Russian citizens planning to travel to the Republic of Estonia on their own transport should familiarize themselves with the rules for entering the territory of this Baltic state. There is a queue of cars at the border with Estonia, which must be booked in advance.
Points of entry into Estonia
The current rules for crossing the Estonian border were introduced in 2021. There is a unified electronic database - the queue information system, which is used at three border road points:
- Ivangorod - Narva;
- Kunichina Gora - Koidula;
- Shumilkino - Luhamaa.
There is a waiting area next to each of them, within which drivers wait for their time.
Ivangorod - Narva border road checkpoint
Checkpoint "Ivangorod - Narva" is the largest, and therefore is popular with travelers. Located at: Kingiseppskoe shosse, 8, Ivangorod, Leningrad region. Contact phone: (81375) 5-29-78.
The point is located 120 km from St. Petersburg and 780 km from Moscow. It operates around the clock. There is a 24/7 KAPO Duty Free shop and a Value Added Tax (VAT) Tax Free refund point.
Border road Kunichina Gora - Koidula
To get from St. Petersburg to the Kunichina Gora - Koidula checkpoint, you will have to cover 330 km. The path from Moscow is 730 km. Access to the border is via a toll highway.
Location of the point: the village of Kunichina Gora, Pechora district, Pskov region. Phone number: (81148) 9-34-27.
This checkpoint is also round-the-clock. On its territory there is a KAPO Duty Free shop and Tax Free return points.
As the statistics show, the workload of this item is several times less than the previous one. Therefore, the queue at the Russian-Estonian border moves much faster here.
Border road Shumilkino - Lahamaa
You can get to the Shumilkino - Lahamaa checkpoint along the free Pskov highway. It is located at: Shumilkino village, Panikovskaya volost, Pechora district, Pskov region.
The distance from Moscow is 730 km, from St. Petersburg - 340 km. You can contact the checkpoint by phone: (81148) 9-33-23.
The point works 24/7. The KAPO Duty Free shop and Tax Free return points are also open around the clock.
What types of queues are there
At the border with Estonia, the queue is divided into three types:
- with advance reservation of a place;
- live;
- priority.
Advance booking of a place in the queue can be made online or by phone. The traveler must provide information about the vehicle and all persons crossing the Estonian border on it. After that, he will receive a place in the queue for a certain time.
You can reserve a place 90 days before the expected date of crossing the Estonian border.
Anyone who arrives at the checkpoint without prior booking can get in a live queue. To do this, you need to register in the waiting area located near the border checkpoint and get a ticket. You can do this yourself at a self-service kiosk. You can also use the help of the employee of the waiting area. In the first line, you have to wait a long time for your opportunity to cross the cordon, since most of the seats are occupied by those who made a preliminary reservation.
A separate queue is called a priority queue for those persons who have the right to cross the Estonian border in a privileged manner.
How to book a place in the electronic queue
Online booking of the border with Estonia can be made on the GoSwift website - eestipiir.ee. There are versions in Estonian, Russian and English. To book a place in the queue, you need:
- In the menu of the electronic resource, select the "Book" tab.
- Select the category of transport from the list that opens.
- Indicate the point of crossing the Estonian border.
- Designate preferred queue type.
- If this is a pre-booking or priority queue, select the required date and time.
- If there is a live queue, familiarize yourself with the proposed conditions for crossing the border and confirm your choice.
- Provide driver details.
- Provide information about the vehicle.
- Choose your preferred additional services.
- Confirm booking.
How much does booking and additional services cost?
When booking a place in the queue at the border on the Internet or by phone, you can pay for the service using a bank card. If the driver checks in at a live queue directly in the waiting area of one of the checkpoints, he can pay in cash.
Prices for services on the border with Estonia are presented in the table.
| Service | Cost, EUR |
|---|---|
| Advance booking | 1.5 |
| Vehicle parking category A | 1 |
| Vehicle parking category B | 3 |
| International fax (for 1 page) | 0.15 |
| Weighing the vehicle | from 4 |
| Customs services | from 3 |
| Shower / Sauna | from 2 |
| A cafe | from 0.35 |
Border crossing rules
Crossing the Estonian border consists of several stages. First, the driver goes through preliminary control at the first barrier, then goes to customs inspection, and after that he moves to the neutral zone. Only after completing all the above procedures can the Estonian border by car or other means of transport be crossed.
It is worth considering that the driver, not the passengers, must communicate with the border and customs officials. It is he who submits for verification of the passport - his own and fellow travelers, the registration certificate for the vehicle. The car number is recorded on a video surveillance camera.
After passport control, the vehicle is inspected. The driver must open the door to the salon, glove compartment, trunk. If there are no claims, customs officials give permission to move the car to the neutral zone. Otherwise, he is sent for a more thorough inspection in a specially designated area.
There is a duty-free shop within the neutral zone. It is noteworthy that there are no such outlets on the way back - from Estonia to Russia.
