In connection with the increasing tourist activity between Russia and Finland, problems with automobiles constantly arise on the border. You can stand in line for several hours. What to do in this situation and is it possible to resolve this problem?
Checkpoints
Why is it taking so long to check cars on 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 checkout point. Here you will also check your passports, put stamps on the exit and still check your car. If you are traveling by freight transport, you will have to provide documents for the exported goods (consignment notes, shipping 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 post”.
How not to get stuck in traffic?
One of the effective methods that is actively practiced by both parties is the dissemination of information about car queues. For this, radio broadcasts and online resources are used online. There are many sites in both countries that daily and every minute broadcast the situation on the border with Finland. These are forums where motorists communicate in real time, sites with the transfer of data 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. The satellites broadcast a picture of the area (in a schematic view), where the red line shows the length of the traffic jam.
Before traveling, be sure to check out the online broadcast to select the appropriate checkpoint. Please also pay attention to the timetable for change of border guards, some of which take up to 1.5 hours. In addition, carefully check all documents before traveling. Passports must be valid, declarations must be correctly filled out.
Many motorists are being deployed due to restrictions imposed by bailiffs. Basically, they are the non-payers of alimony and taxes, to a small extent - those who have not paid the fines of the traffic police. Moreover, in the latter case, regular tourists are already used to taking with them a fresh listing of fines and payments, since these data do not always fall into a single traffic police database.
And the easiest way not to stand in the car line is to use a train or bus. Of course, the road to the border will take longer than by car, but it will be more than paid off by the fact that you will go through the search in a few minutes. If you don’t like to wait long and you are not comfortable 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 alongside in the compartment yourself. 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 delivered at least 9 hours before departure.
So different traffic jams
It should be noted that the situation on the border with Finland is highly dependent on the time of year, day of the week, upcoming holidays and time of day. Difficult situations arise when nature adds to its problems. Most often, traffic jams grow in the first snow (especially accompanied by icing of roads), in snowstorms, during thawing of the road and in rains. The longest traffic jams occur on those days when one country is a weekday and the other is a holiday. On the one hand, people go on business trips, and on the other, tourists go on vacation.
Queue is not for everyone
Also very unpleasant is the fact that queues do not exist for everyone. A large number of motorists have some “important” documents and special permits, turn to the right friends and cross the border out of turn. The situation on the border with Finland sometimes comes to a ridiculous point - on Saturdays and holidays, there is a traffic jam for those who are “out of turn”.
There is a nice rule for tourists traveling with babies or pregnant women. In this case, you have the right to legally cross the border out of turn. The only thing in case of pregnancy is to provide an appropriate certificate.
