Ruminations on Russia

Siberian Light posts on the costs of getting a Visa for entry to Russia. Below are his direct and assumed costs.
Here’s (roughly) how I broke down the costs:

$350: My time for one full day (approx 1 full day)
$500: My colleague’s time (approx 3 hours)
$250: My Partner’s time (approx 30 minutes)
$500: Our Moscow office’s time (approx 1 full day)
$200: Actual visa fee (we were in a hurry, so had to express it)
$100: Travel agent (for courier to stand in line)
$100: Couriering documents back and forth

I had to liaise with our Moscow office, going back and forth, to ensure that my colleague provided enough information about his stay for them to fill in the forms and stand in line for hours at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - just so they could get an official invitation
My colleague had to head out into town to get new passport photos taken (in matt finish, of course - and where can you find a machine printing those nowadays?), before collating all the documentation necessary to fill in his own visa application formI had to write an introductory letter, signed by a Partner, confirming that my colleague was indeed employed by the firm, and that they would be financially responsible for him
We had to employ a courier from a specialist firm, whose only responsibility was to queue up for hours on end at the Russian embassy, handover the paperwork, then collect the finished visa.

So far our (wife and I) costs this year must easily exceed $5k:

3 nights in Zurich airport hotel on way back from New Year holidays because the visa was not ready "due to the holidays." - 3x2xEuro150 = Euro900 (plus incidentals like eating)
1 Day Visa Processing Cost - Euro200 (ish)
3 Returns to Consulate in Bern Euro300 (one hell of a railway)

6 Months later
2 same day processing for visas - GBP800
2 return flights to UK (OK there are other reasons as well) - $1,800
Time spent with mine and my wife's family - uncountable.....

And we are still trying to get them registered.