Green lane vs Red lane via Moscow customs to Trans-Sib R'wy

[Rebecca Jane Stanton]

John Schillinger wrote:

> A Trans-Sib R'wy question--does anyone have current info on this ?: 

--
Dear John, and anyone else planning a trans-Mongolian/trans-Machurian 
trip in the immediate future:

Since the regulations now state that you do not need to fill out a 
Russian Customs form *at all* unless you are bringing a large amount of 
currency or other specifically dutiable items, Bryn Thomas's advice is 
out of date.  (In fact, when we entered Russia a month ago, at 
Pulkovo-2, there was no one on duty in the "red" lane even had we wanted 
to declare something -- everyone was ushered through the "green" lane.)  
You can safely skip the customs form at entry unless you're bringing in 
more than $3000 or other dutiable items.

You will have to fill out a Russian customs form, in duplicate, when you 
*leave* Russia (at Naushki if you're taking the trans-Mongolian route) 
and state on it how much you are carrying, in each currency, at the 
moment you cross the border.  (You are right that in these days of 
widespread ATMs, no one cares how this sum compares to the sum you 
entered with.)  At Sükhbaatar, you'll have to go through the whole 
process again with Mongolian customs forms in duplicate.

At Naushki, if you still have rubles left, my advice is not to write 
down a final amount on the customs form until *after* you have got off 
the train and bought any last-minute supplies you might need (bottled 
water, instant noodles etc.) at the little market there.  The guidebooks 
all say that "once you get your passport back, you can get off the 
train," but this wasn't how it worked in our case; rather, the border 
guards came through and took our passports and migration cards, THEN 
there was a lull of about 90 minutes during which we were free to get 
off the train, and then the provodnitsy summoned us back to the train 
compartments to go through the customs process (at which point we handed 
in our customs forms and had our passports returned).  As soon as the 
passports were returned, the train left, so had we waited, we wouldn't 
have had the opportunity to get off at all.

At both Naushki (Russian border procedures) and Sükhbaatar (Mongolian 
border procedures), our experience was that the border personnel 
couldn't have cared less about the Western tourists on the train; their 
chief interest was in the Mongolian traders (smugglers) and the 
contraband that they had hidden all up and down the train.  In dealing 
with us, they were unsmiling and peremptory as usual, but the actual 
stamping of forms etc. was a pure formality.

For reference, this was on the No. 10 "Baikal" service Moscow--Irkutsk, 
and the No. 6 service Irkutsk--Ulaanbaatar.  If you're taking the 
latter, it seems to be a particularly smuggler-heavy train, so be 
prepared for it to become a positive hive of activity for the last 
couple of hours before the border crossing -- boxes of goods being 
stowed in "hidden" compartments in the floor, ceiling, bathrooms, etc.  
I assume a lively system of bribes makes it possible for these boxes to 
pass "unnoticed."

Sorry for such a long message -- I'll shut up now, but please feel free 
to email me with any additional questions! 

All the best,
RJS

-- 
Rebecca Stanton
Assistant Professor, Russian literature
Dept. of Slavic Languages
Barnard College
Columbia University
http://www.columbia.edu/~rjs19 

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