Russian people hate me.
Ok maybe not all, but on May 17, 2019, everyone on my train from Tallinn, Estonia to St. Petersburg, Russia did.
It all happened when my train stopped at the Estonian / Russian border for customs. The stupid American (me) didn’t know I needed to fill out a migration customs card.
Migration Customs Card
Russian passport control requires the above card to be filled out when crossing the border into Russia.*
(*All countries might require this also, but I’m not sure.)
I understand that if you fly into Russia, you don’t have to worry about filling out a customs card because passport control in the airport will do it for you automatically.
However, if you come into Russia by train, you’ll have to fill this out yourself.
Nothing Was Smooth
When I got on my train in Tallinn Estonia, I was already under stress because the conductor had a question about my Russian visa before I even got on the train.
Once my visa issue was resolved, I got on this train, put my stuff up, and tried to relax for the six-hour ride to St. Petersburg, Russia.
Before the train started to move, I noticed the conductor walking up and down the aisle. She was handing out small notecard sized pieces of paper to about half of the passengers in my train car. I later found out that only non-Russian citizens received these.
I should have received one, but I had no idea what it was.
Turns out, it was this was customs form.
Stopping in Estonia
About two or three hours later, the train stopped. Estonian border guards came on board, inspected, and stamped everybody’s passport. The train started again. The train was stopped for about 15 minutes.
Stopping in Russia
About a half an hour later, we stopped again.
This time Russian border guards came on the train. The Russian border guards were a bit more intimidating.
They had big guns and dogs searching the train. Similar to the Estonia border guards, they went to each passenger and asked for our passports.
I thought nothing of it and casually handed my passport to a guard who looked to be in his 70s. Two young guards looked on.
Next thing I know, the guard said something to me in Russian.
I told him I didn’t speak English. He knew I was American because he had my big blue passport in his hand.
He called the conductor over who didn’t speak English either. I heard enough Russian words and understood the gestures to know that he needed something from me.
Thankfully, an international businessman was sitting across from me who spoke Russian and English. He handed me a piece of paper (the customs form above). The guards told me to fill it out. I understood that.
As you can see, the card is in both Russian and English, but all the Cyrillic confused me. I can read a bit of Cyrillic, and I could have used Google Translate if necessary, but I was nervous. Once I figured it out, the information was relatively straight forward.
I filled out one side and handed it to the guard. He gave it back, pointed and said, “также” (pronounced Takzhe – Russian for “also.” He wanted me to fill out the other side. (duplicate it). I did.
Because of me, the train was probably stopped an extra 30 minutes, maybe more. Sorry Russians.
Very Important Piece of Paper
At the time I didn’t realize how important that piece of paper was. I simply threw it in my backpack.
You must keep it with you during the entire time you’re in Russia. I had to present it to the hotel staff when I registered in Moscow. I’ve read that you should make copies of the migration customs card and keep it in a safe place.
How To Get a Train Ticket to Russia
Despite the above, I love train travel and highly recommend it. I mentioned why in my article Prague to Krakow by Train
If you are interested in traveling into Russia by train, I took the train called “The Baltik Express” which is run by RZD Russian Railways.
You can go here: RZD.com This site is in Russian.
RZD.com has an English option, but it’s not great. However, I used it to get my ticket (with some Google translate, and a year of Russian study)
Tip/Note: There’s a website with an English option – Here but the tickets you purchase are more expensive for the convenience of English.
Here’s my ticket
If you want more information on getting a train ticket, go to the best site on the internet here: Seat61.com
I’ve used this site for every train ticket I’ve ever bought.
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments.
