Business Visa

[fairbro]

I am planning to visit Ukraine in the near future to meet my pen-pal. I notice that to get a Tourist visa, you need to get a letter from a travel agency, however for a Business visa, there is no letter required. My question: if I go there on a business visa, is someone going to check up on me, and say my visa is invalid, if I don't actually do any business?

Of course I am always on the lookout for business opportunities (who isn't?), I would even like to start a translation service.

[fairbro]

I went to the embassy in DC this morning and I had my paperwork filled out for a business visa.
The embassy is close by the bridge, in the Georgetown section of town. There is never any place to park in Georgetown, but I was luckily able to find a place to park.
My car has no reverse gear in it, so I have to be careful where I drive.

The lady behind the grill saw my business visa application and asked me, "Who is inviting you?"
I said, "Nobody."
"You need to have a letter of invitation."
"I just want to go to see if there's some business I can start."
"You need a letter of invitation to get a business visa."
"Does it have to be from an organization, or can it be from an individual?"
"The letter of invitation for a business visa must be from an organization, not an individual."
Then I didn't say anything, and she said (intuiting why I wanted a visa), "Are you going to see an individual?"
"Yes."
"Well, then you need a private visa."
"Do I need a letter of invitation for the private visa?"
"No. Just write down her name and address here."
All right! I don't have to pay a fee for the letter of invitation! Then I tried to remember her address, but I couldn't. I went over to the table and sat down, and a minute later, my brain fog lifted and I remembered her address.
They charge you $100 for 9-day service or $200 for a 3-day service, but it's pretty clear, they have no backlog, they can get it for you right away. I was the only customer there until a guy walked in while I was trying to clear my mind.
I said "Bolshoy spaseba" and I was on my way.
Then I went to the Virginia DMV to renew my driver's license and I heard some people talking behind me in the line (the line was 2 hours long - they should make the governor stand in tha line). I asked if they were speaking Russian and the lady said yes. So I asked them a lot of questions and the lady runs a travel service and said she could get me a good price for a plane ticket. Then the guy in front of me turned around (an African guy) who also spoke Russian. The security guard came over and, I couldn't believe it, he too spoke Russian.