Due to the increasing tourist activity between Russia and Finland, problems with vehicles constantly arise at the border. You can stand in line for several hours. How to be in such a situation and is it possible to resolve this problem?
Checkpoints
Why does it take so long to check cars at the border with Finland? What happens at the checkpoint?
At each checkpoint in Russia, 2-3 barriers are installed, where 2-3 border guards are on duty. After checking the documents on each, you directly drive up to the registration point. Here they will also check your passports, put exit stamps and even check your car. If you are traveling by freight transport, you will have to provide documents for the exported cargo (waybills, transportation certificates, etc.). The cargo itself will also be checked. After crossing the border, everything is a little easier - in Finland the number of border guards is less, there is no such thorough check "near each pillar".
How to avoid traffic?
One of the effective methods that is actively practicedby both parties - dissemination of information about car queues. For this, radio broadcasts and Internet resources are used online. There are many sites in both countries that broadcast daily and every minute the situation on the border with Finland. These are forums where motorists communicate in real time, sites with data transmission from video cameras installed at the border, as well as official resources of checkpoints. These sites present the latest situation on the border with Finland. With the help of satellites, a picture of the area is broadcast (in a schematic form), where the red line shows the length of the traffic jam.
Before you travel, be sure to check out the online broadcast to choose the right checkpoint. Also pay attention to the shift schedule of the border guards, some of them take up to 1.5 hours. In addition, carefully check all documents before the trip. Passports must be valid, declarations must be correctly completed.
Many motorists are turned around due to the restrictions imposed by the bailiffs. Basically, these are non-payers of alimony and taxes, to a small extent - those who have not paid traffic police fines. Moreover, in the latter case, regular tourists are already accustomed to taking with them a fresh printout of fines and payments, since these data do not always fall into a single traffic police database.
And the easiest way to avoid standing in a car queue is to take the train or bus. Of course, the road to the border will take longer thanby car, but it will more than pay off with the fact that you will pass the inspection in a few minutes. If you don’t like to wait a long time and you are not satisfied with the situation on the border with Finland, you can use the services of a road train, that is, put the car on a special platform, and drive next to it in a compartment. But this transportation is carried out only from Moscow, the cost of such a trip is quite high (more than $ 200 one way), and the car must be submitted at least 9 hours before departure.
Such different plugs
It should be noted that the situation at the border with Finland is highly dependent on the season, day of the week, upcoming holidays and time of day. Difficult situations arise when nature adds its own problems. Most often, traffic jams grow in the first snow (especially accompanied by icing of the roads), in snow storms, when the road thaws and in the rain. The longest traffic jams occur on days when it is a weekday in one country and a public holiday in another. On the one hand, people go on business trips, and on the other, tourists go on vacation.
The queue is not for everyone
The fact that the queues are not for everyone is also very unpleasant. A large number of motorists have some kind of “important” documents and special passes, turn to the right acquaintances and cross the border out of turn. The situation on the border with Finland sometimes comes to the ridiculous - on Saturdays and holidays there is a traffic jam for those who are "out of line".
There is also a nice rule for tourists travelingwith infants or pregnant women. In this case, you have the right to legally cross the border out of turn. The only thing is that in case of pregnancy, you must provide the appropriate certificate.
What is being done to reduce queues?
The introduction of a surveillance system really helps reduce traffic jams at the border. During the holidays, additional windows open at the points and more employees work from each side. For example, from December 30, a greater number of border guards go to the Russian side, from January 6 - to the Finnish side. Some points are closed and rebuilt from time to time, increasing the number of checkpoints.
The governments of both countries are negotiating the implementation of the Estonian experience of getting rid of traffic jams - pre-booking. Various projects are also being developed to adopt the experience of other states.
For people who often leave Russia, this is a whole problem - the border with Finland. The queue for reviews of tourists over the past five years has really decreased. If earlier it was possible to spend 5-6 hours crossing the border, now it takes 1-2 hours (excluding force majeure and shift changes). But in any case, no one wants to waste so much time standing idle in a traffic jam.
