TRAVEL
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Tips For Dealing With Borders On The Trans-Siberian Railway
4:06 AM
If you are planning a journey along the Trans-Siberian railway and branching off to either the Trans-Mongolian railway or travelling further to the Trans-Manchurian railway, then you will have to contend with border crossings. However, if you have all your paperwork and necessary visas in place, crossing the border can be easy and give you some time to relax and take in your surroundings before carrying on with your journey.
Preparing In Advance
Whether you are travelling the Trans-Siberian railway Beijing to Moscow route or making the trip in reverse, you will need to ensure that you have the correct visa for the country through which you will be travelling. Most travel agencies can also assist in
getting visas arranged, or they can recommend a reputable company to help you with this. You can also arrange the visas yourself, and you will need a valid passport, your
travel dates and itinerary to arrange your visas.
Arriving At The Border
There are many different border crossings, and you will see that they are all very similar to each other, no matter where you are. Unlike when travelling through airports, there is no tiresome queuing to be done when travelling along the Trans-Siberian railway, and you can sit back and relax and wait for the officials to come to you. Each border crossing can be slightly different, but there are usually similar steps taken at each which include:
A visa and customs check for the country that you are leaving
Crossing no-man’s land to the opposite border
A visa and passport check for the country that you are entering
Customs checks for the country you are entering
Train Changes - sometimes the wheels/bogies need to be changed
Crossing a border can be frustrating when you are walking, so when crossing through the Trans - Siberian railway, you get to sit back and relax while you wait for everyone to be processed and given the green light to continue your journey.
How to Behave
When the train arrives at the border, the start of the process will be signalled by the carriage attendants turning on the main lights. You will then see a procession of officials boarding the train and they may look inside your compartment as they walk pass. You do not need to do anything until asked, and it is essential that you remain polite and calm throughout the process.
Once they have approached you and checked your visa and passports as well as your luggage and given you the all clear, you now need to wait until the rest of the train has also been cleared. Do not be alarmed if they go through all your luggage as this is common for all passengers and you may need to tidy up your case again once they have finished. The process can take a few hours, so find a way to relax and pass the time. After a few hours and once everything has been checked, you will be on your way
again and ready to take in the next part of your adventure.
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