About Derzhavin Institute

Our students range from 18 to 80 years old and come from all over the world. Bolow is a short statistics:

AGES:

3%     18
30%  18 – 25
20%  26 – 35
20%  35 – 45
17%  46 – 60
10%  60+

NATIONALITIES:

30% Italy
15% Germany
10% United States
10% France
8% United Kingdom
8% Japan
5% Brazil
5% Switzerland
5% Finland

The school is open all year round apart from the following public holidays in 2019:

  • Jan 1-07,
  • March 8,
  • May 9,
  • Dec 21-31.

No lessons will be held during public holidays but we will reduce the course fee accordingly in cases where the course falls on a public holiday.

  • Students must be 18 years old or over to join group course.
  • Students who are 16 – 17 years old may come as part of a private group with a group leader.
  • Students aged 16 – 17 can be accepted only if they are travelling with a parent or staying with a relative.

About enrollment, payment and cancellation

  • Please fill in the enrollment form. The Institute will confirm receipt of your application within 24 hours with a confirmation letter.
  • Upon receiving the confirmation letter, you should check all the information, and if everything is correct, confirm it in an e-mail.
  • The Institute then send you a contract with the bank details to pay for the programme.
  • As soon as you make the payment and send us the bank receipt, the school starts the visa support procedure is requested.
  • Upon receiving the invitation letter, you can apply to your local Russian Consulate or Embassy for a Russian visa.
  • For all short-term courses (up to 4 weeks) the booking deadline is 4 weeks prior to the start of the course.
  • For all long term courses (4 weeks +) your enrollment form should reach us 8 weeks prior to the start of the course (apart from Shengen zone citizents-4 weeks).
  • For the students from Africa, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Oman the application deadline is 8 weeks prior to to the start of the course irrespective of the course length.

It is only upon observation of these terms that the Institute can guarantee that it will be able to provide visa support.

  • For students who already possess a valid Russian visa and don’t require invitation letters from the Institute the booking deadline is 1 week for short-term courses and 2 weeks for long stay courses.

There are 4 options for the payment of the course and accommodation fees:

  • Bank transfer. Bank details are provided on the contract (that we will ask to sign) that is sent to students after the confirmation of course details. All the bank expenses are the responsibility of the Sender.
  • Online by card. In case of online card payments 2.7% is added to the total sum of the invoice in rubles.
  • In cash (only possible if students do not need an invitation letter from the school). Students can pay the course and accommodation fees in the Institute’s office within 3 working days upon the course commencement.
  • Credit card (upon arrival only, possible if students do not need an invitation letter from the school). In case of credit card payments 2% is added to the total sum of the invoice in rubles.
  • If a booked and confirmed course or accommodation arrangement is cancelled with a minimum of 1 week’s notice in written form (e-mail or letter) the total sum of the pre-payment is refunded to the student with the exception of the cancellation fee of 100 euros and post expenses, if any should apply.
  • If a booked and confirmed course or accommodation is cancelled less than one week before its start date, one week’s accommodation if any and the cancellation fee of 100 euro and any applicable post expenses will be charged.
  • In case of the cancellation of the programme (or part of the programme) which has already started, 70% of the remaining course and/or  accommodation fees are refunded.
  • Pre-paid courses postponed as a result of delays related to problems with your visa or personal issues should be rescheduled to start no later than December 1st of the current calendar year.
  • Group lessons missed or cancelled within the period of the course are not refunded.
  • Individual classes cancelled less within less than 24 hour notice are not refunded.

ABOUT SCHOOL FEES

  • Tuition as specified
  • Written and oral placement test
  • Certificate on course completion
  • Free unlimited internet access, wi-fi
  • Complementary tea and coffee services
  • First course book and photocopies
  • Student ID
  • Welcome information pack (incl. stationary)
  • One social activity per week (craft lessons, song lessons, watching films, lecture on Russian culture)
  • Orientation walk on the first day  (except of evening courses) – Visa support  (Please note that the visa support for students is provided free of charge only in case a minimum of 15 individual classes or a Standard group course is booked.)

