Banned goods extending wait times at Narva border crossing into Russia
While the peak wait times of up to 12 hours to cross the Estonian border checkpoint at Narva have fallen, the Tax and Customs Board (MTA) is asking travelers to be careful what items they take with them.
With over 1,000 people crossing per day and a similar number of items on the sanctioned items list, every bag is checked by the border guard. This can be time-consuming even when there is no issue.
Unpredictable waiting times are the biggest issue for most people crossing the border in Narva, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported. Before the holidays, wait times of up to 12 hours were usual for those crossing on foot and regardless of the weather. This had fallen to a couple of hours by Monday, December 29.
Sometimes the authorities and those waiting will also be accommodating and permit families with children to move further up the line, in the case of pedestrian border crossers.
"Aktuaalne kaamera" spoke to Veronika, who resides in Helsinki but was crossing the border at Narva. Finland has closed its land border with Russia. This has led to a surge in crossers traveling south from that country to Estonia.
"We have been standing in the snow and rain; with children that can be especially hard. There could at least be some kind of shelter where people could take cover in poor weather. It would be nice if the border crossing point operated at night as well — that would help avoid the very exhausting waiting in line," she said.
The Narva border crossing point operates 16 hours a day and is closed at night. Further delays are caused by full customs inspections, which take around five minutes per person if all is well. However, if any prohibited goods are discovered on that person, the necessary procedures can last up to two hours.
With the categories of sanctioned goods, which may not be taken into Russia, virtually into the thousands, such incidents can be common.
"We have chocolate and sweets with us, nothing like that. I think that's allowed. I guess you can't take Christmas lights across the border," Veronika added.
Most violations, however, are related to cash. This year customs has prevented nearly €200,000 from being taken into Russia. In addition, people often try to take costly gifts, including quality alcoholic drinks, to relati
ves for the holidays.
Ants Kutti, head of the Narva customs point, explained more. "The most popular items are certainly wines costing over €300. Electronics or luxury goods include mobile phones. Smartphones are also popular. When this depends on their price, these are prohibited, then they may not be taken across the border," Kutti said.
The MTA is asking travelers to avoid bringing sanctioned goods to the border, to avoid holdups. An up to date list is here.
Past years' experience shows that the rush at the Narva border typically ends once the New Year arrives.
After Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, travelers can only cross into Russia overland from the EU.
The Estonian border in Narva has been closed overnight since May 1, 2024.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Aleksander Krjukov
Source: "Aktuaalne kaamera"
