Way to Russia Community and Forum

KHARKOV · Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 9:06 pm Post subject: Customs (tamojznya)

What advice would you experts give about going through customs in Russia? I will be travelling to Yekaterinburg in August. I speak fluent Russian with some Americanisms throun in. US Citizen. Should I pretend not to know any Russian when they question me? I'm thinking my declaration card shoudl take care of most issues. However, any comments would be appreciated.

Camrade · Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 10:01 pm Post subject:

You should be yourself.
Just chill out and do everything they ask... If everything is okay with your documents and tough, certainly.

DITTRICH · Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 10:13 pm Post subject:

...I'm english and speak some russian. I've either travelled to or lived and worked in russia since 1994 . Since I learned to speak russian it seemed that passport control and customs became easier to get through - though the degree varies. My personal view is that quite a few of them think of foreigners as an inconvenience because its more difficult for them to do their job when they can't make you understand what they want you to do. Make their job easier by speaking russian and your passage may just be smoothed a little teeny bit.
Les

overseas_expat · VIP Joined: 11 Jan 2005 Posts: 741 Location: Moscow

I spent 3 hours on Wednesday this week watching 5 lines of people being processed through Russian customs at Sheremetvo airport. I was waiting for someone at the far far end of the line....

Chances are (1) if you are white and (2) if you are dressed and behave like an average normal person that (3) they will look over your papers, check your visa and passport info, stamp everything, and pass you through. In three hours of sitting there, I rarely saw Russian customs official actually talk to or question anybody.

Except middle easterners. I watched them pull a Pakistani looking family and a muslim family out of the passport stamping line and take them to some kind of special office. They reappeared a couple of hours later and were finally processed through after the customs official carefully examined all their documents and plane tickets 9 more times.

Then after you claim your luggage there are two exits from the baggage area. One says "nothing to declare" and the other says "goods to declare". Go through the nothing to declare exit and be on your way. I never saw the officials at that exit stop anyone and ask to look into their bags or pockets or wallets.

MYOB, bring in no narcotics or weapons, and you'll be fine.

MrSpice · Lounge Wizard Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 3431

I agree - visited St Petersburg recently. I diligently filled out the customs form but then I went to the "Nothing to Declare" sign and exited the customs area with no problems. I am also a Russian American and had the same concerns remebering the "old times". Surprisingly, even though on my US passport it's clearly stated that I was born in Russia, no one aksed me anything. The passport control agent (most of them are women) looked me in the eye as she was an eye doctor, then just stamped my passport and that was it. She did not say anything (in America then often say "have a nice day" or "good night" or something). On my way back from Russia - the same story. So, you should not worry. I don't think you will be able to pretend that you speak no russian, unless you have a name that is not russian and you were not born in Russia. They will know, I think. But once again, I never had to find out.

KHARKOV · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 5:07 am Post subject:

Thanks for all the feedback. I was just wondering if anyone had been through customs in Yekaterinburg. It seems Moscow and St. Petersburgh have a good deal of international traffic. From what I have read E-burg is off the beaten path. I'm flying directly to E-burg from London and bypassing Moscow and Peter. Anyway, should be a fun trip since its my first time back in nearly 30 years.

Intourist · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 9:23 am Post subject:

I don't know why most of you even bother to go through customs. Unless you're carrying 50,000 in cash on you (or want to leave with more than 5,000), you shouldn't even be filling out those customs declarations. Just go through the green corridor and declare nothing (unless you have, heck, I dunno, more than the permissible allowance for something).

I've never been stopped once going through customs green corridor (since they opened it 10 years ago or so).

MrSpice · Lounge Wizard Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 3431

That's what I meant - there's green corridor now, so basically there's no customs for most travellers. Why are you worried? If you carry only the allowed items you should be fine.

vettra · Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:56 pm Post subject: dress to impress

vettra · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2005 12:00 am Post subject:

cyndy22 · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2005 5:35 am Post subject:

Vettra,
Spare us the rascist comments re Arabs. Enough said.

KHARKOV · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2005 4:46 pm Post subject: Re: dress to impress

DITTRICH · Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2005 1:47 am Post subject:

McDoofus · Just Starting Joined: 20 Nov 2005 Posts: 1

In case you didn't know, people from the Caucus (Georgia, Armenia, etc.) aren't Arabs. In fact Georgians and Armenians aren't even Muslim. Nevertheless, during my visits to Russia, I often did find their behavior quite unacceptable and being around them rather uncomfortable. However, I am sure that this behavior is due to their coming from some small village high in the Caucus Mountains and not their "race".

About the "nothing to declare" line in Sheremetevo, it's correct that almost nobody is stopped and searched, but you should at least show some respect for the customs officials. One time, a woman was trying to take that line while carrying a very large painting wrapped in brown paper. She and her family were stopped immediately and taken some place away. I lingered in the airport for a while, but I never saw them reappear. So, know the limit.

Happy travels

tuller · Talk Show Host Joined: 24 Oct 2004 Posts: 234

On any of my trips to Russia, and always through Sheremetyevo 2, filled out the migration card on the plane, wrote three words...personal items only.. and for some unknown reason it seems I always ended-up at the end of the long line Rolling Eyes

In Passsport Control I was always more or less ignored, stamped the visa, got my luggage, hit the green line, always told to keep going and never had my luggaged scanned...and out the door I went to my girls Very Happy

I never took more that $2995.00 with me, so I had nothing to declare.
It seems the more trips I made, and they saw all the visas in my passport, it took less time to get through passport control.
I had only one problem leaving one time, and it was my first trip...the security tag fell off one piece of my checked-on luggage at the Delta security check-in. When I ws boarding the plane they called me back off to search my luggage again. That was also just a few weeks after the planes were bombed over there.
No problems anymore...I did plan my departures on Tuesdays from then on...no long lines going into customs and I always got there at 10:00AM for a 12:25PM departure and actually, l started going thru customs at 11:00am.
Just adhere to their policies and you'll be fine...enjoy your trip to Russia...it's an awsome country Very Happy

Tuller

Destinations

Moscow Trans-Siberian Golden Ring Irkutsk	St. Petersburg Baikal Lake Ekaterinburg Vladivostok other...


Travel Services

Visa Support Transfers / Taxi	Train Tickets Phone Cards

Way to Russia Community and Forum

If you have a question or want to help someone, please, go to
Way to Russia Forum on our Facebook page.

We also invite you to join our Facebook community, where you can meet other travelers and read interesting news on topics ranging from visa regulations to culture and music.

We are currently moving the old forum to Facebook, so what you see below functions as an archive.

If you have a question, please, post it on
Way to Russia Facebook Discussions Page

Recent Site Activity:

Recent Blog Activity:

	Way to Russia Talk Lounge Forum Index -> Transport	All times are GMT + 3 Hours Goto page 1, 2 Next
Page 1 of 2

Way to Russia Community and Forum

If you have a question or want to help someone, please, go to Way to Russia Forum on our Facebook page. We also invite you to join our Facebook community, where you can meet other travelers and read interesting news on topics ranging from visa regulations to culture and music.

We are currently moving the old forum to Facebook, so what you see below functions as an archive. If you have a question, please, post it on Way to Russia Facebook Discussions Page

Recent Site Activity:

Recent Blog Activity:

If you have a question or want to help someone, please, go to
Way to Russia Forum on our Facebook page.

We also invite you to join our Facebook community, where you can meet other travelers and read interesting news on topics ranging from visa regulations to culture and music.

We are currently moving the old forum to Facebook, so what you see below functions as an archive.

If you have a question, please, post it on
Way to Russia Facebook Discussions Page