The APPLICATION fee is paid once (upon the enrollement of all types of courses). It covers:

  • Paper work

 

  • Accommodation placement
  • Accommodation problems solving
  • First visa registration For students who prolong the course and require a new visa support document the application fee for the new programme is 50% of standard application fee.

about accommodation

The accommodations are usually available from Saturday till Saturday or from Sunday till Sunday. The prices gives are for a week (7 nights).

It is possible to book extra days at an extra cost, though the availability might be limited especially during the high season from May till September.

If you need some extra days, we kindly ask to contact the booking office first to double check if extra days of the accommodation are available before you make the application.

WE STRONGLY RECCOMMNED NOT TO BUY FLIGHT TICKETS BEFORE YOU GET THE CONFIRMATION FROM THE SCHOOL.

  • If a booked and confirmed course or accommodation arrangement is cancelled with a minimum of 1 week’s notice in written form (e-mail or letter) the total sum of the pre-payment is refunded to the student with the exception of the cancellation fee of 100 euros and post expenses, if any should apply.
  • If a booked and confirmed course or accommodation is cancelled less than one week before its start date, one week’s accommodation if any and the cancellation fee of 100 euro and any applicable post expenses will be charged.
  • In case of the cancellation of the programme (or part of the programme) which has already started, 70% of the remaining course and/or accommodation fees are refunded.
  • Pre-paid courses postponed as a result of delays related to problems with your visa or personal issues should be rescheduled to start no later than December 1st of the current calendar year.
  • Cancellation or change of accommodation after your arrival is possible with a week’s notice to your host and the Institute.
  • There is always the opportunity to change your accommodation type (e.g. from host family to guest flat, hostel or hotel) on the condition that students pay the difference between the fees.
  • If a student requests and receives an immediate change of Host Family accommodation into a self-catering accommodation, the student is still required to pay the institute the full price for that week of host-family accommodation, along with the fee for whichever new accommodation is provided.
  • It is only for fundamental reasons that you can move from one host family to another host family during the high season (from June to October).

Accommodation and transfer deatils are sent two weeks before the arrival.

If for any reason you will needs the details earlier, please contact the accommodation manager at accommodation@derzhavin.com

If you book a host family, we will send you a HOST FAMILY MATCHING FORM after the payment for the programme is made. In this form you will be able to state your preferences concerning the family type, children/pets/hobbies/etc.

We will do our best to find the family that would suit your preferences, though cannot guarantee that all the criterea could be met especially during the high season.

  • Living in a family differs from living in a hotel and eating in restaurants. Students are usually offered the same food as the hosts eat every day and in the times when the family usually have meals. Though families are usually eager to meet your dietary requirements in case you are a vegetarian or allergic to some food – just state your preferences in the enrollment form and talk to your hosts when you arrive.
  • Usually, a continental breakfast is served – cereal/toasts/yogurt, tea or coffee.
  • Dinner usually consists of soup or a main dish of fish or meat.
IMPORTANT
  • Please pay attention, that it can be rather difficult to find some special dietary foods in Saint-Petersburg, so in case if you need some special products (gluten-free, lactose-free etc.), you should buy them yourself or bring them with you.

About visas

Almost every foreign visitor still needs a visa to enter Russia.

The citizents of the following countries can stay within the Russian Federation without a visa for up to 90 days within a 180 day period:

  • Argentina,Armenia, Belarus, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela

Please note that we DO NOT MAKE VISAS, we provide INVITATION LETTERS. which are required to apply for a visa at the visa department of their local Russian Consulate or Embassy or a visa center.

Students have to apply for the visas on their own or using a tourist company/visa agent.

IMPORTANT:
  • Please note that the visa support  Invitation letters are for students is provided free of charge only in case a minimum of 15 individual classes or a Standard group course is booked.
  • Invitation letters are sentonly after the school receives the total programme fees.
  • No cash paymnet is possible in case the visa support is required

Yes, we accept students with all visa types.

There are several different visa types which can be used to enter Russia; they differ in terms of the length of stay in Russia and number
of entries into the country.

