Entry ban into Russia for foreign citizens from March 18, 2021 due to coronavirus
Russia has introduced a restriction and ban on entry for all foreigners and stateless persons into its territory from March 18 to May 1, 2020 due to the emergency situation and the risk of the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. This was announced by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on the official website of the Russian government.
Russia has closed all borders. Entry restrictions also apply to all citizens of Belarus, Ukraine, other CIS countries and foreigners traveling across the border of Russia and Belarus.
The exceptions are foreign persons:
- having the official right to permanently reside in the territory of the Russian Federation,
- international truck drivers,
- transit passengers who fly through airports to another country,
- persons traveling to funerals,
- aircraft and ship crews, international train crews,
- employees of diplomatic and consular institutions.
The Prime Minister said that the closure of borders and the ban on entry into the Russian Federation is temporary and is related to WHO recommendations in connection with the acute situation due to the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Traveling by plane
If a resident of the Russian Federation intends to fly to Kaliningrad in 2021, then he will not need either a foreign passport or a Schengen visa.
If a Russian boards a Russian plane for the purpose of flying to Kaliningrad, he does not leave Russia, even though the plane flies over the territory of other republics.
For direct flights from other Russian cities, you will only need to have a civil passport and a plane ticket.
If there is a flight with a transfer on the territory of Lithuania, a foreign passport will be required.
Traveling through the land borders of Belarus and Lithuania
This question cannot be answered unambiguously. Having a foreign passport is required depending on the type of transport used to travel to this region in 2021.
It's all about the geographical location of the region. To get to Kaliningrad by land, it is worth driving through the territory of the Lithuanian and Belarusian Republics.
But if the Russian Federation has signed an agreement on simplified entry with Belarus, then to visit Lithuania a Russian needs a foreign passport and a Schengen visa, since Lithuania is one of the Schengen members.
An agreement between the Russian Federation and the Belarusian Republic was signed in 1997. It implies that a resident of the Russian Federation does not need a foreign passport to enter Belarus. There is also no customs control when crossing the border. Travelers do not even need to fill out migration cards. But it is worth considering that Belarusian customs officers have the right to demand a foreign passport from a resident of the Russian Federation.
When entering the territory of Lithuania, a traveler cannot do without going through customs control, providing an entry visa and a passport.
But a foreign passport is required only if a Russian travels by bus, train or car. If a citizen of the Russian Federation travels by plane or water transport, then he does not need a foreign passport.
Ban on transit to Kaliningrad via Lithuania from March 19, 2021 due to coronavirus
The Lithuanian government has introduced a ban on entry into the country for foreigners from March 16, 2021 due to the coronavirus epidemic.
For the purpose of a humanitarian corridor, transit travel through the country is allowed for Russians, Belarusians and other foreign citizens who return to their home countries until March 19, 2021, according to the website tass.ru.
Since March 19, 2021, the borders of Lithuania are completely closed to entry due to quarantine. It will not be possible to travel through it to Kaliningrad at this time.
To Kaliningrad by plane
The simplest, fastest and sometimes cheapest way. The plane from Moscow flies only two hours. Several airlines fly to Kaliningrad, so competition allows you to bring down prices.
If you are going on vacation within the Kaliningrad region, you can fly with a Russian passport. However, if your plans include a trip to neighboring Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, then, of course, you need to grab a foreign passport. At the same time, you can still fly domestically, but with a foreign passport you can cross the border with these countries. Or you can fly with a foreign passport so as not to carry both with you. Just remember that when purchasing an air ticket, you need to indicate the details of the passport on which you will fly.
Train travel
According to the agreement adopted between the Russian Federation and Lithuania in 2005, residents of the Russian Federation can travel in transit through Lithuania to the Kaliningrad region using a simplified railway travel document (hereinafter referred to as the RTD). This document exempts the traveler from obtaining a transit permit.
The Railway UTD is issued directly when purchasing train tickets to the Kaliningrad region. Registration takes place directly at the ticket office by a train station employee. For registration, the employee must present a foreign passport and a passport of a resident of the Russian Federation. After the person has answered all the cashier’s questions, he is given a travel ticket and receipts with various fees on special forms.
Ticket to Kaliningrad with transit certificate
A person signs on the forms. By putting his signature, he confirms his agreement with the rules of transit travel.
You can obtain a simplified travel document by purchasing tickets for railway flights that depart to the Kaliningrad region from the following cities:
- Moscow,
- Saint Petersburg,
- Adler,
- Chelyabinsk,
- Murmansk.
