What documents do Belarusians need when entering Russia by rail?
When entering the territory of the Russian Federation, citizens of Belarus are required to have a certificate of examination for coronavirus infection COVID-19 with a negative result of a laboratory examination using the PCR method, issued no later than three days before the start date of the trip. The exceptions are children under the age of five (with a certificate from accompanying persons), members of government delegations of a member state of the EAEU upon returning to their country of citizenship, members of locomotive crews and persons associated with transportation activities on railway transport.
What things can be imported and what are prohibited?
Belarusian customs regulations state that it is allowed to carry in private luggage:
- up to 50 kg of personal belongings worth no more than 1.5 thousand euros;
- no more than 3 liters of alcohol (this includes beer from 7%);
- 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars;
- food (5 kg per person);
- up to 5 types of jewelry;
- leather or fur items of clothing (up to 3 units);
- video equipment - no more than 3 pieces;
- plants and animals (in the presence of veterinary certificates of the latter).
It is prohibited to import into the country:
- military equipment and weapons;
- narcotic and poisonous drugs;
- radioactive and explosive substances.
By the way, if there is a permit for items on this list, then customs rules allow them to be transported into the territory.
Did you know? Euros and American dollars can be transported to Belarus without any restrictions.
Is it possible for a Russian to cross the Russian-Belarusian border by car?
The border of Belarus and Russia in April-May 2021 is open for air travel and by rail. Unfortunately, the roads are still partially open. The following have the right to travel to Minsk from the Russian capital: persons with Belarusian citizenship; citizens with a residence permit; those persons who are traveling to visit close relatives; citizens crossing the border for funerals; for work; for treatment; for the purpose of caring for a sick family member; for education. Also, citizens who left the country by plane or train can return back in any way.
Denis Blishch. Private opinion
Encyclopedia of the Belarusian hinterland: by train, bus, bicycle, on foot. Subscribe to telegram updates about corners of Belarus!
Among the countries of the former USSR, Belarus has not yet achieved anything in terms of maintaining railway traffic. But cross-border traffic suffers, especially its local (suburban) component. Of the 23 international crossings, 12 are connected by long-distance trains, but only 7 have electric and diesel trains. But once upon a time (not so long ago) it was possible to get to Vilnius or Riga, Chernigov or Bryansk using suburban trains. The Belarusian Railways is gradually closing off opportunities for ultra-cheap international travel by train, but the neighbors cooperate even less: almost all of the remaining crossings are served by Belarusian Railways trains. I made a map of all the railway crossings in the country and described what type of traffic is still on them.
So, 23 transitions.
Five with Poland: in Brest, Vysoko-Litovsk, Svisloch, Pogranichny and Bruzgi. Three with Lithuania: in Uzberezhi, Benyakon and Gudogai. Only one with Latvia in Bigosovo. Seven with Russia: in Alesche, Ezerishche, Zaolsha, Shukhovtsy, Shesterovka, Dobrush. Finally, seven with Ukraine: in Kutka, Kravtsovka, twice in Iolcha, Slovechno, Bukhlichi and Khotislava. They are all on the map:
I divided the transitions by color.
Bright red - there is everything, that is, cargo, long-distance trains and commuter trains. Brown – only cargo and long-distance. Light brown – cargo and commuter only. Yellow - cargo and suburban service, which cannot be used by ordinary workers (a separate case in the Braginsky district, which I wrote about in the blog - link below). Black – freight traffic only. Gray – there is no movement, but physically the transition is in a state of conservation; it can be reanimated if desired. Red group.
All types of movement Transition No. 1. Brest – Terespol
In addition to several Russian trains to the west, as well as the agreed Minsk - Brest - Warsaw, here you can still board a general carriage in the old fashioned way and travel to the other side by local service. Formally, this is now a passenger train, so an international tariff applies to it - a ticket to the nearest Polish city costs about 9 rubles.
You also need to understand that there is a parallel passage through the Western Bug somewhat north of the main passage, but it is used only for cargo. It was also used for passenger trains during major repairs of the bridge on the main track.
Train Brest – Terespol under a Polish locomotive
Transition No. 12 Zaolsha – Rudnya
This, of course, is a candidate for elimination from the red group, because if the only passenger train Polotsk - Moscow is not going anywhere, then the suburban diesel Vitebsk - Rudnya may well be reduced to the last station in Belarus. Previously, the entire section from Vitebsk to Smolensk was served on parity terms: in the morning the Belarusian Railway sent its train to Smolensk, in the evening a diesel engine arrived from Smolensk. Nowadays Russia only provides commuter rides to the border, but Belarusians continue to come to Rudnya. God knows under what conditions...