We usually make invitations for tourist or study visas:

  • Students from non-Schengen countries who wish take a short term course (up to 4 weeks) are provided with an invitation letter for a tourist visa. Tourist visas are valid for up to 30 days and allow only a single entry into Russia. The invitation letter can be provided within several days of application. An e-mail copy of the invitation is enough to apply for a tourist visa in a Russian Consulate or Embassy or approved, dedicated visa centre. Tourist visas can’t be prolonged in Russia. The application deadline is 4 weeks prior to the start of your course.
  •  Students from non-Schengen countries who wish to take a long term course (4 weeks +) are provided with an invitation letter for a study visa from Federal Migration Department. Study visas are valid for a maximum of 90 days. The invitation can be provided within 30 days of application and the original copy is required to get the visa. The original invitation is posted to the students via an express courier service (the post expenses are added to the invoice). The application deadline is 8 weeks prior to the start of your course.
             Please pay attention that your passport should be valid not less than 1.5 years from the date you are planning to come to Russia.
  • Citizens of Schengen countries who come for the course from 1 to 12 weeks are provided with a simplified study visa support. The school will issue an invitation and send an e-mail copy. Simplified study visas are valid for a maximum of 90 days. The application deadline is 4 weeks prior to the start of your course.

NEW! Starting from October 1, 2019, nationals of 53 foreign States may be granted an e-visa of different types (regular single-entry business, tourist or humanitarian visas) to enter the Russian Federation through air, naval, automobile, and pedestrian checkpoints located in the territory of Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad region.

Entry and exit on an e-visa by means of rail transport is currently unavailable.

An e-visa is valid for 30 days, but please note that the period of stay is up to 8 days!

There is no need for any invitations or confirmation letters! All you need is to fill in the application form on the website (works 24/7):

http://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru/spb_home_en.html

 

 

Tourist and study visas cannot be prolonged in Russia.
Students who want to prolong the course will have to leave Russia and apply for a
new visa either in their home country or in Estonia or Finland (please check with the consulate for the exact terms and conditions if you are applying for a visa outside your home country)

Please contact the local visa center or Consulate to check the exact terms and prices for the visas in your area:

  • If you will be applying for your visa in the Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Nederlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey and UK, then you can access the visa form through VFS Global.
  • If you will being applying for you visa in Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, India and Sweden, then you can access the form through the IFS-(name of the country).com.
  • If you will being applying for you visa in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, then you can access the visa form through VHS-(name of the country).com
  • Finland http://russiavisacentre.com/
  • Norway https://tass-norway.no/en/contacts-oslo
  • USA https://ils-usa.com/

Within 7 working days upon arrival (starting from the date of arrival)  to the Russian Federation  (excluding weekends and official holidays) all foreign citizens (including those travelling to Russia without a visa) must undergo the compulsory procedure of Registration with the local Federal Migration Service  (= notifying them of your arrival and the address of your accommodation).

Starting from July 2018, tourists’ registration documents have to show the address of their actual place of residence. Depending on whether you are renting accommodation through the Institute, through a hotel, or independently the steps needed to register will be different:

  • If a student stays in accommodation provided by the school, then the school will arrange the necessary registration documents and send all needed details to the database of the Federal Migration Department. In order to do this students are asked to bring their passport and  migration card on their first day. Please note that if a student needs to be registered more than once,   only the first registration is included in the application fee.
  • If a student is going to stay in an hotel, then the hotel should take care of their visa registration in the local Federal Migration Department.
  • If a student is staying in independently rented accommodation (i.e. with their friends or relatives or through AirBnB), the flat owner should register the student within 7 working days of their arrival. When booking your own accommodation, please make sure the flat owner is prepared to complete your visa registration for you and is aware of the aforementioned rules.
Please, note that failure to register with the Federal Migration Service may lead to serious problems (e.g. detention by police, fines on departure, etc.). If you wish to avoid unnecessary complications with your registration, we strongly recommend that you book your accommodation through the Institute.

 

Registration while travelling in Russia

If students travel during their stay in Russia they have to register in each other city they visit if they are staying there for more than 7 working days. In this case their registration in all previous cities is automatically cancelled and has to be renewed if they return.

