Way to Russia Talk Lounge

raggedclaw · Frequent Guest Joined: 22 Jul 2005 Posts: 18

Well, sort of . . .
I shipped my Dodge minivan from Houston to Southampton this summer ($1,700) and then drove to Yekaterinburg, wandering around "Old Europe" for a month en route.

I experienced none of the problems that folks seem to dwell on.
There was a goodly bit of paperwork, but nothing outrageous or unexpected. I knew what was required (the UK's AA is a very helpful source; also the Russian customs folks at www.customs.ru/en/). When I thought I knew everything about the Russian requirements and paperwork, I visited the Russian consulate in Houston where a nice fellow went over everything with me to insure I had it right.

Good paperwork is a requirement anywhere, so make sure you know it and get it right -- just as a point of reference with paperwork, I waited 6 hours in Southampton, 2 hours in Calais, and 5 hours at Zilupe/Terehova (crossing into Russia from Latvia). Those waits compare favorably with wait times getting into and out of Mexico from Texas in a car that already has a Mexican permit!

Driving with Texas disabled veteran tags sparked a little interest from police who stopped me in France, Austria, Italy and, yes, Russia. But after a check of paperwork and mandatory equipment, I was cleared to go. I was expecting, almost looking forward to, getting the chance to bribe a speed cop in Russia, but no luck. It is a system that I much prefer and am familiar with having driven in Mexico a good bit; sure wish you could bribe cops everywhere.

Yes, Russian drivers are crazy, but so are the drivers in Atlanta, Mexico City, Rome, etc. As for Russian roads, well . . . they sure don't measure up to Texas standards, but they are better than those in Mississippi.

I am in Russia on a 12-month, multi-entry business visa, but the van was only approved for six months on entry. I can extend that another six months here in Yekat. Since I expect to stay a couple years, I will have to leave, get new visa and van paperwork after 12 months -- but that was expected and part of the reason I wanted my van with me. I want to get back to Europe for a month or two anyway.

As for language, I speak the Texas versions of English and Spanish. My wife speaks Russian, but reports that there was nothing special about the border crossing that couldn't have been done without her. I saw a few other folks making it through without any Russian language skills.

The best advice I can give to folks considering such a trip is to do the research early, thoroughly, and with authoritative sources. I am not a good source for the intricacies of international auto shipping and driving -- and quite frankly no stranger on a forum is -- but I have mentioned some good sources, i.e., the AA, the Russian customs service, the Russian consulates, and europa.eu. But, don't wander into a consulate and ask "What do I need to know to do this?" Rather, know everything you can, then go and nicely inquire if someone could answer some questions on touring Russia, etc. I doubt that will work at every consulate, but it worked for me on a slow day in Houston.

Do the planning, then relax and enjoy the waits, the confusion, the problems. Remember, if this was easy, everyone would do it.

surfguy · Lounge Wizard Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Posts: 6996

thanks for the post