VISAS, ENTRY RULES, CUSTOMS REGULATIONS in Reunion, France
To travel to Reunion, Russian citizens need to apply for a visa at the French Visa Application Center, since Reunion is an Overseas Department of France. Before submitting documents, a few weeks before the trip, you need to sign up by phone 784-71-47 (on weekdays from 9:00 to 16:00) or leave an application on the website.
Required documents:
-original and a copy of the international passport, valid for at least 3 months from the end of the planned trip;
-original and copy of the civil passport;
– 2 questionnaires completed in French or English;
– 2 color photos 3.5×4.5 cm on a light background;
– an insurance policy in the amount of 30,000 Euros (sickness, medical care and repatriation), valid for the entire duration of the visa;
– coordinates of the place of residence during the trip (name, address, telephone, fax);
– hotel reservation or private invitation or invitation from a company or official body;
– round trip plane ticket.
The visa is valid up to 30 days.
According to Phonecations, export and import of national and foreign currencies is unlimited. You can import duty-free up to 1 liter of spirits, drinks with a strength of less than 22 degrees – up to 2 liters, 2 liters of wine, 200 pcs. cigarettes, 500 gr. coffee, up to 50 gr. perfumes (toilet water – up to 250 gr.), tea – 100 gr., as well as food (fish – up to 2 kg., caviar – 250 gr., animal products – up to 1 kg.) and other goods (for persons over 15 years old) in the amount of 15 euros (for children – 10 euros).
It is forbidden to import food, drugs, weapons and ammunition without a permit. Fruits, vegetables, wood products, plants and seeds are subject to screening. It is forbidden to export samples of plants and animals under protection, as well as products made of leather, bone, bird feathers, shells, corals without receipts from the store where the goods were bought.
Reunion, France, Embassy website: http://www.ambafrance.ru/sommaire.php3?id_rubrique=2
History in Reunion, France
From the 10th century AD Reunion Island became a transit point for Arab traders who followed to Africa. They then called it Adna el-Maghriban, which means “western island” in Arabic.
In 1513, the Portuguese landed on the island for the first time and named it Santa Apollonia, but they did not settle here. In 1638, the French arrived here and set their flag on the island. In 1642, having exiled several rebels from Madagascar to the island, France officially declared it its possession and gave it a new name – Bourbon (after the name of the ruling dynasty). In the early 18th century, slaves were brought from Madagascar to work on the coffee plantations. The island was divided into districts, and the foundations of the judicial system gradually began to form here.
In 1801, Bourbon was renamed Bonaparte, however, already in 1810, English soldiers landed on the island and occupied it, returning the name of Bourbon to it. England held Bourbon until 1815, when a decision was made at the Congress of Vienna to return the island to the French. Bourbon once again became a colony of France. In the middle of the 19th century, with the fall of the Bourbon dynasty during the French Revolutions, the island was named Reunion. At the same time, slavery was abolished here. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 played an important role in the history of Réunion. Africans, Chinese, Indians and Malagasy began to arrive on the island in order to go to Europe. Some have remained here, forming their own communities.
In 1946, France declared Réunion an overseas department.
Embassy in Reunion, France
Reunion, France, embassy in Moscow
Embassy of France:
metro station Oktyabrskaya (Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya line), Bolshaya Yakimanka, 45.
Tel.: 937-15-00.
Fax: 937-14-46.
French Visa Center:
Marksitskaya or Taganskaya metro station, st. Marksistskaya, d.3.
Tel.: 784-71-47.
Reunion, France, Embassy website: http://www.ambafrance.ru/sommaire.php3?id_rubrique=2
Reunion, France, Russian embassy in the country:
There is no Russian embassy in Reunion. The nearest Embassy of Russia is located on the island of Mauritius:
Mauritius, Floreal, Queen Mary Street.
Tel.: (230) 696-15-45.
Contact in Reunion, France
In order to call from Russia to Reunion, you need to dial 8 – 10 – 262 – the subscriber’s number.
In order to call from Reunion to Russia, you need to dial 00 – 7 – area code – subscriber number.
Emergency Phones in Reunion, France
Emergency – 112
Fire Department -18
Police – 17
Ambulance – 15
HOLIDAYS AND WEEKENDS
January 1 – New Year’s Eve
May 1 – Labor Day
May 8 – Emancipation Day
July 14 – Bastille Day
December 20 – Emancipation Day
December 25 – Christmas
A huge number of festivals are celebrated in Réunion throughout the year. In January, the Hindu festival of worshiping the goddess Kali, the Chinese-style New Year and the Spring Festival are held. In February, the Pineapple Festival and Carnival in St. Pierre are held. In July, locals celebrate the end of the sugar cane harvest, and in October, the Flower Festival. The Christmas markets are very colorful.
SHOPS
Shops are open from Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 18:00, with a break for lunch from 12 to 15:00.
TIPS
In restaurants where tips are not included in the bill, it is customary to give 10-15% of the amount indicated on the bill. Taxi fares are usually rounded up.
ELECTRICITY
220V, 50Hz;
HEALTH
To travel to Reunion, you must take out health insurance. On the island, there is a possibility of infection with the Chigungunya virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, so be sure to use mosquito repellent to avoid bites. Vaccinations against diphtheria, hepatitis A, tetanus and typhoid are recommended.
