Hi!
Village of calculation of obligatory insurance
(I Recommend to print out, for exception of a deceit)
http://www.rg.ru/oficial/doc/postan_rf/264-03.shtm

The maximal size of insurance of a motorcycle is equal 3159 roubles (87 euros) for one year.
For smaller term it is necessary to increase

Term of insurance:
15 days 0,2
1 month 0,3
2 months 0,4
3 months 0,5
4 months 0,6
5 months 0,65
6 months 0,7

Stay in Russia for 2 weeks will cost for you approximately 17 euros



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+ 7 910 456 40 20 Dmitry

Hi Fuzzy
The answer is yes. The nearly european wide "green insurance card" is not valid for Russia.
I entered via Murmansk July 2003, no probs. It actually meant there was no insurance at all. It was the same in 2000, when my wife and I went thru the Kalinigrad Region.
No risk, no fun.

Goetz

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ïóòü = öåëü

Oh I agree with you - I only bought the insurance because I thought I had to in order to get into the country.

I don't think bike insurance is much use anyway - so would happily travel without any. If only the border guards would let me in without it.

Never mind.

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Fuzzy Duck
(I'm quackers about bikes)

Hi Fuzzy Duck !
Presence of an insurance policy is checked by all road policemen (ÄÏÑ). The penalty for driving without the insurance 800 (it is more than 20 euros) roubles and penal parking.

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+ 7 910 456 40 20 Dmitry

I had to buy insurance just over the russian border. I was stopped up to 5 times a day for paper work checks....they looked for insurance. I bought the insurance to not be fined wether it was worthwhile in the case of accident was irrelevant to me.

if you dont have an international drivers license they will fine you.

Dont lose your customs declaration and make sure it is stamped..otherwise they will fine you when leaving.

I concurr with Vincent Danna..dont try to ride into the big cities at night.

Easy to arrange LOI through St Petersburg hostel.
Go to St petersburg its brilliant. They dont check that you are where you said you will be on any day. My visa had one day in St Pete and 29 days in moscow, although i had told SPB hostel my intentions.

http://users.netlink.com.au/~asimpson

[This message has been edited by simmo (edited 25 February 2004).]

Okay, the trip is getting closer and I'm about to send off to the hostel in St. Petersberg for a visa invitation. However I read on their webpages about a 'migration card' which is a new one for me. Aparantly without one you can't register your visa when you get in country.

So what is a migration card? Is it related to a customs declaration?

TIA, Iain.

Haven't you gone yet Iain?

This must be the longest trip planning stage in history! The borders of Europe will probably have altered again before you leave home!

Good luck there.

Matt (Swanning it in Mexico)

So I didn't have the good luck to be made redundant like your good self! But I'm not irresponsible enough to head off to the far ends of the earth without a set of tyre levers, and with my hoops down to the last millimetre of rubber. I hope the cacti give you plenty of tyre changing practice.

Iain

Planning the same trip myself, Ian.
Whole month of July.
Hostels in Norway and Finland.
Hotel St Petersburg.
Campsites Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania.
Hotel Minsk.
Reports don't seem to be good for Poland so it's Hotels with secure parking.
Then Prague, Germany, France and home.
Applying for visas now and don't forget your IDP.
Get in touch if you wish and we can compare notes!

Alex

[This message has been edited by rtoilhead (edited 17 June 2004).]

Some notes about applying for a Russian visa in the UK. You have to fill in a FORM95 from this website, http://www.russianvisas.org/visa_download.htm

* Section 8, 'departments or organisations to be visited' can be left blank or 'not applicable'.

* Also section 14, 'index and name of tourist group' can also be 'not applicable'.

* For UK residents with NHS coverage then 'yes' can be selected for 'official medical protection plan purchased'. There's no need to submit a 'Card of Insurance'.

* The Embassy in London will not accept a photocopy of your passport. This can be a problem if you're already on the road, best to use some sort of registered post.

* Current fee is £30 which I was assured meant the visa would be processed within 8 working days, maximum.

I used the St. Petersburg Hostel, http://www.ryh.ru, to order a visa invitation and accomodation voucher. It took my snail mail over a month to get to Russia. Svetlana faxed the invitation back the next day. If I was doing it all again I'd fax through my order rather than snail mail it. Also the Hostel has a garage, which I've been offered for storing the bike.

So now I need to sit back and hope that the Embassy get my passport back to me by the end of the month. Otherwise...

Iain.

Hi,
I plan to take a R1100RT and my wife to the FIM Rally in Tartu, Estonia next July 2005, and do the Baltic circuit via St P and Kaliningrad. This thread has answered most of my questions. One question: Is high-octane unleaded fuel easily available in Russia and Kaliningrad?
Regards

95 and 98 octane unleaded fuel was readily available in Russia. If you're really worried make sure you've enough fuel to get to St. Petersburg and then shop around in the city.

Iain

Ride report at http://www.xrv.org.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=273

Thanks.

Enjoyed reading about your trip around the Baltic coast and looking at your pictures.