General terms and conditions on the provision of service

EXCHANGE RATES - The prices shown on this website may be subject to changes depending on oscillations of the EUR/RUB exchange rate. You will receive confirmation of the package’s final price shortly after submitting your booking request: if since the prices where last updated the exchange rate has risen or lowered of more than 10%, the prices could be readjusted to match the original price in Rubles.

BOOKINGS - The booking is to be considered complete and confirmed upon receiving the booking confirmation notice sent by Russian Tour Ltd. (Hereafter “RTI”). The booking confirmation notice is sent to the contractor’s personal mail address or to the contact mail address/fax of the local retailer. Before departure, RTI will provide all the necessary instructions and complement any information not included in the contract documents, brochures or in previous written communications.

PAYMENT - In order to complete your booking, you will be required to make the payment of the total amount owed for the purchased services. The booking of some packages may also be completed making a deposit equal to a fraction of the total amount: in this case, RTI will send a notice clarifying the deposit’s expiration date and the amount of the final payment. If, for any reason, the final payment is not carried out within the deposit’s expiration date or, in general, within the day of departure the booking will be cancelled and the deposit may be retained.

PAYMENT METHODS - Payments may be carried out in one of the following methods: 1. Bank Transfer 2. Credit Card Withdrawal. Your manager will provided all the necessary information to complete the operation in the selected method.

MODIFICATIONS AND CANCELLATIONS BEFORE THE DEPARTURE - Any modification of the purchased travel package done by RTI or a third party before the date of departure must be first approved by the contractor. Before making any changes, RTI is obliged to send a notice to the contractor in which he details the nature of the changes and the price variation. If the contractor does not accept the proposed modifications RTI is obliged either to perform the services under the original conditions or to refund the contractor for the entire amount paid. The same rules apply if a group travel is to be cancelled because it failed to achieve the minimum number of participants: the contractor can choose either to take part into the travel anyways covering the additional costs or to request a refund. In general, if the purchased travel is cancelled by RTI for any reason, the contractor will receive a full refund.

CANCELLATION POLICY - The conditions of cancellation vary depending on the service purchased. You will receive detailed information on the cancellation terms during the booking process. In order to cancel a reservation, you have to send cancellation request to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If the purchased service does not have a cancellation deadline, it can be cancelled sending a request up to the previous day by 19.00 GMT+3. Late cancellation requests will be ignored. The contractor must make sure that the cancellation request has been received: if you don’t receive a cancellation confirmation within 24h please resend the request or contact us by phone. The cancelled services will be refunded with bank fees at the expense of the contractor.

• Cancellation regulations for hotel bookings:the cancellation terms may vary depending on the hotel, the room type and the season. The cancellation conditions will be disclosed once we have received your booking request. Regardless of the hotel’s cancellation policy, Russian Tour International Ltd. will retain the cost of the first night for all bookings cancelled less than a week before the check-in date.
• Cancellation regulations for apartment bookings: the cancellation terms may vary depending on the apartment and the season. The cancellation conditions will be disclosed once we have received your booking request. Regardless of the hotel’s cancellation policy, Russian Tour International Ltd. will retain the advance payment or detract the cancellation fee from the refund for all bookings cancelled less than two weeks before the check-in date. The refund will be issued within 15 days following the cancellation.
• Cancellation regulations for flights and train tickets: the cancellation terms vary according to the cancellation policy of the airline or train company. The cancellation conditions will be disclosed once we have received your booking request. The refund time vary according to the cancellation policy of the airline or train company.
• Cancellation regulations for other services: the cancellation terms vary depending on the service type. The cancellation conditions will be disclosed once we have received your booking request. General cancellation rules apply for all the services without specific cancellation terms. The following services are non-refundable: entry tickets and tickets to events, transport tickets, delivery service.

CHANGES AFTER THE DEPARTURE - During the travel RTI is obliged to provide the purchased services exactly as described in the contract and the travel programme. If RTI is unable, for any reason, to provide one of the services included in the contract and the travel programme, it must produce alternative solutions such to provide to the contractor with an experience of comparable or higher level. If the substitute services are equal or higher in value than the ones included in the contract, RTI will cover any additional cost. If the substitute services are lower in value than the ones included in the contract, the tourist will receive a refund amounting to the difference between the cost of purchased service and the cost of the service provided. If there are no alternative solutions, RTI must enact at its own expenses all the measures required in order to successfully carry out the remaining part of the travel, or alternatively to ensure the safe early return of the contractor to the country of departure, including the booking of flights/trains, if unable to continue with the programme or if the contractor chooses so. In this case, the price of the omitted services will be refunded. The services will not be refunded if cancelled at the contractor’s own choice and for reasons related to the contractor’s conduct and/or health condition.