An animal unknown to Belarusians, the ACh2 motorcar on the route Smolensk - Vitebsk
Transition No. 13 Shukhovtsy – Krasnoe
This is the main line Brest - Minsk - Moscow. The situation there is similar to Vitebsk: once the Orsha - Smolensk section was served on parity by the combined forces of Russians and Belarusians, but now only BZD electric trains travel abroad and only to the first station on the other side - Krasnoe station. Probably, the prospects for transit, including by train, are better here, since there is more traffic. With long-distance trains everything is clear: they were, are and will be.
The “round-faced” Riga electric trains disappeared in Belarus back in the 80s, but such trains came from Smolensk to Orsha not so long ago...
Transition No. 22 Bukhlichi – Udritsk
Quite a lively line along which trains go, including to Lviv from Minsk. The only suburban diesel in use here is Baranovichi - Udritsk BZD to the first station in Ukraine. The composition is popular, it is impossible to cancel it without a wave of indignation. Diesel Sarny – Goryn – Sarny also arrives from Ukrainians once a day.
Coordinated diesel train Udritsk - Zdolbunov, which you can jump on from the train from Baranavichy.
And further to Lviv! Brown group.
Passenger long-distance trains and freight Transition No. 5 Bruzgi – Kuznitsa
In 2016, the Polish side closed suburban traffic on the route Bialystok - Grodno, but introduced a long-distance train Warsaw - Grodno, now extended from the Polish side all the way to Krakow. For technical reasons, the Belarusian Railway cannot organize its own suburb, since not only the tracks, but even the type of power supply do not match. However, there is no point in thinking about such prospects at all.
The classic Polish train arrived in Grodno. Photo taken by me in 2004
Transition No. 8 Gudogai - Kyana
You know, there are enough trains to Vilnius, but there were times, not so long ago, when suburban traffic from Gudogai to Vilnius was maintained - it was served only by the Lithuanian Railways and was quite in demand.
Hungarian diesel train model D1 on the Vilnius-Kena route. Already shortened - exactly the same ones reached Gudogai before Lithuania entered Schengen
Transition No. 9 Bigosovo – Indra
The only crossing with Latvia is missed by the only passenger train Riga - Minsk and its prospects are vague. The route is served on a parity basis, and if the Belarusian Railways, in principle, almost does not work with the marketing of its even international transportation, then, surprisingly, the Latvians behave the same way. The train runs half empty, but somehow still runs.
Entry into the territory of Belarus from Latvia
Transition No. 11 Ezerische – Nevel
This is the main neck for trains to St. Petersburg, both from Minsk and from the south, from Ukraine and Moldova. There will always be long-distance traffic, but suburban traffic began to become feverish immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It either disappeared in the area from Ezerishche to Nevel, then was revived, and this continued until the 2000s. There is no talk of restoration now.
Suburban trains: Belarusian on the left, Russian on the right. Nevel station
Transition No. 16 Dobrush – Zlynka
The line from Gomel to Bryansk and further to Orel and Kursk. A rare case when the cancellation of suburban traffic played into the hands. Instead of a vague diesel engine Gomel - Novozybkov only three times a week, now there are as many as two pairs of conditionally long-distance trains on a similar route. Yes, more expensive, but more often and more reliable.
ACh2 at Zlynka station
Transition No. 17 Kutok – Woods
This is the highway to Kharkov and further to the Dnieper and Crimea. I still remember the commuter train Gomel - Shchors (now called Snovsk), but it was replaced a long time ago by a similar passenger one. In addition, the distant Minsk - Zaporozhye route remains in use.
The train between Gomel and Shchors is powered by a regular Riga diesel engine.
Transition No. 18 Kravtsovka – Gornostaevka
But here my life experience is no longer enough to remember the local movement. The line as a whole is lively, there are trains to Kyiv and Odessa, but there is no regular train even between Gomel and Chernigov. The corresponding diesel engines are only in old schedule books.
Canceled composition Gomel - Chernigov. Also served by diesel trains
Transition No. 21 Slovechno – Vystupovichi
A not very popular line, used by some long-distance trains (Kyiv - Riga, St. Petersburg - Chisinau). Suburban traffic was killed even under Tsar Gorokh, long-distance traffic is also being reduced - for example, the terrible train Baranovichi - Zhitomir, as well as Minsk - Chisinau, was cancelled.
There were such times: a two-group train Brest/Grodno - Simferopol at the Slovechno station
Light brown group.
