judyumcer

We leave Sunday for Moscow. Any advise for getting through the Moscow airport in a timely fashion? Do you really have to declare everything from your wedding ring to camera to wristwatches? Is it true you can only bring in $1500 and leave with only $500?

kmchick

Do you speak Russian? Are you with someone who does? I have been through Moscow airport twice with a friend who was fluent, but only left the airport once on a transit visa. I have taken a year of college level russian but would still be a little worried about going through on my own, that's not to say it can't be done, it's just not like other european airports where most customs agents speak english.

I chose to wear a plain silver band rather than my engagement ring and wedding band, but my friend wore her diamond without any problem. Have you checked the Russian consulate/embasy website? It's pretty comprehensive and should tell you what the guidelines are for bringing objects/money in and out of the country.

One last thing for anyone traveling to russia/central asia. Amended passports can be problematic there. They don't understand why a name change is in the back and looks like anyone could have typed it in. If I were to travel there again I would get a new passport to avoid any potential problems.

kmchick

This is a fairly accurate summery, the $500/$1500 figures you heard are incorrect. Just be honest with your declaration forms and you should be fine.

Russian customs regulations are complicated and highly discretionary. 30% duty is required to export personal item(s) worth over $10,000. Moreover, additional export duties apply to any items determined by customs officials to be of commercial use. All items which may appear to have historical or cultural value - icons, antiques, paintings, coins, etc. - may be taken out of Russia only with prior written approval of the Ministry of Culture and payment of 100% duty. Certain items, such as caviar, medications, jewelry, precious or semi-precious stones, or metals and fuel may be exported duty-free in limited amounts.

As computers- hard-drives may be scanned by customs officials, it is recommended to present your laptops to customs at least 1,5 hours prior to you departure.

Important: Present customs declaration upon arrival with amount of currency brought into the country declared and all valuable items listed (including your cell phone). Ensure that the declaration is officially stamped by customs officials on entry to prevent difficulties in taking currency and valuables out. Remember that a signature by a customs official is not sufficient - you need to get a stamp on your declaration for it to be valid. Otherwise you will not be able to prove that you possessed that diamond ring or a cellular phone prior to your visit.

Garfield

For information on Russian customs see waytorussia.net at: http://www.waytorussia.net/Practical...ningATrip.html

Rusalka

Where do these stories keep coming from?

Moscow has 4-5 airports, it's like saying 'I'm arriving in New York airport'. You don't need to speak Russian. I've been through Sheremyetievo at least 30 times with no problems (yes there are queues and I would allow an hour to get thru passport control - just about the same time it takes a foreigner to get thru passport control in the US) and this year went thru Domodedovo in a record 15 mins from arrival to baggage hall. Sometimes customs don't even bother looking at you or your form.

The only thing I would agree with is if you have something of great value is to make sure the declaration form is stamped in case you get stopped on the way out.

Garfield

Most people just walk through the Green, both coming and going, less of a bother than entering the US.

dmahalek

We were in Russia a month ago and had no problem whatever passing throught the airport. We declared nothing. No problem with my numerous medications including syringes for insulin and a CPAP machine. One hint, the line at passport control was very long for foreigners and the process was going slowly. I noticed that the line for Russian citizens was empty....I held my U.S. passport out snd showed it to one of several guards and he motioned my wife and I to pass through the line for Russian citizens. It saved us a lot of time. As soon as we passed through we found our luggage in a large room sitting on the floor. We went through the green line at customs and there were two very young customs officials, one was sitting on a table talking to his friend...they didn't even look up as we passed through.

dmahalek

I forgot to state that we went through Sheremyetievo.

Garfield

A form that you must fill out before you enter Russia is the Migration Card.

In order to save you time it is a good idea to see the form before you arrive. The print on the real form is very small and might only be in Russian. At SVO 2 the area that you get the forms is not well lighted. Forms are on the left or right wall just before immigration, when you come down the steps. You must fill out the form before you get to immigration. The form that you get in your passport with your visa is not the migration form. The airlines do not always have the form available before you arrive.

To get a large copy of the form go to the way to russia web site at
http://waytorussia.net/RussianVisa/Info.html

and go down to Step 5

kopp

Having just returned from Moscow, I can say that there was absolutely no problem clearing customs. We were not part of a tour, just the two of us, and had no difficulties. We flew into DME Airport, took the express train into town, and then connected to the metro to our hotel. Lots of fun, lots of people everywhere, but oh, so friendly!

Happy travels!