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Visa Saint Petersburg

Anyone seen any info on if we will need visa's for Saint Petersburg like we did for the world cup? Not sure how they would turn them around in time as we are obviously not confirmed to play there until a few days before.

85 Replies

  • David Lilley

    In reply to David Lilley:

    From the ESTC FAQs

    If England play in St Petersburg, will I need a FAN ID?

    Yes, it's mandatory for every fan who attends a match in St Petersburg to have a FAN ID. The FAN ID is an identification document which allows you to enter Russia without a visa and permits multiple entries between 30 May-3 July 2020

    You can only enter Russia without a visa using a Fan-ID if you have the Fan-ID.

    From the Fan-ID FAQs

    A FAN ID is issued on paper and in electronic form.

    A FAN ID on paper is a small laminated card containing personal data and a photo of the owner.

    A FAN ID in electronic form, containing personal data and a photo of the owner, will be sent to the e-mail address specified during registration for a FAN ID, in the form of a PDF file for printing on A4 paper before the start of the FAN ID validity period as an entry/exit document.

    There are two types of FAN IDs available to foreign citizens and stateless persons (foreign spectators):

    - FAN ID on a laminated card;

    - FAN ID in electronic form, designed only for visa-free entry to Russia and departure from Russia and not granting access to the stadium.

  • Clarke Buckeridge

    In reply to David Lilley:

    We are going to win the group and play Portugal or France in Dublin anyway :-)
  • Peter Titmus

    In reply to Clarke Buckeridge:

    I was in Paris on Sunday so would love it to be France and to give them a good tonking!
  • Abraham Dennis

    In reply to David Lilley:

    David, you make a lot of sense. The time scales and the volumes involved are not feasible for the Russian authorities to fulfil their obligation to issue especially the electronic Fan ID and then the card.
    The FA and UEFA should please ask Russia to issue at least the electronic fan id with our conditional ticket order number. The preference obviously, would be if they issue the cards straight away using our conditional tickets since it is a responsibility they, Russia, should take on for agreeing to be a host nation.
  • David Lilley

    In reply to Abraham Dennis:

    Thank you for your support, Abraham. According to the Fan-ID FAQs, you cannot have a Fan-ID unless you have a ticket to a match in St Petersburg. The Russians don't want visitors to the country to be able to dodge the normal visa rules unless they have a match ticket. Evidently, they don't regard a conditional ticket as meeting this criterion because your team might not make it to the St Petersburg QF. However, there are some easy solutions which the Russians could adopt.

    #1 They could add the UK to the list of countries eligible for the St Petersburg free e-visa scheme, even if it's temporarily for the duration of the tournament.

    #2 They could allow Fan-ID applications to be submitted and approved on the basis of a conditional ticket, but not issue the email containing the 'print at home' PDF link until we qualify for the St Petersburg QF.

    #3 They could allow the 'print at home' PDF email to be issued but instruct immigration / passport control to accept the electronic Fan-ID as a visa substitute only if the visitor can also show a valid ticket to a match in St Petersburg. The officials would have to be trained to recognise a mobile phone ticket.

    However, I'm not asking the FA or UEFA to press for any of these solutions. The Fan-ID scheme is not run by the Russian FA, but by the Russian government and they wouldn't take kindly to being asked to do things differently. Also, we don't know what the British government requires Russian citizens to do in order to visit Wembley, should their team make it to the semi-final.

    All I want is (a) to know the time scale for issuing the email with the link to the 'print at home' electronic Fan-ID, and (b) for UEFA and the Fan-ID issuing unit to understand the urgency.
  • Abraham Dennis

    In reply to David Lilley:

    Yep, l see your reasoning David. Your #3 is what I had in mind when I suggested the Russians issue the electronic fan id based on conditional ticket. Then when the time comes, only those eligible should be allowed into Russia on that basis.
    BTW, I don’t know what goes on in Russia and I definitely don’t want us to get into politics. I don’t understand why they need a fan ID card to enter a stadium.
    Obviously, during some Champions League or Europa League matches travelling supporters sometimes need to show their match ticket, accompanied with a valid passport on entry to the stadium. No such issues during the Nations League in Portugal though.

    So apart from Russia, is there any other host nation that requires both natives and foreigners to produce something else, id, in addition to the match ticket to get into a the stadium? This will help us prepare as we travel to Dublin, Copenhagen or Rome. I have read all the stadium details on the UEFA website and saw nothing apart from St Petersburg.
  • David Lilley

    In reply to Abraham Dennis:

    The Russians used an identical Fan-ID system at the World Cup 2018.

    Within the stadiums, the Fan-ID had to be worn around the neck with the picture showing. Thus, if there were any 'incidents' it would have been possible to identify those involved with high resolution CCTV.

    Requiring a Fan-ID also made touting more difficult. It's no good buying someone else's ticket if you don't have a Fan-ID. There wasn't any visual cross-checking of tickets and Fan-IDs outside the stadiums but perhaps the bar code readers did the checks. However, the mobile phone ticket system being used for Euro 2020 is a better way of combating the touts, provided that the full capabilities of the system are used.

    There are no requirements similar to the Fan-ID at any of the other stadiums being used for Euro 2020. If we were to go to the Baku QF then we would need a visa but these are easy and quick to obtain.
  • Paddy Buckley

    In reply to Abraham Dennis:

    Yes there is, Italy, I went to see Napoli v Latzio last year, my daughter was working in Naples and she got the tickets, but I had to text her a photo of my driving licence and the ticket came with my name on it, when I got to the ground I had to show my passport as well as my ticket. All Italians have to have a fan I’d card to get into the ground as well as a ticket. Not thought about this before hope we not going to have a similar problem with Rome.
  • Paddy Buckley

    In reply to Paddy Buckley:

    I went through the process of applying and like others got the invalid ticket answer so I asked the question if we could apply before the ticket got unconditional, I’ve had a reply saying they will check all the information and get back to me.
  • Abraham Dennis

    In reply to Paddy Buckley:

    That is the reply they tell everyone. This is their reply to me:

    Hello!

    We'll check the information and let you know.

    For additional questions to FAN ID, you can refer to the information
    in the "FAQ" section on www.fan-id.ru/help.html

    Thank you for your enquiry
    FAN ID Support
  • David Lilley

    In reply to Abraham Dennis:

    I got exactly the same reply, word for word, when I first raised the question .............. on 6th November last year.

  • Daren Lowry

    In reply to David Lilley:

    Another thing that could ease the situation would be to say that the ones we got last time are valid for those few days if we get through to that game. I still have mine and I'm sure plenty of others do too.
  • Anthony Simpson

    In reply to David Lilley:

    Do we get additional paper work to cover us as I’m looking at hotels and some you need a visa will what they give us cover us when we check in to our hotel in St Petersburg as the fan I’d laminated card might not be enough
  • David Lilley

    In reply to David Lilley:

    @ Daren Lowry
    The Fan-ID FAQs explicitly say that the Fan-ID from the World Cup 2018 will not be accepted. You have to apply again and get a new one.

    @ Anthony Simpson
    If you stay in a hotel then they will take the necessary details from your passport and visa in order to register you with the authorities. For the World Cup 2018, the Fan-ID was recognised and accepted by hotels as a valid visa for these purposes. No extra paperwork was needed. I spent some of my time in rented apartments and even the private owners had no issues with accepting the Fan-ID in place of a standard visa.
  • Anthony Simpson

    In reply to David Lilley:

    Thanks David
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