We ask all students to inform and to consult the school administration before travelling while staying with us. The school can help re-register upon your return to St Petersburg at an extra cost depending on the duration of your stay.

 

Foreigners are required to have a immigration card which is usually given to them upon arrival in Russia while passing the passport control.

It’s a small white paper that will be put in your passport. Please make sure you have it before you leave the airport.

You should keep the migrationcard until departure when it should be handed over to the immigration officials on the border when leaving the country.

It is important to have the immigration card for visa registration! Student should bring their immigration card to the Institute for visa registration.

About St Petersburg and Russia

Russia has 11 time zones, and St. Petersburg is in the same time zone as Moscow: UTC/GMT +3.

Therefore, when it is 12:00 in St. Petersburg, it is 04:00 in New York, 09:00 in London, 10:00 in Berlin and 20:00 in Sydney.

 

You can travel to St. Petersburg by train, bus or plane. Many international airlines have direct flights to St. Petersburg. There are many direct flights from European countries to St. Petersburg. Flights are offered by the Russian airlines Russia or Aeroflot to Moscow.

St Petersburg airport is called Pulkovo and is located about 30 minutes by bus from the city.

In Moscow, there are two international airports – Sheremetjevo 2 and Domodedovo.

The national currency is the Russian Ruble. Banknotes come in denominations of 50, 100, 200, 500, 1.000, 2,000 and 5.000 and there are 1, 2, 5, and 10 Ruble coins.

In St. Petersburg, as everywhere in Russia, payment for all goods and services is to be made in Russian Rubles or by credit card. Officially, it is illegal to pay in dollars or Euros.

It is possible to exchange money at any bank, currency-exchange booths, and at the majority of hotels and large department stores. You need to show your passport or a copy to change currency.

ATMs (bankomaty), can be found in most metro stations, banks and large hotels. Credit cards are accepted in most of theplaces. The following credit and debit cards are accepted: VISA, Master Card/Euro card, American Express, Maestro.

Buses, trolleys and trams operate from 6.00 to 24.00. The ticket fare is to be paid to the conductor or driver. It is also possible to pay the fare by purchasing a seasonal ticket for a particular kind of transportation or a single ticket valid for all means of transportation. The stops are marked with the special signs.

Commercial shuttle taxi-buses (marshrutki) are usually marked with “K” index in front of the number. Quite often they have a better, more convenient route and are typically the fastest means of transportation. St. Petersburg metro consists of 5 lines. The metro operates from 5.45 to 24.00. The fare is paid either by metal tokens or by magnet cards both of which can be purchased at the entrance of each metro station. A single metro fare is 45Rbl per trip, the bus 40 Rbl.

Taxis are also an inexpensive option. Regular taxi service is available on a 24 hour basis.

Prices for Foreigners:
In most museums and some theatres, there are two different prices for entry ticket – one price for Russia citizens and another higher price for foreigners.

If you have a document stating that you are working or studying in Russia, you can usually get the local price. Derzhavin Institute provides each student with a Russian student ID which helps students in most cases get tickets at the lower price (normally for students between 16 to 28 years of age).

 

Tipping is not expected in bars, but it is the norm in top-notch restaurants. Ten percent is average, but it is up to you to decide how much to tip. At the same time, you can ask politely for all of your change back, if the establishment automatically pockets whatever amount you hand them when you pay the bill. Some restaurants automatically add a 10% service-charge, so make sure to always check your bill first.

St. Petersburg is no more dangerous than any average European city. To avoid attracting unwanted attention, do not flaunt expensive valuables, always carry your documents (or copies), and do not walk the streets if you are very drunk. If you are black or of Arab or Asian descent, exercise more care, particularly at night and be aware that you are more likely to be a target of the police and of general unwanted attention. If you run into trouble, it is always best to contact the Institute or your consulate.

One of the great things about St. Petersburg is that it is never difficult to find a place to get a bite to eat or something to drink, even in the middle of the night. There are many places to dine or just buy food from small shops to expensive night clubs and luxury restaurants. If you see the 24-sign it means this place is open around the clock! Even the most experienced global travellers are all impressed at the number of supermarkets and kiosks open all night long in St. Petersburg.

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