Do I need to take a test at the entrance to Crimea?
Checkpoint at the entrance to Sevastopol / Photo: ria.ru
A repeat test can be taken at a hotel or sanatorium. For now, this rule is in effect and there is no talk of repealing it. But many assume that it may be leveled out by July 1 due to difficult implementation. A repeat test in Crimea will be replaced by a certificate of absence of covid-19, made at the place of residence.
The only exception is Sevastopol. At the entrances to it (there are three checkpoints in total), everyone who arrived from other regions of the Russian Federation is required to take tests. But! From June 15, Sevastopol will be opened. Moreover, the city will open the tourist season earlier than other Crimean resorts. And the fate of the “entry” tests is still unclear.
My Instagram (@krymfest) and Telegram channel. I live in Sevastopol, write about events and festivals of Crimea.
How much does a trip to Crimea cost by car in 2021?
Before moving on to the description of the cost of the road, we recommend that in the next browser tab you open an honest review from the site’s author about a trip to Gelendzhik by car along the M4 (in June 2020).
The main expenses on a long road trip are gas, food and overnight accommodation. Travel expenses can vary greatly, as each traveler is accustomed to a certain level of comfort. Some people spend the night exclusively in a five-star hotel and eat only in a restaurant, while others don’t mind sleeping in the car and buying food at the supermarket. Now about average spending in numbers:
- Gasoline costs - approximately 10-15 thousand rubles in both directions
- Overnight at a hotel - 2 thousand rubles on the way to Crimea and 2 thousand rubles on the way home
- Food - from a thousand rubles to infinity. To save money on food, buy groceries in advance and put them in a cooler bag.
The total comes out to about 20 thousand rubles - the savings are obvious if you travel, for example, with four people. If you are traveling alone or as a couple, you can make your life even easier and travel with fellow travelers.
Restrictions in Crimea due to coronavirus in April 2021
The epidemic situation in the republic is under control, preventive measures are observed in all institutions and places of public gathering.
All catering establishments must operate at partial capacity and maintain a social distance of at least 2 meters. Mass sports events are limited.
The work of cultural and leisure institutions is allowed, the filling of cinema halls is no more than 75%. Clinics, beauty salons and shopping centers operate as usual. Hostels are closed, and children's camps are currently only designed to accommodate certain groups of schoolchildren. These are local children from the Far North and Sevastopol.
You can take a PCR test in a private laboratory, for a fee, provided that there are no signs of ARVI. Laboratories only work with people without suspicious symptoms. If the temperature rises and there are other warning signs, a doctor is called and he gives a referral to take the test at the clinic, under the compulsory medical insurance policy. On the territory of the Russian Federation in any region, the policy is valid, no matter in which city or village it is attached to a specific medical institution.
In crowded places, you must wear a mask. The rule is mandatory for all residents and guests of the peninsula.
As for places of sanatorium-resort treatment, they by law have the right not to adhere to generally accepted standards. If the authorities in March allowed entry into the region without PCR tests, then sanatoriums were given the right to independently set this restriction for their vacationers. Health resorts may require those coming for treatment to present a test. Therefore, when buying a ticket, it is better to immediately find out this issue on the institution’s website.
Entry to Crimea through the territory of the Russian Federation for Russians and CIS citizens
After the peninsula became part of the Russian Federation, Russians have the right to enter Crimea without any restrictions, as in any other region of the country. When planning a trip, you should not forget to take the following documents with you:
- Russian civil passport;
- medical insurance;
- driver's license (if traveling in your own car or if you want to explore the sights of the peninsula in a rented car).
When planning a vacation with children, you should definitely take with you a birth certificate for each child.
As for foreigners - citizens of CIS countries, without a document proving their identity abroad, only citizens of states that are members of the Customs Union can enter the peninsula, as well as other regions of Russia. The rest must have a foreign passport with them to enter Crimea.
Persons residing in the Russian Federation on the basis of a residence permit can enter the peninsula on the basis of internal documents, but their stay in Crimea is limited to 90 days.
To spend a vacation in Crimea, residents of states with which the Russian Federation has a visa regime must have not only an international identity card, but also a properly opened visa.