But the issuance of forms does not yet constitute a transit permit. You can find out whether transit has been opened for a traveler or not only 26 hours after the cashier enters information about the traveler. The request for receipt is sent to the Lithuanian consular department, which is located in Moscow.
Lithuanian Embassy building
There are two ways to find out the answer regarding the opening of transit:
- through the cash register;
- through the Express terminal.
But often, if a traveler is refused, they call him on his mobile phone and inform him of the decision made. According to the rules, if a visa is refused, the full cost of the ticket to Kaliningrad is returned to the traveler. In order to get a refund, you must contact the box office where you purchased the ticket.
The request is processed within 26-28 hours. Therefore, tourists need to purchase train tickets in advance. According to the rules, tickets can be purchased and UPD ordered no earlier than 45 days before the expected departure date.
Once a person has learned about transit permission, he can board his flight.
While on the train, the tourist is required to fill out a special form that contains personal information about the traveler. This paper is handed over to a representative of the Lithuanian Embassy, who is on the train for the duration of the trip. After checking all the data, the representative issues a permit to the tourist.
The UTD Railway is a transit visa valid for 3 months. But it is relevant only for transit trips to Kaliningrad exclusively by rail.
It is worth remembering that owners of UPD railway vehicles must comply with the following rules when traveling through the territory of Lithuania:
- It is prohibited to leave the train.
- It is prohibited to use other modes of transport except railway.
- A resident of the Russian Federation with a UPD railway can stay in Lithuania for no more than 6 hours.
If a child under 16 years of age who does not have his own foreign passport goes on a trip, he must be included in the passport of one of his parents who is accompanying him. Also, if the child is under 18 years of age, there must be permission to take the child abroad from the parents or one of them if the child is traveling with one of the parents or with one of the relatives.
Train
The train is a special story.
Nostalgia, tea in copper cup holders, snoring of a neighbor, grandmothers always selling something on the platforms. Landscapes of the expanses of Russia, Belarus and Lithuania. If Russians do not need a visa to Belarus, then at the border with Lithuania, after putting aside the grilled chicken, the document must be demonstrated. But, if you don’t plan to leave Lithuania, a simplified railway transit document (STRD) will do. There is no need to go to the consulate to get it, the request is submitted by Russian Railways.
Travel time
From Moscow - 20 hours, from St. Petersburg - 26 hours.
Price
Round-trip tickets from Moscow from 2,900 rubles, from St. Petersburg from 3,200
Algorithm of actions
- Come to the Russian Railways ticket office no later than 28 hours before the expected departure date so that you have time to make the ETJD. Show your foreign passport to the cashier and buy a ticket to Kaliningrad:
— children under 5 years old receive a free child ticket without a seat;
— a ticket for a child under 14 years old is issued on the basis of his international passport and accompanied by an adult.
- Or buy tickets online on the Russian Railways website no less than 28 hours before departure, check the box “You must issue a simplified railway travel document.”
- After 28 hours, find out at any railway ticket office, by phone or in your personal account, if you bought online, whether you were given a transit permit:
— if yes, please specify where it can be picked up;
— if not, you can return the ticket and its full cost in your personal account or at the ticket office.
UTJD is multiple and issued for a period of 90 days. It is prohibited to get off at railway stations in Lithuania. That is, if you are returning from Kaliningrad by train, you do not need to re-apply the permit document.
Travel by car
To cross the Lithuanian border by car, a tourist must have a foreign passport and one of the documents allowing entry into this country. Such documents are:
- Schengen transit visa.
- Simplified transit document (STD or UTD).
Visa processing will take at least 10 days. The cost of opening a transit permit is 35 euros.
To obtain a visa, you need to submit a package of documents:
- International passport.
- A completed application form. The form is filled out manually and signed by the applicant.
Sample of filling out a visa application form. 1 page
Sample of filling out a visa application form. 2 page
- Photos in the amount of 2 pieces. Size – 35x45 mm.
- Receipt confirming payment of the consular fee.
- Medical policy with an insurance coverage amount of at least 30 thousand euros.
- Copies of civil passport.
- Consent to the processing of personal data.
- Documents for the car: green card, PTS, driver's license.
- Papers confirming the route.
But Russian citizens can also apply for a simplified transit visa. This document can be obtained from the Consulate General of Lithuania in Kaliningrad. Address: Proletarskaya street, building No. 133. This visa costs 5 euros. But it is worth considering that a simplified visa allows you to cross the borders of Lithuania multiple times , but a resident of the Russian Federation has the right to stay on the territory of this state for no more than 24 hours.
