Russia

Brief Fact File

Capital	Moscow
Currency	Russian Ruble (RUR)
Language(s)	Russian, many minority languages
Local time	11 time zones, from GMT+ 02:00 to GMT+ 12:00 (advanced by one hour during 'daylight saving time')
Telephone code	7
Major cities	St.Petersburg, Nizni Novgorod, Samara, Kazan, Rostov-na-Donu, Ufa

Economy
Russia has shifted since 1991 from the Soviet Union era focus on heavy industry to the development of service sector. But, it is still relying up on commodity exports, particularly crude oil, natural gas and coal. The country is rich in mineral resources, which includes iron ore, gold and diamonds. The major opportunities of Russia are capital goods, food-processing products and chemicals. The top three import partners are Germany, Belarus and Ukraine. Germany, the Netherlands and Italy are its top three export partners.

Major Exports:

• Petroleum And Petroleum Products
  
• Natural Gas
  
• Wood And Wood Products
  
• Metals
  
• Chemicals
  
• Wide Variety Of Civilian And Military Manufactures

Major Imports:

• Machinery And Equipment
  
• Consumer Goods
  
• Capital Goods
  
• Medicines
  
• Meat
  
• Sugar
  
• Semifinished Metal Products

Business Practices

Business Dress

• Russian businessmen usually wear suits that are dark and well tailored along with good dress shoes.
  
• Women dress rather conservatively, avoiding overly flashy or gaudy outfits.
  
• Skirts should be worn rather than pants.
  
• When attending dinner in a citizen's home, casual dress of slacks and a nice shirt without a tie are appropriate.

Communication Guidelines

• Speaking or laughing loudly in public is considered rude, as they are generally reserved and somber.
  
• Many Russians speak English.
  
• Russians are highly literate, and have almost a 100% literacy rate.
  
• Good topics of conversation include peace, the current changes taking place in Russia, and their current economic situation.

Business Hour
9.00 am to 5.00 pm (Monday to Friday)

Important Contacts

Associations / Ministries
Ministry of Economic Development and Trade
Government of the Russian Federation
Tel.: +(7)-(95)-2516965
E-mail: prescenter@economy.gov.ru
Website: http://www.economy.gov.ru

Indian Embassy / Counsulate

Embassy of India
Vorontsovo Polye 6-8
Moscow
Tel.: +(7)-(95)-7837535
E-mail: india@online.ru
Website: http://www.indianembassy.ru

Visiting this Country

Business Visa Rules for Russia
In order to obtain a visa for a business trip to Russia, the following paperwork should be submitted:

• Completed visa application form. Incomplete visa application forms is not processed.
  
• Copy of the passport pages that contain personal data of the bearer, or originals of other travel documents. Diplomatic passport holders are required to submit the originals.
  
• Three passport size photographs of the applicant. If he/she is a diplomatic passport holders, only one photograph is required. Please, sign on the back.
  
• Invitation from a duly registered Russian organization.

Note:-

• Traveler's name, as well as dates and itinerary of his trip should be stated in the invitation in a clear and brief way. Those planing to stay as guests of persons employed by foreign diplomatic missions, news agencies, or Russian-based foreign companies should have their hosts apply to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow.
  
• Multi-entry visas is issued only upon authorization of the Russian Foreign Ministry based on a request of hosting Russian organizations.

Public Holidays

Festival	Date	Detail
New Year and Christmas	1-5 & 7 January	This event usually coincide with the celebration of Christmas. The Russian Orthodox Church has 7 January as Christmas, according to the Julian Calendar.
Day of the Defenders of the Motherland	23 February
International Women's Day	8 March
Spring and Labor		The first two days of May
Victory Day	9 May	The victory over Nazi Germany
Independence Day	12 June	Russia left the Soviet Union
Day of People's Unity	November 4	Also Known as National Unity Day
Day of Accord and Reconciliation	7 November	Also known as the Day of the October Revolution
Constitution Day	12 December

Travel Tips

• Tipping is highly expected at restaurants. It varies from10-15%, depending on the services.
  
• Crime has been rising throughout after the demise of the Soviet police. Precautions should be taken of not flaunting valuables, or walking alone at night through the city streets or parks.
  
• The taxi fees are negotiated ahead of time with the driver. Avoid gypsy cabs or cabs that already have a rider.
  
• Electricity throughout the country is 220 volt/50Hz. Plugs are of two-pin thin European standard. Bring your own converter.
  
• Bring your medications you may need. Check out whether the health insurance will cover in the event of emergency.
  
• Hotels in Moscow and other major cities add 10-15% service charge.
  
• Passenger of 16 years of age or above can carry without incurring customs duty, 1000 cigarettes or 1kg of tobacco products; 1.5l of spirits and 2l of wine; a reasonable quantity of perfume for personal use; gifts up to the value of US$10,000.