The ministry submitted a proposal to keep Estonia's Koidula, Luhamaa and Narva-1 road border checkpoints open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. indefinitely. The current temporary restrictions expire at the end of August.

Minister of the Interior Igor Taro (Eesti 200) said the goal of the reduced hours has been to strengthen border security, improve response capabilities for border incidents and boost customs enforcement.

At the same time, he said Estonia does not currently have grounds to fully close its border with Russia, despite recurring public debate on the issue.

"We don't have that at the moment," Taro said, referring to the absence of a threat assessment justifying a full closure.
 
"Our neighbors have made those decisions, but they have also been dealing with completely different circumstances," he continued, adding that for now, and unless and until the need arises to revise the arrangement, Estonia is proposing keeping the border checkpoints closed overnight indefinitely.

Border crossings down

Cross-border traffic to the east has continued to decline. About 444,000 people crossed through Estonia's Narva-1, Luhamaa and Koidula road border checkpoints during the first half of 2026, down 13 percent from roughly 512,000 on year.

Vehicle crossings fell even more sharply, dropping 20 percent from about 43,500 to 35,000, according to the ministry.

Even after rebounding in May and June to levels seen before the overnight closures were introduced, pedestrian border crossings were still down 19 percent on year.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and X and never miss an update!