The fact that Russia has a land border with Finland is well known. Every year, a huge number of tourists cross it in both directions to admire the beauties of another, but at the same time neighboring country. That is why the question of what border Russia has with Finland, practically does not bother anyone, because the main thing is how exactly it should be crossed and where exactly.
Length
Before thinking about exactly how to cross this border, you should find out its length. In fact, the land border between Russia and Finland is not the only one that connects the two countries. However, it markedly prevails in scale, occupying more than a thousand kilometers. Another 120 km border between Finland and Russia runs through lakes and 60 km falls on the river. Its total length is 1271.8 km, so we can safely say that by land the border between the two states is quite long. It directly passes through the Gulf of Finland until the crossing of the border between Russia and Norway in the Murmansk region.
History reference
Until 1809, the whole territory of Finland was under the control of Sweden, and therefore it was not even necessary to talk about the border between Russia and Finland - it was the Russian-Swedish border. They were determined in the east by the peace treaty concluded in 1323. However, after 1809 and before the October Revolution, the Grand Duchy of Finland merged precisely with the Russian Empire. Although formally at that time the Finnish border with Russia existed, in practice its crossing was not regulated in any way, since the countries began to be considered united.
A new round began after Finland declared its independence from Russia. In the first two years after this, the border line was heavily guarded and almost completely closed. After that, in 1920 the Tartu Treaty was signed, which determined the border itself. It was so close to Leningrad that a special security regime was established in the border zone. Gradually the Mannerheim Line was erected. Only after the Soviet-Finnish war and the new peace treaty enshrined in Moscow, the border line was changed.
Finally, the border of Finland and Russia was fixed in 1947. Decorated in the Paris Peace Treaty, it is valid to this day. In its outlines, it strongly resembles the original border between the countries that existed in 1809.
Border points
In total, between the border of Russia and Finland there are 8 automobile checkpoints. In addition, a limited circle of people can optionally use a few more time points with a simplified security system.
These include:
- Lotta point in the Kola region directly in Raya-Jooseppi in the municipality of Inari;
- Salla point from Kandalaksha district in the municipality of Salla;
- Suoperiya from Louha district in the municipality of Kuusamo;
- Luttya in the Kostomuksha urban district in Vartius, the municipality of Kuhmo;
- Värtsilä point from the Republic of Karelia to Niirala, Tohmajärvi municipality;
- point in Svetogorsk in the municipality of Imatra;
- Brusnichnoye village in the Vyborg district in Nayyamaa in the municipality of Nuyamaa;
- Torfyanovka village, Vyborg district, in the municipality of Virolahti, Vaalimaa point.
It is through these points that a traveler from Russia can safely enter Finland by the rules.
Customs regulations
Any Russian who wants to make a border crossing will need to follow the following customs rules:
- Be sure to declare the amount of money more than 10 thousand rubles, as well as objects of art, antiques, jewelry and ammunition.
- It is completely forbidden to import psychotropic or other potent medications, in addition to those for which there is a direct doctor's prescription.
- Seafood weighing more than 5 kg, as well as precious jewelry worth more than 25 thousand dollars, cannot be exported from Finland.
- On the way back you can’t bring into Russia: fresh milk, meat or fish. Only processed products in factory packaging weighing no more than 5 kg are allowed.
Required documents
Before you go on a trip, you should collect a standard package of documents. It includes:
- valid passport;
- Schengen visa
- medical insurance with a minimum coverage of at least 30 thousand euros;
- for the driver you will need: an international driver’s license, a registration certificate for a car, a valid motor third-party liability insurance and international insurance - a green card for a car. You can take out such insurance at any of the points on the way to the border.
Checkpoint passage in Russia
All border points work for days without breaks, so to cross the border you only need to wait your turn. As soon as she arrives, the border guard will approach the traveler. The first thing he should do is present a passport. Only then will they be allowed to directly approach the border.
Next, you should drive to the window and re-present the passport to the employee. He checks it for authenticity and is identified by photograph. After affixing a stamp on the border crossing. The procedure usually takes no more than a couple of minutes, but in some cases they may be asked to do a car search, however, this procedure is usually quite quick.
Finnish border crossing
It’s even easier to cross this border than the Russian one, since there is only 1 level of verification. To do this, go to the checkpoint in a building special for this (the driver should always go first), after which wait for the green signal and go to the window. The border guard may ask a few questions about the reason for the trip, but they are quite formal, so do not worry about it. The entire conversation is conducted exclusively in Russian. Then a passport is stamped on the border crossing, which makes it possible to continue the journey. The procedure for returning home is no different. The whole process and the algorithm of its passage remains unchanged, so attention should be paid only to customs rules.