First Time In Russia: Personal Contacts, Telecommunications, Money

Personal Contacts

One of the peculiarities of the Russian business life is that personal contacts are of the greatest importance here. Many issues you could settle over the phone or via mail back home here would demand a meeting in person. These meetings, especially for the first time, often take much longer time than necessary for the solution of the issues in question. This is a Russian peculiarity - people are willing to offer higher levels of trust to those they know personally. Personal connections are highly valued here. Situations happen when people here would prefer less profitable conditions of a contract with long-established partners to more profitable but offered by an unknown company. Establish and maintain as many personal contacts as possible. This is one of the cornerstones of business success in Russia.

Telecommunications

All types of communications are rather well developed in Russia. Most of the country's territory is covered by cellular services (GSM 900/1800 is the dominating standard). International roaming is possible virtually anywhere. If you are planning to stay for a long time, it would be advisable to buy a local provider's SIM card - this would make your calls within the country much cheaper. Russia's country code is +7.

Except for the very remote countryside areas, the Internet access is possible everywhere. You may gain access in almost any hotel or an internet cafe. In large cities there are many areas with Wi-Fi internet access coverage. As the last resort you may use GPRS internet access virtually anywhere.

Money

The rouble is the Russian national currency. Any other currency is not accepted anywhere. The exceptions where you can pay dollars or Euros are so few that it is pointless to list them. There are many currency exchange outlets even in towns not frequented by tourists. In large cities the ATM network is very well developed, many ATMs are accessible 24 hours. Visa and Master Card are most commonly acceptable. They are accepted by many retail outlets, cafes, and restaurants. However, we do recommend that you enquire in advance whether credit cards are accepted; warning customers that cards are not acceptable is not usual in Russia.

Tips

In this respect Russia has an advantage over other countries. Leaving a tip is not mandatory here. Exceptions include expensive hotels and restaurants where there are a lot of foreigners. In other places it is all up to you. A tip of about three Euro would almost always be enough in a restaurant; any tipping at all would seem excessive in a small street cafe. Tipping taxi drivers is not done.