Crimea is a peninsula in the south of Ukraine. This is a favorite vacation spot: mild climate, warm sea, well-developed infrastructure. You can relax in the Crimea 2-3 times cheaper than in the Krasnodar Territory, and therefore many Russians go to Ukraine in the summer. However, crossing the border can be challenging.
Before buying a ticket or planning a car trip to Crimea, you should learn some of the intricacies of crossing the border. You do not need a passport to enter Ukraine. An ordinary passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation is enough.
Before planning your vacation, make sure that your passport is not expired.
Crossing the border depending on the mode of transport
If you are traveling by bus, then at the customs point called "Nekhoteyevka" you will be asked to leave the transport and proceed to a special hall. There you can fill out immigration cards (they are usually issued by the bus driver at the entrance to customs). All things that you carry with you must be picked up from the luggage compartment on the bus and put on a tape. The device will scan the contents of bags for weapons and prohibited items. In some cases, customs officials may ask passengers to leave their luggage in the center of the lounge and wait for a dog to sniff the bags.
If you are traveling by train, you will not have to leave the carriages. The immigration cards will be handed out by the conductor, and the border guards will go through the cars and inspect the luggage. As a rule, there is no need to turn over personal belongings of passengers, and therefore border crossing occurs without any problems. Border control is carried out in Belgorod (on the Russian side) or in Kharkov (on the Ukrainian side), depending on the train route.
Copies of documents (passports, birth certificates, etc.), even if notarized, do not give the right to cross the Russian-Ukrainian border. In all cases, originals are required.
Those who are going to go to Crimea by car should be ready to cross the border on their own. Having taken your place in the stream of cars, you will be able to enter the fenced and guarded territory of "Nekhoteevka". Before that, you need to purchase a compulsory insurance policy for civil liability of the car owner. You will meet dozens of points for registration of policies even at the entrance to the border. The driver must have a valid license and a vehicle registration certificate. If he is not the owner of the car, then there must also be a certified power of attorney for the right to drive the car with the text "with the right to travel abroad." In "Nekhoteyevka", and then in "Goptyvka" (Ukrainian customs) all documents will be checked, the interior of the car will be examined. You will also be asked to open the trunk, unfasten the locks on the bags. The procedure usually takes a few minutes. An immigration card blank is issued upon entry into the territory of Ukraine.
Russians should remember about the norms of transportation of certain items. For example, border guards may have questions if you are transporting a consignment of the same goods or a large amount of alcohol (for example, a box of vodka).
The nuances of rest in Crimea for Russians
Please use block letters when filling out your immigration card. Please fill in all fields carefully, avoiding corrections or ambiguous symbols. The immigration card should be kept during the entire period of stay in Ukraine and presented when leaving for Russia.
On the territory of Ukraine, a citizen of Russia has the right to stay without registration for no more than 90 days. The requirement to register at the place of residence for a certain amount of money is fraudulent. After arriving at the place, go to the police and notify you of your arrival, you do not need to get registered.
If you took a child (under 14 years old) on vacation, do not forget the original of his birth certificate with an insert about Russian citizenship. In cases where a son or daughter is traveling with a relative or accompanied by only one of the parents, a certified power of attorney is required from the absent mother or father.
Cell phones, tablets, laptops, computers, hard drives can be transported across the border without any restrictions, if you can prove to customs that you took this equipment with you exclusively for personal use.
On the territory of Ukraine and upon entering the Crimea, you are not allowed to be additionally inspected - all checks have already been passed. The only exception to this rule is violation by vacationers of silence and order, hooliganism, and antisocial behavior.