SUBSTITUTION - The customer can decline participation to a travel in an another person’s favor (“substitute” hereafter) under the following conditions: a) the substitution must be notified to RTI at least 14 working days before the date of departure. The substitution notice must include an explanation about the reasons of the replacement and the personal details of the substitute; b) the substitute must satisfy the terms and conditions of the service and fulfill the requirements for passports, visas, health certificates; c) the substitution must not hinder the execution of the purchased services or of equivalent substitute services; d) the substitute must cover the additional administrative costs for the substitution. The contracting party and the substitute are jointly liable for the payment of the balance due and of the additional administrative costs.

HOTEL CLASSIFICATION - Hotel classification systems and hotel ranking standards differ from country to country. The hotel classifications provided in the catalog and informational materials reflect the formal indications of the competent authorities of the country in which the service is provided. Along with the official classification, RTI offers a hotel description reflecting our company’s experience with the facility and previous travellers’ feedback.

LIABILITY - RTI accepts liability for damages suffered by the contractor as a consequence of wrong, incomplete or denied provision of the services caused by RTI its partners or its suppliers. RTI denies liability for any sort of damage suffered by the contractor as consequence of independent actions taken by intermediaries, retailers or third-parties, or as a consequence of negligence or wrongdoing by the aforementioned parties in the context of the intermediation. RTI denies liability for any sort of damage produced by independent actions taken by the contractor in violation of the terms of the contract, and any decision or change made by the contractor in the context of the provision of the service without the supervision or approval of RTI. RTI denies liability for any sort of damage suffered by the contractor because of circumstances of Force Majeure such as war, riot, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, actions of government authorities, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances that may amount to force majeure.

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS - RTI will provide general information about the entry requirements to the country in which the travel is taking place before the booking confirmation. It is the tourist’s own responsibility to check and fulfill such requirements in order to have access to the services issued. We strongly recommend contacting the nearest Russian Consulate to receive detailed information about the entry requirements and regulations before purchasing the travel package and well ahead of the date of departure. RTI declines any liability for damages caused to the client in the case he/she is denied entry to the destination country because of incomplete or incorrect documentation, fault to fulfill the entry requirements or wrongdoing.
In some cases, the purchased travel package will include a valid Tourist Invitation Letter to Russia that the client is required to submit to the consulate together with the passport and other documents in order to receive a tourist visa to Russia. The RTI Invitation Letter is not a visa and does not grant the right to access the territory of the Russian Federation: RTI declines any responsibility on the decision of the Russian Consulate to allow or deny the access to the client.

DUTY OF ASSISTANCE - RTI must assist the client during the execution of the services within the parameters and the boundaries established by the Service Contract. The aforementioned obligation of assistance becomes void if the client breaks the terms and conditions of the contract or the circumstance sets the duty of assistance under the responsibility of an intermediary or a third-party. RTI declines any duty of assistance in circumstances of Force Majeure such as war, riot, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, actions of government authorities, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances that may amount to force majeure.

COMPLAINTS - We make every effort to ensure that your holiday arrangements run smoothly, but if you do have a problem during your holiday, please inform the relevant supplier or our local representative immediately, who will attempt to put things right. If the issue is not resolved locally, it is essential that you notify our head office with a written notice, quoting the booking reference number and other relevant information on your travel and the circumstances of the problem, at the first opportunity or no later than 10 days after your return, to allow any complaint to be appropriately addressed.

TRAVEL CANCELLATION AND INTERRUPTION INSURANCE - Unless differently specified, the RTI travel packages do not include a travel cancellation and interruption insurance: under request, RTI will provide the required information and documents to obtain the insurance coverage for such circumstances. You can purchase a travel cancellation and interruption insurance from your intermediary/reseller or from any authorized insurance company.

PRIVACY - The conferment of personal data is necessary. We make a commitment to protect the privacy and security of the client’s personal data. We will only collect, use or disclose personal data in accordance with the Russian Federal Law No152 from 27.07.2006. Personal data both on paper and in digital form is collected and used for purpose of the correct execution of the services included the contract, including the disclosure to the providers and partners directly involved in the process.

LIABILITY OF AIR CARRIERS - Reg. 2027/97 - European air carriers and those from States included in the Montreal Convention of 1999 are subject to the following liability: there are no limits to the financial liability of air carriers for damages such as death, wounds or injuries of passengers. If the damages exceed SDR 100,000 (approximately €120’000), the air carrier can dispute a claim only if it is able to prove that the damage was not its fault. In the case of delay in passenger transportation, the carrier is liable for damages up to a maximum of SDR 4,150 (approximately €5’000). In the case of destruction, loss, damage or delay in the delivery of luggage, the air carrier is liable for damages up to SDR 1,000 (approximately €1’200). It is possible to submit a baggage value declaration before departure or under-write a special insurance policy with the payment of the relevant supplement before baggage drop off. Carriers which do not belong to a State included in the Montreal Convention may be subject to different liability regulations. The liability of the tour operator to the passenger remains in any case governed by the Consumer Code and the General Conditions of Contract published in this website.