Suburban trains and freight Transit No. 15 Zhurbin – Rzhachi
This line has always been a dead line; even in Soviet times, in my opinion, only a couple of long-distance trains ran here. For a very long time, the route Grodno - Unecha lived and was quite used; it seems to be a stump of some even more ancient route. Then it was reduced to the Kommunary station (this is a station within the boundaries of the regional center of Kostyukovichi), and now only trailer cars are left. However, the diesel train Krichev - Surazh (Surazh in this case is the regional center in the Bryansk region) is alive, and it is alive once a day. It is also surprising that from Surazh to the Unecha junction station on the Gomel - Bryansk line there is no passenger traffic of any kind. Previously, not only a train from Grodno went to Unecha, but also this diesel engine, and I even rode it once.
In general, the transition is very strange. In fact, the entire connection with the world by rail in the Russian city of Surazh is on the conscience of the Belarusian Railways. How long it will be going on? Oh, I think not for long.
Belarusian diesel somewhere on the outskirts of the Bryansk region
Transition No. 19 Nedanchichi - Iolcea
At this crossing, one suburban train Chernigov - Iolcha is maintained on Saturday mornings. Once it was in use even every day, then it was reduced on weekends, then it was canceled altogether.
Ukrainian train arrived from Chernigov to Braginsky district
Transition No. 23 Khotislav – Zabolotye
This transition is also interesting in its own way. The line has never been particularly in demand, it is a connecting branch between the Belarusian Brest and the Ukrainian Kovel - here in ancient times there was some kind of long-distance train and that’s all. But there are still four diesel engines per day. There are tons of people traveling there, all for trading purposes.
Train from Zabolotye to Brest
Yellow group.
Suburban trains without stopping on the territory of Belarus Transition No. 20 Iolcha – Semikhody
In fact, this crossing is not even a crossing, since it is located in the exclusion zone and if a train passes here, then it did not go through any border and customs procedures in Iolchi - it passed through in transit.
Cargo and service trains to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant are in use, flying through a piece of Belarus at high speed. Black group.
Freight trains only Transition No. 2 Vysoko-Litovsk – Cheremkha
The transition is atypical. In Soviet times, it was used exclusively as a freight bus, of course, but after the collapse of the USSR, the Poles organized a one-car rail bus to the first Belarusian station Vysoko-Litovsk in the village of Oberovshchina. He lived for a very long time, then died, the stage of movement turned into an endless discussion of the need to restore. Yes.
Rail bus from Cheremkha to Vysoko-Litovsk station
Transition No. 3 Svisloch – Hajnowka
This crossing is one of the busiest freight crossings on the Belarusian Railway, but I don’t know whether there was ever passenger traffic here. The map of the area, of course, screams - it had to be. I don't have the facts.
Polish diesel locomotive at Svisloch station
Transition No. 7 Benyakone – Stasilai
This is a line from Baranavichy and Lida to Vilnius. Suburban traffic connecting the capital of Lithuania with Belarus remained for quite a long time. Several years ago there was an attempt to launch a Grodno-Vilnius train. It only lasted one season, unfortunately.
Train Grodno - Vilnius. I really regret that I didn’t ride it 
Transition No. 10 Alescha – Klyastitsa
A terrible bearish corner and a section of the so-called Bologoe-Polotsk road, and the first section where passenger traffic died. There were commuter services across the border from Velikiye Luki and Novosokolniki to Polotsk (I rode the first one around 2003), but in the end they were cancelled. From the Belarusian side they launched a stump to Alyosha.
Suburban train from Russia to Belarus, from Pskov region to Polotsk
Transition No. 14 Shesterovka – Ponyatovka
Another crossing with Russia, but this time in the Mogilev region. The through traffic Krichev - Roslavl was closed in the 2000s (there was parity: first there were two trains from each side, then one each), the line to Shesterovka remained in operation for some time and eventually became the first on the territory of Belarus, where the Belarusian Railways closed all passenger traffic movement. The technical condition of the line allows freight trains to pass through; moreover, Russian Railways carried out a major overhaul of the line on its territory around 2015 - they say this is somehow connected with the events in Donbass.
The border of Belarus and Russia is on the line. Notice how the condition of the canvas differs in the neighboring country
Gray group. No movement
Transition No. 4 Berestovitsa – Valily
He definitely worked in the USSR, but I don’t know about independent times. There was definitely never any passenger traffic after the annexation of Western Belarus. The rails on the line still lie, and the line was mothballed not only in the border area, but even to Bialystok from the border. The Poles revived her and launched a diesel train. On the Belarusian side, diesel runs to the agricultural town of Pogranichny (there is a Bobrovniki road crossing there).
Entry gate on the border of Poland and Belarus
Transition No. 6 Uzberezh – Marcinkonis
The oldest railway on the territory of Belarus, the so-called Warsaw-Petersburg Mainline, is now broken in several places. There were both long-distance trains and suburban ones, and in the 90s there was a unique suburban Vilnius-Grodno-Sokulka route across the territory of three countries. Now, from the Belarusian side, diesel reaches the border to holiday villages, and from the Lithuanian side to the village of Marcinkonis. The rails, they say, have been partially dismantled, but talk about re-opening them with the opening of visa-free travel in Grodno flared up with renewed vigor.
