Border, customs and veterinary control

Border control

Regulatory legal acts regulating the passage of border control at the airport: Law of the Russian Federation dated April 1, 1993 No. 4730-I "On the State Border of the Russian Federation"

Federal Law No. 114-FZ of August 15, 1996 "On the procedure for Leaving the Russian Federation and Entering the Russian Federation"
Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 889 dated November 22, 2023 "Issues of citizenship of the Russian Federation"
Order of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation dated March 31, 2022 No. 107 "On approval of the Rules of the regime at checkpoints across the State Border of the Russian Federation".

Citizens of the Russian Federation cross the borders of the Russian Federation using valid identity documents of a citizen of the Russian Federation. The following are recognized as such:

passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, certifying the identity of a citizen of the Russian Federation outside the territory of the Russian Federation;
internal Russian passport – a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation certifying the identity of a citizen of the Russian Federation on the territory of the Russian Federation (in cases established by international treaties of the Russian Federation);
birth certificate (for minor citizens of the Russian Federation under the age of 14);
diplomatic passport;
service passport.

If you lose your passport abroad, contact the embassy or consulate of the country.

The grounds for invalidity of a passport, diplomatic passport or service passport are:

the fact that the document contains false information:
- inconsistency of information about the personal data of the passport holder with information contained in departmental information systems;
- inconsistency of information on the presence of citizenship of the Russian Federation with information in departmental information systems;
- inconsistency of information about the expiration of the passport with information about the expiration of the validity period in departmental information systems;
- inconsistency of photographic images of persons contained in departmental information systems, photos of the owner in the passport;
- inconsistency of information about the personal data of minor children, information about which is included in the passport to the information contained in departmental information systems;
- inconsistency of the information indicated in the stamps on crossing the state border of the Russian Federation, special marks of the border authorities of the federal security Service in the information contained in departmental information systems;
- inconsistency of information about the personal data of the passport holder with information contained in other documents specified in part one of Article 6 of the Federal Law "On the Procedure for Leaving the Russian Federation and Entering the Russian Federation" and (or) in documents on state registration of acts of civil status.
the fact that the document is unusable:
- violation of the security elements of the passport form, as a result of which it is impossible to establish the authenticity of such a form and provide protection against changes to the information printed on it;
- damage that violates the integrity of the passport form (absence and/or wear/damage of the page or its part intended for making marks and/or entries);
- damage to a machine-readable record;
- damage to the electronic media;
- the absence of a place in the passport for marking the border agency of the Federal security Service on crossing the state border of the Russian Federation and visas of foreign states;
- photo damage;
- violation of the algorithm for forming a machine-readable zone or the requirements for writing details;
- making changes to the passport that are not provided for in the description of the passport forms.

Passport, diplomatic passport, service passport are subject to seizure by the FSB border agency and referral to the state body that issued the document (passport, diplomatic passport, service passport) in cases where:

passport, diplomatic passport, service passport are invalid on the grounds provided for in subparagraphs 5-11, 14 and 15 of Part one of Article 8.1 of Federal Law No. 114-FZ of August 15, 1996;
passport, diplomatic passport, service passport are presented by a person who is not the owner of the passport, diplomatic passport, service passport.

Crossing the border by minor citizens of Russia

A minor citizen of the Russian Federation may leave the Russian Federation together with one of his legal representatives, unless another legal representative has submitted an application for disagreement on such departure.

Passage across the state border of underage passengers flying to Belarus on a birth certificate is carried out upon presentation of documents (marks) certifying the presence of citizenship of the Russian Federation, namely:

certificates of acquisition of citizenship of the Russian Federation by birth (Appendix No. 13 to the Regulation on the procedure for considering issues of citizenship of the Russian Federation);
a mark in the birth certificate confirming the existence of citizenship of the Russian Federation, affixed by an official of the body in charge of citizenship of the Russian Federation, and the seal of this body;
a document issued by an authorized body of a foreign state (with a translation into Russian), with a mark confirming the presence of Russian citizenship, affixed by an official of the body in charge of citizenship of the Russian Federation, and the seal of this body;
passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, including an identity document of a citizen of the Russian Federation outside the territory of the Russian Federation (diplomatic, official) parent, with information about the children included in it (certified by the signature of an official and the seal of the body in charge of cases of citizenship of the Russian Federation).

Starting January 20, 2026, in connection with the entry into force of the provisions of Federal Law No. 257-FZ of July 23, 2025, "On Amendments to Articles 9 and 30 of the Law of the Russian Federation "On the State Border of the Russian Federation" and the Federal Law "On the Procedure for Leaving the Russian Federation and Entering the Russian Federation," the birth certificate is excluded from the list of documents valid for crossing the state border of the Russian Federation by minor citizens of the Russian Federation traveling to the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Abkhazia, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Republic of South Ossetia. For travel to the republics of Belarus, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Kazakhstan, and the Kyrgyz Republic, a child will need a passport. Children who have already left the country with a birth certificate before this date will be able to return home with it. Furthermore, starting January 20, 2026, Russian consulates in the aforementioned countries will no longer be able to issue entry (return) certificates in lieu of birth certificates if the document is lost or damaged, or if the child turns 14 while abroad. The internal passport of a Russian citizen, which children receive at age 14, will remain valid for entry into these countries.

Unaccompanied children

If a minor citizen of the Russian Federation leaves the Russian Federation unaccompanied by his legal representatives, he must have with him, in addition to his passport, the notarized consent of one of the legal representatives.

Passport information for foreign citizens

The rules of entry and exit depend on agreements between the Government of the Russian Federation and other states.

When entering the Russian Federation and leaving the Russian Federation, foreign citizens or stateless persons are required to present valid documents certifying their identity and recognized by the Russian Federation in this capacity, and a visa, unless otherwise provided for by international treaties of the Russian Federation or decrees of the President of the Russian Federation.

Stateless persons enter and leave the Russian Federation in accordance with the rules established for foreign citizens, unless otherwise provided for by international treaties of the Russian Federation or decrees of the President of the Russian Federation.

Customs control

Passengers of international flights undergo customs control. There are two corridors in the customs control area at the airport: green and red. If there are no items in your hand luggage or baggage that are subject to declaration, you pass through the green corridor. If you are carrying goods that need to be declared, you go through the red corridor and fill out the customs declaration.

Please note that even if you do not have any items subject to declaration, a customs officer can inspect you. Some goods are prohibited from being transported across the border of the Russian Federation. You can find a list of them on the website of the Federal Customs Service.

Before traveling, be sure to read the customs regulations of the country you are going to. If you accidentally import something prohibited, this item may be seized from you and/or you may be required to pay a fine.

If you are carrying goods that need to be declared, you will need to fill out a customs declaration at the departure airport.

Since March 2, 2022, a ban has been imposed on the export from the Russian Federation of cash foreign currency and (or) monetary instruments in foreign currency in an amount exceeding the equivalent of 10 thousand US dollars (Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 81 dated 03/01/2022)