The fact that Russia has a land border with Finland is well known. Every year a huge number of tourists cross it in both directions to admire the beauties of another, but at the same time neighboring country. That is why the question of what kind of border Russia has with Finland is practically of no concern to anyone, because the main thing is how exactly it should be crossed and where exactly.
Length
Before thinking about how exactly to cross this border, you should find out its length. In fact, Russia's land border with Finland is by no means the only one that links these two countries. However, it noticeably prevails in scale, occupying more than a thousand kilometers. About 120 km more the border between Finland and Russia runs through lakes and 60 km falls on rivers. Its total length is 1271.8 km, so we can safely say that by land the border betweenthese two states is quite long. It directly passes through the Gulf of Finland up to the crossing of the border between Russia and Norway in the Murmansk region.
Historical background
Until 1809, the entire territory of Finland was under the control of Sweden, and therefore it was not even necessary to talk about what border Russia had with Finland - it was the Russian-Swedish border. They were determined in the east by a peace treaty concluded in 1323. However, after 1809 and before the October Revolution, the Grand Duchy of Finland merged precisely into the Russian Empire. Although formally at that time there was a border between Finland and Russia, in practice its crossing was not regulated in any way, since the countries began to be considered united.
A new round began after Finland declared its independence from Russia. In the first two years after that, the border line was heavily guarded and almost completely closed. After that, in 1920, the Treaty of Tartu was signed, which determined the border itself. It was so close to Leningrad that a special security regime was established in the border zone. Gradually, the Mannerheim line was erected. Only after the Soviet-Finnish war and the new peace treaty, fixed in Moscow, the border line was changed.
Finally, the border between Finland and Russia was fixed in 1947. It was formalized in the Paris Peace Treaty and is still in force today. In its outlines, it strongly resembles the originalborder between countries that existed in 1809.
Border points
In total, there are 8 automobile checkpoints between the border of Russia and Finland. In addition, a limited circle of people can, if they wish, use several more temporary checkpoints with a simplified pass system.
These include:
- Point Lotta in the Kola district directly in Raya-Jooseppi in the municipality of Inari;
- Salla point from Kandalaksha district in Salla municipality;
- Suoperya from Loukhi district in the municipality of Kuusamo;
- Lutta in Kostomuksha city district in Vartius, Kuhmo municipality;
- Vyartsilya point from the Republic of Karelia to Niirala, Tohmajärvi municipality;
- point in Svetogorsk in the municipality of Imatra;
- the village of Brusnichnoye in the Vyborgsky district in Naiyamaa in the municipality of Nuiyamaa;
- Torfyanovka village, Vyborgsky district, Virolahti municipality, Vaalimaa point.
It is through these points that a traveler from Russia can easily enter Finland according to the rules.
Customs regulations
Any Russian who wants to cross the border will need to comply with the following customs rules:
- It is obligatory to declare amounts of money over 10 thousand rubles, as well as art, antiques, jewelry and ammunition.
- Completely banned the importation of psychotropic or other potent drugs, other than those for whichdirect prescription available.
- Seafood weighing more than 5 kg, as well as precious jewelry worth more than 25 thousand dollars, cannot be exported from Finland.
- On the way back to Russia you can not import: fresh milk, meat or fish. Only processed products in original packaging weighing no more than 5 kg are allowed.
Required documents
Before you go on a trip, you should collect a standard package of documents. Includes:
- valid passport;
- Schengen visa;
- he alth insurance with a minimum coverage of at least 30 thousand euros;
- for the driver you will need: an international driver's license, a registration certificate for a car, a valid OSAGO and international insurance - a green card for a car. You can get such insurance at any of the points on the way to the border.
Passing the checkpoint in Russia
All border checkpoints work 24 hours a day without breaks, so to pass the border you only need to wait for your turn. As soon as it comes, the border guard will approach the traveler. He should first show his passport. Only after that will they be allowed to drive directly to the border.
Next, you should drive up to the window and show the passport to the employee again. He checks it for authenticity and identifies it from a photograph. After stamped about crossing the border. Typically, the procedure takes no more than a couple of minutes, but in some cases they may be asked to docar inspection, however, this procedure is usually quite fast.
Passing the Finnish border
Crossing this border is even a little easier than the Russian one, since there is only 1 level of verification. To do this, at the checkpoint, you should go into a building special for this (the driver must always go first), then wait for the green signal and go to the window. The border guard may ask a few questions about the reason for the trip, but they are quite formal, so you should not worry about it. The entire conversation is conducted exclusively in Russian. Then a border crossing stamp is placed in the passport, which makes it possible to continue the journey. The procedure for returning home is no different. The whole process and the algorithm of its passage remain unchanged, so you should pay attention only to the customs rules.