Suburban train from Grodno arrived at a dead end
PS Crossings that will never be restored, although traffic along them existed during our lifetime: Poreche - Druskininkai, Lyntupy - Pabrade, Godutiški - Didzhyasalis. All Lithuanian.
End.
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What documents do Russians now need when entering Russia from Belarus?
On April 15, 2021, general rules for the entry of Russian citizens from the territory of foreign states into the territory of the Russian Federation came into force.
Before leaving Belarus for Russia, you must fill out a form for those arriving in the Russian Federation on the government services website, which indicates personal data and symptoms (cough, temperature, etc.). It must be filled out before crossing the border in order to be presented upon arrival at the control point. Upon returning to Russia, you must do a PCR test for coronavirus infection within three days and upload the result to government services. The test can be done in any laboratory recommended by Rospotrebnadzor. According to the new rules that came into force on April 20 this year, from May 1, all Russian citizens arriving in the territory of the Russian Federation, regardless of which country they came from, are required to take a repeat PCR test within five days after returning to Russia and also upload it to the public services portal. The difference between the first and second tests should be at least 24 hours.
Basic information about border crossing
The first and most important thing that is important to pay attention to is the presence in Belarus of a visa-free regime for Russian citizens. In this case, the period of stay in the country for personal reasons and in connection with tourism is no more than 90 days.
Important! Border and customs authorities do not put any stamps on the passports of Russian citizens.
If the purpose of visiting the state is one of the options listed below (or another, characterized by the need for a long stay within Belarus), then the Russian is required to obtain an entry permit from the Belarusian consulate:
- getting an education;
- work in Belarus.
In this case, a citizen of the Russian Federation needs to fill out an application indicating the reason for the trip, provide a foreign passport (it should be valid enough to return with a legitimate document), a color photo and a medical certificate (which is valid in the country being visited). Originals of all documents confirming the purpose (invitations, petitions) must be provided. Did you know? The visa-free regime exists not only between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. Among the states whose citizens are allowed free entry for up to 90 days are Venezuela and Israel. All foreigners, except Russians, should fill out migration cards, have a Green Card, and have the necessary finances.
For all other reasons that involve a stay that will not last longer than three months, a Russian citizen is required to carry an internal Russian passport. Thus, checkpoints between the two countries are formal in nature. Still, people who want to cross the border under discussion and plan to do so by car must prepare a small list of documents. This list also includes a foreign passport. Read more below.
How can a Russian who has purchased a tour to a Belarusian sanatorium cross the Russian-Belarusian border?
Crossing the border is possible upon presentation of the following documents. For Russian border guards: an agreement between the agent and the tourist plus confirmation of payment, a medical license of the sanatorium (sent after confirmation and payment of the tour), a certificate confirming the treatment of tourists in the sanatorium (sent after confirmation and payment of the tour).
For Belarusian border guards: passport, original negative PCR test for COVID-19 (in Russian, Belarusian or English). The test must be done no earlier than 72 hours before the date of crossing the state border.
Reasons for refusal of entry
To avoid any reasons for refusal of entry, it is worth remembering that the following is prohibited:
- keep enclosed banknotes in documents;
- make financial offers to border guards;
- talk on the phone while crossing a checkpoint;
- conduct video recording of border employees.
But for the reasons listed below, people may be denied travel to the territory of Belarus:
- in case of violation of customs rules;
- in case of identification of problems with documents (for example, the validity period of a passport);
- if there is an outstanding criminal record;
- in case of repeated administrative offenses and failure to pay fines for such on the previous trip;
- when the last time you left the country was overdue;
- in cases of identifying a threat (national, order, rights of citizens, their health, and so on).
Important! The number by which you can call car assistance and a tow truck in a friendly country is 116.
Of course, if a particular citizen of the Russian Federation has restrictions on leaving Russia or entering the Republic of Belarus, he will not be allowed to cross the border. Belarus could also declare someone persona non grata. If a person is suspected of having a disease that prevents him from entering the state, he will not be allowed into the territory of the republic.
Video: why people may be denied permission to travel abroad
As a result, one positive conclusion can be drawn - there are no problems with crossing the Russian-Belarusian border strip. The average tourist, a person traveling to visit relatives, a citizen who intends to visit, for example, entertainment (festivals, theatrical performances, etc.) - all of the listed and implied Russians will not have any difficulties. The presence of the emerging border zone on the Russian side does not affect the activities of checkpoint employees. And the presentation of documents and possible inspection do not take much time.
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