Hi

On my first visit to russia this summer I crossed the border from finland (the bigger one) and only got 14 days for my car and motorbike. This wasn't a problem since I was just getting to Mongolia as quickly as possible (made it in 8 days). On my way back on the other hand I'd like to stay 15-20 days and will be crossing the border to russia at western Mongolia. Any chance I'll get more than 14 days this time?

I've heard that one can prolong this once in russia, but I rather rush through russia in 14 days and skipping the hassle, then doing the hassle and staying another 3-4 days.

Did you need a carnet for your vehicles? I'm thinking of travelling from the UK to Moscow next summer.
Thanks.

No, Russia doesn't require carnets.

I am currently on my second trip through Russia (first was Vladivostok to Omsk). I was under the impression that entry clearance for foreign vehicles was linked to the dates of one's visa and indeed on the first trip the entry clearance for my car expired on the same day as my visa. After a month in Kazakhstan, I re-entered Russia through the Orsk border crossing. Very pleasant Russian customs official (with my passport open in front of him showing the 1 month tourist visa) asked me if I wanted 1, 2 or 3 months customs clearance! I opted for 2, just in case.

May be sensible to ask for customs clearance that exceeds the length of the visa or that of your planned stay just in case anything happens - customs clearance cannot be extended and the British Embassy in Moscow told me they had come across cases of overlanders who had overstayed their visas being forced to sell their vehicles to avoid them being confiscated by customs. With customs clearance that exceeds the length of one's visa, that way you have some leeway if you get stuck in Russia owing to breakdown/illness or whatever and overstay your visa - this can be dealt with; overstaying customs clearance can't.

Mark

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Thanks for the information. I came across this website last night which has lots of useful information for visas, vehicle imports, etc:

Driving to Russia by car, camping car, motorhome: Russian car insurance, permit and registration, traffic police - WayToRussia.Net

Hi

I met three riders in Mongolia yesterday from Germany and Switzerland. They had also gotten 14 days the first time they entered, They didn't need more then. At the second entry they convinced the custom officers they needed more than 14 days and got 2 months I think. If I remember correctly they entered from Kazakhstan the second time and from Ukraine the first time. I'll try to convince the Russian Custom om my way back that I need three weeks...

The WaytoRussia post was what I was looking for, I had seen it before-I thought it was on the HUBB but couldn't find it, so thanks. Sounds like I won't be able to get the temp import for very long at the border but should be able to get it sorted in Moscow.

Are these regulations still valid?
We entered Russia coming from Semey, Kaz recently and were not given any temporary import permits/customs declaration whatsoever.
the border guy wanted our vehicle registrations and hacked them into his computer though and we have a stamp in our passport showing a little symbol of a car.

are we okay or will there be problems? who to turn to in case of a problem? heading towards krasnoyarsk, irkutsk, mongolia

answers greatly appreciated

If you don't have a Vehicle Permit you might have difficulty on exit. The ДПС also will cause you grief!

RUS and KAZ are now in a Customs Union which allows vehicles to cross from one to the other without further documentation once the identity is established. However I think you should have a Permit on entering RUS.
I know of one rider who had to go back to the KAZ border and get one, fortunately he was only a few hundred miles away!

Other recent travellers who have entered RUS from KAZ (possibly having entered KAZ from elsewhere) and later exited RUS, will clarify this point.

The permit is a white Customs Declaration form you fill in at the RUS border and they put on it a bar coded sticker.


The current standard process at RUS borders is :-

The symbol of the car signifies you crossed a road border. No more.
If you fly in you get an airplane symbol, etc.
This was the Immigration/Border chap who is only interested in YOU.

The next guy, who looks at vehicle registration, is Customs who is only interested in VEHICLE and contents.
He is concerned if you (through entering your Passport details in their computer) have any vehicles already in Russia under your name and any previous vehicle entry was satisfactorily 'signed off' from you (eg. taken out of RUS, certified as wrecked, sold/registered locally & Customs duty paid).

For the last couple of years, the standard period is for the Permit to be issued until the expiry of your visa expiry or 90 days, which ever is less.
If your visa allows you to be in for more than 90 days per visit (such as a work visa - not business visa) you still only get 90 days at the border but this can be extended to 12 months (or visa length, if less) by your personal aplication at a local Customs Office.

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it was only one guy we had to deal with at the semey/barnaul border. he did demand our vehicle registration so he knew we were there on bikes. and he did also enter vehicle registration details into the computer. however the only form we got was the migration card. no customs declaration no nothing. we are already far away from that border. Heading towards Krasnoyarsk and on to Irkutsk.
need help on that problem - advice greatly appreciated!

you do not get a permit or any customs papers from entering Russia from Kazakhstan these days.

You must have one from when you entered the Customs Union (Belarus-Russia-Kazakhstan) ... but have free travel within the union only needing to buy insurance at the borders.

You entered Russia from Kazakhstan but where did you enter Kazakhstan from?

Basically where did you enter the customs union from?

You MUST have a temporary import paper from then.

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They look like this:

Note somewhere on the document (front or back) will be a sticker attached by customs at the point you entered the customs union (Belarus-Russia-Kaz). The sticker has one of those square barcodes on it (data matrix) and on the pic below you see it in the bottom left. Also printed on that sticker is the date you entered and the date you must exit by.

By default, all are valid for 3 months on entry these days.

That sticker on that piece of paper is your temporary entry permit.

On the temp import permit below (which is current) you will see that it is valid till 17.10.2012 (written CPOK on the permit)

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did not know about that union. we entered kazakhstan through the bishkek/almaty border from kyrgyzstan. received a document just like yours but without that barcode sticker.
thought it was only local doc for kaz and threw mine away after entering russia via barnaul. we are on two bikes and still have one doc. any suggestions what to do? whats the process with lost docs?

First - thanks to Colebatch for quickly responding following my SMS, despite being somewhat preoccupied, up to his 'whatevers', in dirt, water or mud!

MasterMD
I suggest you visit a local Customs office in the next big town/city. Probably Krasnoyarsk or Irkutsk depending on where you are.

As the border guy entered the bike registration details into his computer (did he see or do this from the white Customs Declaration Form?) there is some record somewhere - hopefully this was the Customs computer. That being so there must be a mechanism for receiving a replacement when an original gets lost - as with yours.

I would not put it off too long. This Form is the document the ДПС/roads police spot checks accept as the bike's registration document while in Russia. You will also need it on exiting Russia (or the Union).

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Thanks for the info- will try to do that and hope it works. currently in krasnoyarsk.
thanks also to walter - a norwegian friend of us is currently with you. he might have the same problem.

Steve?

Yes we checked steves papers. He still has his temp import paper, but he didnt know what it was .... fortunately now he does.

Also it appears from Steves papers that the Kazakhs dont put the barcode sticker on the form, they just hand write the info on the form ... date of entry and a 3 month later date of exit ... and then stamp it.

But yes ... Russia, Belarus and KZ is a customs union in the same way the EU is. you need to keep paperwork from when you enter that bloc till when you leave it - not till when you leave individual countries within the customs union.

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