now Russia if under both influences -from East and from West, and you can see how formal polite smile appears on russian faces: you see smiles in a good restaurant, in a fashinable boutique, in a hotel - everywhere in the places where you are beloved client. In othere spheres of live the process goes not so fast.

You can be convicted that Russians are friendly, polite and well-disposed - let's addrees with a question or request to unkown person even in the street. Smile and say:" Exuse me, please, I am a foreigner and don't know the town (country, language etr). I don't know how (to buy a ticket, to find the stop or metro station, to have some coffer etr). Could you help me, please!" You see the result with your own eyes!