Homestay Visa or Tourist Visa

You can get a tourist visa. Just be sure that your friend registers your stay at the Post Office.

You can't get a homestay visa without a personal invitation. Obtaining this is a huge imposition on the person in Russia since the consulates always require the original document and the person in Russia must arrange this by going to the appropriate government office several times and then sending it to you via courier as the mail service is not safe/reliable.

Ruth

The proper visa for living in the home of a private citizen is the Private Visa and it does have some advantages such as free registration and 90 day duration. The stories of the Private visas being a hassle to get for the sponsor are usually very old or embellished by the hundreds of visa services promoting on the web, who try to intimidate people into ordering their services for vouchers for tourist or business visas ( usually referred to as Invitations).

If your friend is registered in her apartment and city it is not a difficult process and the 3 month processing time quotes come directly from the visa agents, not reality. It does take longer than most tourists wish, about 14 days or less in larger cities, it is not hard. I've seen them processed in 5 days. VOIR has been upgraded some in the last few years because of the changes in registration processes for all visas. It is easier than ever to get and to register.

Business visas which used to be the preferred option for those wishing to stay longer than 30 days but the rules for new business visas have changed. It is easier and cheaper to get but maximum stay is 90 days before leaving the country and waiting 90 days before reentry. Any registered business now can sponsor a visitor. As a result of the shorter stay permitted, the Private Visa has become more popular recently.

Stan - I note that you did not address the issue that the private visa requires an original document. Was there a reason that you did not mention this?

Ruth

Yes, bad memory, I simply forgot to include it.
I mail letters weekly to other countries and seldom have problems with delivers, outgoing anywhere usually reaches its destination in about 10 days. Incoming is another story, it can take a loooonggg time. I stopped using DHL and others because of their service required longer customs delays, so mail is faster in many cases. The postal system is going through a major upgrade and lots of underused post offices have been closed. Service is better and more reliable but the whole system is being reoriented towards business packages and overnight services to compete with UPS and DHL in-country. They are trying to make the system self supporting.

If she lives in Moscow or St Petersburg, low cost daily courier services go to the nearest EU country for superior mail delivery speeds. My office pays $3 a day for courier pickup and delivery to a Finland post office box that gives super service to North America, a letter to NYC from SPb to recipeint is 2 -3 days including the drive to Finland. DHL requires 4 days just for customs clearance, and is 20 times more expensive.

But if I'm only staying for a little over a week, the Private Visa would have no benefits for me, correct? If I do get a tourist visa through a reputable company (like visatorussia) and something happens (like I lose it or something), the tourist company who sponsored me will be able to help me, right?

And I read somewhere (perhaps on the US department of state website) that those who get tourist visas, but stay in a private residence can sometimes get in trouble. Is this true? I'm going to be traveling with my Russian friend's family, but I'm only 18, and I really don't want to get in trouble!! Sorry for all the questions, but I've never been to Russia before and I'm pretty confused!

Correct, for a stay less than 30 days, a private visa offers no real benefits.

Not sure that the tourist company can help you. The visa is stuck in your passport and hopefully you will make a photocopy of your passport face page and the visa and carry those separately in the event that your passport is lost or stolen.

It used to be the case that people could get in trouble for not staying where they said they would stay but increasingly this is not the case as the Russians understand that plans change. In fact, they almost certainly will change given that Russia is itself so unpredictable.

You should not have any problems traveling with your friend's family as they will know how to move within the country.

Ruth

Everbrite is correct, it is nonsense to ask friend to arrange private invitation. By the way: 3 years ago we got a three months invitation from our friends and we got a three months visa. We went with our friend to the OVIR for registration.
I got the permission to stay 3 month, my wife for one month only. I think there where different officials checking the passports. Last year and this year we asked a visa service for the "Voucher" and we got a 30 days tourist visa. No problem. You do not get that voucher back with the passport. You do not need it when crossing the boerder.

Spoerle:
Nonsense you say? Can you please inform us of the precise wording in the immigration law that would show I wrote nonsensical information? Staying with a private citizen is supposed to be done through the private visa....tourists who are invited by a tour operator or hotel are supposed to use the Tourist Visa. Did they change the law in the last 24 hours? For that is the interval in which I receive updates to the immigration regulations, directly from the ministry

For the original poster, if there is a problem the visa service can't and won't help, their job is to fool immigration that you are staying a particular hotel, by buying the voucher from a crooked night clerk or manager of the hotel where you are to be staying. The visa service is not even a party to the transaction and has no authority to intervine.
Only registered tour operators and hotels authorized to host foreign tourists have the unified federal registry number(look for their MBT number in correspondence or ads)
That it is the legal way, but in reality, a visitor can usually do anything they want after entering the country. Have your friend take you to the post office and register your visa as if you were staying in the hotel that issued the invitation.