Until recently, for everyone who was planning a trip to Crimea by their own car or bus, the only way to get to the peninsula from Russian territory was a ferry. Huge grueling queues spoiled the entire impression of the holiday. However, after the commissioning of the Kerch Bridge, which took place on May 16, 2021, the situation has improved significantly. Despite the fact that so far only passenger vehicles and passenger buses can use it, the number of people wishing to visit Crimea has increased noticeably.
Difficulties of registration
Today, a modern government system that would allow for the quick issuance of foreign passports is under development. This means that in Crimea about 4 months. However, if you use the paid services of private companies and pay a significant amount of money for this, you can use such a service and become the owner of a foreign passport in just a few days or weeks.
Do you need a foreign passport to travel to Crimea?
Citizens of Crimea are offered two types of foreign passports. One of them is designed for 5 years, and the other for 10 years. A biometric passport must be equipped with a microchip containing data that can be recorded both remotely and at the time of crossing state borders.
In order for residents of foreign countries to enter Crimea, they need a foreign passport. The same applies to Crimeans. If they want to visit other countries, they are required to provide a foreign passport.
Unfortunately, the system of work of the authorities that are responsible for issuing and processing foreign passports has not yet been properly adjusted. Therefore, getting a passport in Crimea is quite difficult.
Entry to Crimea for foreigners
For citizens of other countries, the decision to fly to Crimea using a foreign passport will not be a reason for denial of boarding. A foreigner will be allowed on the plane to Simferopol on the basis of the identity card with which he lives in Russia. This could be a foreign passport, residence permit or certificate of refugee status. The trip itself is no different from traveling to another Russian region.
Citizens of other countries should only take into account that having arrived in Crimea through the Kerch Strait or by plane, they will not be able to enter the territory of Ukraine through the Chongar and Kalanchak land checkpoints, since, according to Ukrainian legislation, they visited the peninsula illegally.
Rules for entry into Crimea from July 1
A certificate of absence of covid-19 will still be required. The test must be taken two days before the trip, not earlier. Plus a certificate of no contact with sick people. If, by analogy with debts that can be identified at the airport when flying abroad, this document should confirm your right to leave your region and enter any other. At the time of departure and entry into Crimea, you should not be part of the group of contact persons of the sick person. Find out more on the Rospotrebnadzor website www.rospotrebnadzor.ru.
Coronavirus-free certificates are not cheap. On my Instagram, subscribers shared prices: in the Moscow region, 2,600 rubles were paid for two tests, in Krasnoyarsk - already 2,690 rubles. per person. It is unclear where such a range in prices comes from. But so far there has been no information about their cancellation in official sources.
Features of entry for Russians
Since 2015, some changes have occurred in the legislation of both the Ukrainian and Russian sides. They touched upon the rules of entry and exit from the designated territory, duration of stay and documentary support.
Considering the fact that the peninsula currently belongs to the Russian state, we can say that there are no restrictions on the length of stay in Crimea for holders of Russian passports.
Crossing the border is carried out on the basis of a general passport or, for a child, a birth certificate.
Providing permission from the second parent in case of his absence or the consent of both if a minor Russian is traveling with a third party is not required. A document of this order will be needed only when the accompanying person needs to confirm his right to represent the interests of the child, for example, in a medical institution.
Please note that this rule applies only when it comes to the entry of Russians from the territory of the Russian Federation. Their departure from the peninsula through Ukrainian territory is prohibited unless special permission is available.
Why is going to Crimea by car the best option?
GeekTrips chooses road trips! We have identified a lot of advantages in their favor:
- You don’t have to depend on the direction and schedule of public transport. On the way to the sea, it is possible to stop at interesting places and establishments, thereby covering more locations.
- The M4 Don highway leading to Crimea is one of the best in Russia. Driving along it is a pleasure!
- And with the opening of the Crimean Bridge, it became even easier to travel such a long way. By the way, about the bridge: it has become a new attraction and it’s worth going to Crimea by car if only for the view that opens when driving across the bridge.
- If you are traveling to Crimea with your whole family with children, a car trip will be several times cheaper than buying round-trip air tickets for each family member. Below we will calculate all possible expenses during the trip.