Residents of the Kaliningrad region who have been registered in this region for at least 180 days have the right to receive a UTD. It takes only 7 days for a FTD to be issued.
Simplified Lithuanian visa. Sample
To obtain a FTD, you should provide a standard package of papers, which is submitted to open a transit permit. FTD is also issued when purchasing tickets to Kaliningrad on Russian buses. This procedure is free.
But since the UPD allows car owners to stay within the Republic of Lithuania for no more than a day, if force majeure circumstances arise (car breakdown, etc.), you should immediately contact the police in order to avoid fines and conflict situations.
Automobile
Have you decided to go to Kaliningrad by car?
Congratulations, this is a long and difficult journey in terms of documents. Travel time
The distance from Moscow to Kaliningrad is 1300 kilometers, the journey can take from 16 hours plus customs
From St. Petersburg to Kaliningrad 1000 kilometers, you can get there in 14 hours plus customs
The route can be built through Belarus and Lithuania or Latvia and Lithuania
Algorithm of actions
- prepare documents: Russian passport (for the Belarusian border), international health insurance, foreign passport (for the Lithuanian border), driver’s license, vehicle registration document and “Green Card” for the car;
- Your passport must have a Schengen visa, otherwise you simply will not be able to travel through Lithuania or Latvia;
- If you don’t want to apply for Schengen for this trip, you can get a Simplified Transit Document (STD). Good news: it will be valid for 3 years. So you can go to Kaliningrad a few more times. Bad news: you can stay in the country for up to 24 hours using it; you cannot visit other countries.
How to obtain a UTD:
- Pre-registration is required at the Lithuanian Embassy in Moscow or St. Petersburg or at visa centers in other large cities;
- fill out and print the form and paste into it a color matte photograph measuring 35x45mm;
- personally provide: a valid foreign passport containing at least 2 blank pages, a photocopy of its photo page and internal passport, as well as photocopies of the pages with the photo and registration address, medical insurance for the period of stay in Lithuania and a questionnaire;
- pay a consular fee of 5 euros;
- The FTD is prepared within 7 working days.
If you are planning a trip to Kaliningrad via Latvia, Estonia or Poland, then a Schengen visa will be needed regardless of the length of stay, since the FTD is valid only in Lithuania.
Traveling by ferry
You can get to Kaliningrad by water transport only from the port of Ust-Luga, which is located 150 kilometers from the majestic St. Petersburg. There are two ferries leaving the port:
- "Ambal."
- "Baltiysk".
Ferry to Kalingrad
Ferries run once every 4 days. To travel by ferry you do not need a foreign passport. Experienced travelers note that traveling by ferry is not the best option, since it takes a lot of time to go through customs control at the ports.
The ferry does not arrive in Kaliningrad, but in the city of Baltiysk, which is located 45 kilometers from Kaliningrad. Therefore, having arrived by ferry, tourists will need to spend more time in order to get to Kaliningrad. There are regular buses between Baltiysk and Kaliningrad.
To Kaliningrad by sea
Another method, although quite rarely used, is steam. It runs from St. Petersburg, or more precisely, from the port of Ust-Luga in the Leningrad region to the city of Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad region. By ferry you can get to the Kaliningrad region with your car. However, the price of this pleasure is high. Let's say, for a passenger car of standard dimensions you will have to pay 9,300 rubles, plus more than 7,500 rubles for a seat in a cabin. But perhaps in some cases this is a suitable option.
So you can board this ferry with a Russian passport. But if you went on a cruise calling not only the Kaliningrad region, but also the ports of European countries, then, of course, you will need a foreign passport.
Registration of a foreign passport
You can apply for a foreign passport from birth. Today Russians can obtain the following types of passports:
- Old style passport.
- Biometric passport with a built-in microcircuit.
International passports of new and old samples
To obtain a foreign passport of any type, a resident of Kaliningrad should contact the interdistrict center of the Federal Migration Service, which is located at 6 Frunze Street.
The regional office of the Federal Migration Service carries out registration and issuance of passports. But it is worth remembering that if a resident of the Russian Federation wants to get a new passport, he will need to be fingerprinted and have his photo taken in a special booth.
The period for obtaining a foreign passport at the inter-district center of the Federal Migration Service in the Kaliningrad region is 30 days for residents of this region and from 3 to 4 months for people who are registered in other regions of the Russian Federation.
