Countries

1. Moscow, Russia
Global Affairs Canada advises against all travel to the following areas:
republics of Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan;
republics of Karachai-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria (including the Mount Elbrus region) and
North Ossetia;
Budyonnosky, Levokumsky, Neftekumsky, Stepnovsky and Kurski districts, in the region of
Stavropol Krai;
districts of the Rostov Oblast that border Ukraine.
2. Tokyo, Japan
Regional Advisory for the Fukushima nuclear power plant and its surroundings
3. Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
No advisories in effect.
How to renew passport
1. Complete the application form by filling it out on a computer, print it out, then sign each page:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/passport/forms/pdf/PPTC054.pdf, and make sure that if an older
passport has a valid visa on it, that you say on that it does on the application sheet.
2. To receive a new passport you must send in: your most recent passport, and two identical
passport photos.
3. You must also provide two references, who must have known you for at least two years.
4. If you are applying by mail:
Use a certified courier or traceable mail service to reduce the delivery time of your application
and help protect your documents.
Address for mail:
Government of Canada
Passport Program
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0G3
Canada
Paying your fees
When applying by mail, you can pay by:
credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express),
prepaid card embossed only (raised letters or numbers) (Visa, MasterCard, American
Express) or,
certified cheque or money order (postal or bank) in Canadian funds, made payable to the
"Receiver General for Canada". The exact fee must be specified.

Debit cards (Interac, Visa Debit or Virtual debit) are not accepted for applications submitted by
mail or by a third party.
You will not receive a refund for the service fee if you:
cancel your application,
are refused a travel document, or
are issued a passport for a shorter validity period than requested (for example, in cases
where an individual has had multiple losses).
Only the consular fee, which applies to all adult applications, is refundable if a passport is not
issued.
Find out what the fees are for your passport application.
If you are applying in person:
Find a passport office or a receiving agent (Service Canada or Canada Post) closest to you.
Note: Canada Post charges an extra $20 fee plus applicable taxes.
When applying in person, you should submit your application yourself. If this is not possible, it
may be submitted in person by someone else unless it is an urgent or express request (you must
apply in person yourself for urgent or express service).
If you want to pick up your passport in person, you need to pay the additional fee when you
apply.
Passports may be picked up by a third party if they provide written consent from the applicant,
as well as valid identification.
Paying your fees
When applying in person, you can pay by:
Credit card or prepaid card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express)
Debit card (Interac)
Certified cheque or money order (postal or bank) in Canadian funds, made payable to the
"Receiver General for Canada". The exact fee must be specified

Passport offices do not accept cash or personal cheques. Receiving agents (Service Canada and
Canada Post) will accept cash (exact change only) but will not accept personal cheques.
Debit cards (Interac, Visa Debit or Virtual debit) are not accepted for applications submitted by a third
party.

You will not receive a refund for the service fee if you:
cancel your application,
are refused a travel document, or
are issued a passport for a shorter validity period than requested (for example, in cases where
an individual has had multiple losses).
5. If you applied by mail, it will be returned by mail, and it might be in two packages.

Visa
Russia
1. To get a visa, you must send in the original visa application form printed on a single piece of
paper with a photo glued in the designated area,
2. Original passport or other travel document,
3. Photocopy of information pages of the passport,
4. A letter from your company or from yourself (if travelling individually) explaining who is
travelling, where, when and with what purpose.
5. The most important document to be submitted is INVITATION or VISA SUPPORT.
INVITATION from your Russian host must be issued by the local office of the Federal Migration
Service of the Russian Federation (FMS). The invitations for a work, study or multiple entry
visas must be submitted in original.
VISA SUPPORT is provided by your host through Consular Department of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Russia. Please, check with us that your visa support has arrived to Consular
Division PRIOR to sending documents.
If applying for a multi-entry or double entry visa, it should be specifically mentioned in the Visa
support.
6. And before obtaining a visa, you must submit a HIV test Certificate issued no earlier than three
months before the visa application.
Japan
1. Requirements:
1. A valid passport,
2. An application form, http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/pdfs/application1.pdf,
3. A passport photo sized picture of yourself, and
4. A certificate of Eligibility, (issued by the Immigration Bureau in Japan) -your employer must apply
for it in Japan.

Germany
I couldn't be bothered to write about the German permits (there are a lot), so here is a 40 page pdf that I
got from the German Embassy website.
http://www.kanada.diplo.de/contentblob/4384124/Daten/4499987/BAMFBildungBerufDeutschland.pdf

Health
Insurance
I did a quick quote with Blue Cross, and it says that it will cost me $901.00 a year for coverage
in Europe, and in Japan (for details see the picture below, second column)

Vaccinations
1. Russia: It is recommended that you get vaccinated for Hepatitis A and B, Influenza, Japanese
Encephalitis, Measles, Rabies, and Tick-borne Encephalitis.
2. Germany: It is recommended that you get vaccinated for Hepatitis B, Influenza, Measles, and
Tick-borne Encephalitis

3. Japan: It is recommended that you get vaccinated for Hepatitis B, Influenza, Japanese
Encephalitis, Measles, and Tick-borne Encephalitis.

Costs
Flights
Flight to Russia:

Flight to Germany:

Flight to Japan:

Living Expenses:
1.Moscow: Food: ~$46.37CAD / 2611.22 Rubles
Rent: ~$715CAD / 40,263.54 Rubles per month
Utilities: ~$60CAD / 3,378.76 Rubles per month
Internet: ~$8CAD/ 450.50 Rubles per month
Monthly Bus Pass: ~ $34CAD / 1,1914.63 Rubles
Total per month: ~$863.37CAD / 48,618.65 Rubles
2. Schleswig-Holstein: ** I couldn't find prices for Schleswig-Holstein specifically, so I went with
generic cost of living in Germany. **
Food: ~$87.19 CAD/ 55.95
Rent: ~$677.92 CAD / 441.63
Monthly bus ticket: ~$103.85 CAD / 67.65
Monthly Utilities: ~$333.27 CAD / 217.11
Internet: ~$35.66 CAD / 23.23
3. Tokyo:
Food: ~$143.81 / 12,099.01
Bus Ticket: ~$118.86 / 10,000
Utilities: ~$197.20 CAD / 16,590.22
Internet: ~$48.68 CAD / 4,095.20
Rent for an apartment outside of the city centre: ~$925 CAD / 77,878.79