How to Travel to/from Russia During Coronavirus — #LoveIsNotTourism

Author: Aleksey Stepanenko (on 25 Dec 2020)
Coronavirus has made the borders closed. We publish regular updates on the current coronavirus travel restrictions in Russia every time we get a new piece of news. We have also published a step-by-step guide on traveling to Russia during Coronavirus.
 
However, some people simply want to know how to get to their friends and loved ones during this period, so that's why we made this page where we will publish the success stories we hear about that actually worked. Note, this is not a piece of legal advice and we disclaim any responsibility legal or otherwise that may arise from anyone using the information on this page. Also, check out the #LoveIsNotTourism hashtag on Twitter and LoveIsNotTourism.Com website that lists the latest updates for countries all around the world and if they are open to let the visitors from Russia see their partners.
 
 

Route 1: UK / Switzerland - Russia

The border between UK / Switzerland and Russia is opened from  August 2020. It means that UKand Swiss citizens (as well as residents) can travel to Russia and Russians can travel to UK (but not to Switzerland). Both countries have their visa centers opened. We heard a report of somebody trying to drive to Russia from UK by car but they were not let both at the Belarussian and at the Estonian-Russian border. So we recommend taking a flight instead. 
 
Note, that you could also use UK as a meeting point in this case. For example, if you are a US or an Italian citizen you can't travel to Russia and Russians can't travel to Italy (although they can travel to the US but if they managed to get the visa before Coronavirus). So you could simply meet in UK.
 
Alternatively, as a citizen of another country you could get a residency in UK or Switzerland and then legally get a visa to Russia as a UK / Swiss resident.
 
 

Route 2: Turkey - Russia

Turkey and Russia opened their borders from the 1st of August. So it can be a possible meeting spot as it is easy to get to from Russia and Turkey is opened to most destinations abroad as well.
 

 

Route 3: Russia > UK > EU

As Russians can enter UK, then can come in, stay on a mandatory 14-day quarantine there, and then get to any EU country that allows entry from the UK. Most of EU countries have limitations based on the last place the person was at, not the nationality. Which means that a Russian person can travel to EU through UK as they won't pose any danger to anybody after they self-quarantine. Obviously, a Russian citizen would need a tourist visa to EU which was issued before Covid, as they have not been issued after.
 

 

Route 4: Medical Reasons

Russia said that it is opened for visits for urgent medical reasons. So provided you have a Russian visa and a medical condition that could need an urgent treatment, you could make an appointment with a doctor in Russia or a western medical center. This doctor would then need to make a paper on their official letterhead where they explain why the treatment is urgent with a specific date (in Russian), and the Russian border authorities might let you in. From what we know, the doctor appointment should be urgent and it should make sense to have the treatment done in Russia (e.g. eye surgery as Russia is well-known for this). Please, note, we do not have any real reports or success stories on this route, so if you have any news, please, let us know in the comments below or privately.
 
 

Route 5: Meet in Another Country: e.g. Mexico

As we have shown above you could also meet in a third country opened both to you and to the Russian nationals (e.g. UK or Turkey). There are many more countries where Russians can travel to during coronavirus: USA, Mexico (no visa needed), Japan, Korea, Egypt.
 
 



 

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