The Estonian customs office is located behind the neutral zone. Checks are carried out here according to the same principle as in the territory of Russia. Upon completion, entry stamps are put, and the vehicle moves across the border.
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Boom at the border during the holidays
The main question that interests most travelers planning a trip during the holidays: how long to stand at the border with Estonia, waiting for the opportunity to cross it?
As practice shows, on peak days you can stand in line from 8 hours to a whole day. The biggest traffic jams are observed on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, in the last summer week, May 1-10, November 1-4.
The excitement usually lasts from 08.00 to 12.00, and on the Estonian side - from 14.00 to 18.00. This should be taken into account when choosing the travel time.
Estonian customs regulations
Without paying the duty, citizens of countries that are not members of the European Union can take out of Estonia:
- 10 liters of alcohol with a strength of more than 22% / 20 liters of fortified wine / 90 liters of unfortified wine / 60 liters of sparkling wine / 110 liters of beer;
- 800 cigarettes / 400 cigarillos / 200 cigars / 1 kg of tobacco.
It is allowed to import into the territory of Estonia:
- 40 cigarettes / 100 cigarillos / 50 cigars / 50 g tobacco;
- 1 liter of alcohol with a strength of more than 23% / 2 liters of alcoholic beverages with a strength of up to 22% / 16 liters of beer;
- motor fuel available in the vehicle tank and 10 liters of motor fuel additionally for use in the same vehicle;
- up to 10 names of drugs with a maximum of 5 packages of each (for personal use);
- up to 2 kg of baby food.
It is prohibited to import meat, dairy products, chocolate. Fish products can be taken, but not more than 20 kg per person.
Carriage of animals
You can bring 5 pets / birds to the Republic of Estonia. The owner must have a passport for the pet and a certificate from the veterinary clinic that they have received the necessary vaccinations.
Cats and dogs must be microchipped. The presence of chips is checked at the border using a special scanner.
FAQ
Here are some of the most relevant questions for travelers with detailed answers.
- Who can reserve a seat in the priority queue?
For crossing the border by electronic queue, in priority order, you can register vehicles that transport:
- members of international delegations, employees of foreign diplomatic services and consulates;
- perishable goods;
- passengers with an urgent need to cross the border in priority order.
The following circumstances belong to the category of urgent need:
- sudden illness / death of close relatives;
- the need to send a child for treatment;
- termination of the residence permit in the country;
- the need to hurry up to catch a plane, train, bus;
- sending participants of international competitions and conferences across the border.
Priority place in the queue can be booked for motorcycles belonging to categories A, A1, as well as for vehicles that are entitled to privileged border crossing under the terms of international treaties.
- What if I'm late to the waiting area?
Registration for crossing the border is valid for 1 hour. The driver must arrive at the waiting area before the appointed time. If you are late for more than 1 hour without a valid reason, the reservation will be canceled.
The driver will need to re-enter the queue by registering online, by phone or in person in the waiting area. If the reason for the delay is valid (for example, a car breakdown on the way), a decision regarding the current situation is made as soon as possible in the waiting area.
- What to do in case of congestion at the border?
If you have made a telephone or electronic booking of a queue at the Estonia-Russia border, but there are congestions on the road, you should be prepared for the fact that it will not be possible to pass at the time chosen during registration.
When the acceptance of vehicles begins, the first to cross the border is the one whose queue was booked earlier than the others. The system works in such a way that during the day all registered vehicles must have time to cross the border.
- Can I change the vehicle or driver?
When registering in the information system, you can specify only one vehicle and one driver. You cannot change them. We'll have to make a new booking.
There must be a connection between the car and the driver. This will eliminate the possibility of selling seats in the queue, booking multiple seats for the same person and other fraudulent activities.
If there is a situation on the road that requires the replacement of a vehicle or its driver, the border checkpoint officers resolve this issue in the waiting area.
- Time frame of the GoSwift information system?
From the information provided by the official website of the Estonian border, it is obvious that the reservation is valid for 1 hour. During this time, in the absence of traffic congestion, a vehicle must cross the border. You can monitor the situation in the queue from the waiting area. It is possible to activate the SMS-informing service.
- Do I need a visa to enter the territory of the Republic of Estonia?
Estonia is part of the Schengen area. Citizens of non-Schengen states (including Russia) need to apply for a Schengen visa to cross the Estonian border.
- What documents are required to cross the Estonian border?
To travel to Estonia you will need:
- a foreign passport, which will be valid for at least another three months from the date of return to Russia;
- Schengen visa;
- health insurance policy.
The driver must have the following documents with him:
- international driver's license;
- technical passport for the car;
- international policy of compulsory civil liability insurance of vehicle owners (the so-called "Green Card").
Outcomes
The electronic queue for crossing the border with the Republic of Estonia has significantly simplified the work of border services. Drivers who have booked a seat in advance do not need to stand in a live queue for a long time to travel abroad.
The registration system is designed so that all vehicles in the queue can cross the border within 24 hours even in case of traffic jams.
