Way to Russia Talk Lounge

hans van dommele · Just Starting Joined: 21 Dec 2003 Posts: 3

Hi

Summer 2004 I intend to make make a journey to Siberia. For a number of cities which I intend to visit I seem to need special permits. This applies for instance to cities in Sakha such as Yakutsk and Tiksi and to places such as Dudinka and Norilsk.
Does anybody have up to date information about whether such special permits are really necessary, how to obtain them, what happens if you're caught without one etc

Best wishes

Hans

WayToRussia · Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2004 4:12 pm Post subject: Special Permits

Hi,

I know for sure that you need a special permit to visit Norilsk, and I don't know about the other cities, but it's quite possible as well. However, in most cases these cities are so small you would never hear about them, and all major travel destinations in Russia (such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Vladivostok) are open for travellers.
Usually, the city will be closed if it is a border zone, or if it has some secret factory, military or nuclear object. Also, sometimes big Russian companies can put the city they have their business at in this "closed cities" list, and I suspect it could happen with Yakutsk, as it is a major Russian gold manufacturer.

The special permits should be obtained in FSB (Federal Security Bureau - former KGB), and usually tourists can obtain them through their travel agency for extra money (if available, of course) and most likely you will be given a tour guide.

I don't recommend you to try to get through anyway, because you may be fined and deported from Russia if you don't have the special permit.