Passport control is a procedure that is carried out when crossing the border. Very rarely, there is only one passport control: usually the check is satisfied not only by the state you are leaving, but also by the country you are entering. The procedure is simple, but the queues can be quite long. Passport control is always carried out when crossing the border, regardless of which way you do it.
What documents may be needed
Passport control is carried out according to the foreign passport. If you are in the civil service, you may need to present various other certificates: a seaman's passport, diplomatic passport and other documents. For those who cross the border with children, it is imperative to take birth certificates or foreign passports for each of the children. Children also require parental permission to leave. According to the requirements of some countries, this document is required, even if the family is traveling as a whole.
Russian passport control
Passport control is carried out by employees of the immigration police and security services. During the check, the officer first checks whether your passport is genuine, and then identifies and verifies it against databases. Security officials may ask additional questions that differ in Russia from those asked abroad.
Passport control in Russia finds out your identity, verifies the photo on your passport with your appearance, and also looks to see if there are any circumstances that prevent you from traveling abroad. These may include a ban on leaving on duty, various orders from tax bailiffs, non-payment of alimony, and others. The presence of stamps on crossing Russian borders for previous trips is also very carefully checked. Russian security officers usually do not care about the availability of visas and how you cross the borders of other states, but if you have something wrong with Russian stamps, this will raise questions.
Foreign passport control
Security officials of other countries, accordingly, are not interested in your affairs with the Russian state. They only care about how correct you are in relation to their countries or commonwealths. For example, if you are entering the Schengen area, then the officer can count the days of your stay in Europe, and if there are more than allowed, deny you entry. It will also be checked whether you have any outstanding obligations for violations in the territories of other countries during previous visits. If you violated the traffic rules, but did not pay the receipt, this may become the basis for denying entry.
If a migration card is required to enter a country, then it is filled out before going through passport control at the entrance to this country. Usually, blanks of migration cards are freely available in the same room where the check-in counters are located. Often, people fill out migration offices while standing in line; often, cards are handed out on planes, trains and buses shortly before arrival.
Foreign passport control also checks your visa. You may be asked to show return tickets, hotel reservations, reasons for staying in the country, and other questions that clarify the purpose of your visit. In case of suspicion, the passport control officer can take you to a separate office, where he will hold a conversation with you, on the basis of which he will decide whether to let you into the country. If this happens, then do not be nervous, answer the questions calmly and honestly. If everything is in order with your documents, then the employee usually does not have a reason not to put you an entry stamp.
Things to Remember
Keep in mind that the passport control procedure is sometimes delayed due to queues. At some major airports, it can take 4-5 hours at peak times. This is a rarity, but it is imperative to lay in an additional hour to two for passing the control.
