Welcome to the Border Zone
Kirkenes and Nikel are neighbors; drive 50 km, and you are there! Two very different places with very much in common.
Read on, we will guide you across and introduce you to the two neighboring muncipalities of Sør-Varanger and Pechenga!
Starting your planning
First you will have to get a visa. There a several kinds of visas and they have prices varying from 35 EUR to 520 EUR. You can contact a tourist company for help. On the Norwegian side, Pasvikturist is one of the most experienced companies in the field.
If you are a Russian, you will even before that need to get an international passport.
You will have to bring both your passport and visa when travelling across the border.
See the Visa page for more information about visa issues.
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| Photo: BarentsPhoto.com |
Cross-border transport
There are several transport possibilities for cross-border travelers. The most used alternative is private cars and public buses. You can also take a taxi across the border.
Bringing your private car requires special preparations. Check out here for more information about cross-border car transport.
Most travellers cross the border by bus. There are several bus companies operating the route between Kirkenes and Murmansk, and you can easily arrange for the buses to make a stop i Nikel or Zapolyarny. Check out about cross-border public transport here.
There are also bus companies offering special tour services across the border. Among them is the Veolia (FFK) company in Kirkenes.
There are also various public transport alternatives on the respective side of the border, both in Sør-Varanger and in Pechenga.
If you are Russian from Nikel planning a cross-border trip, you can get a comprehensive description about transport options and traveling procedures from Nikel to Kirkenes here
See the Transport page for more information about borderland transport.
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| Photo: BarentsPhoto.com |
On the border
The Norwegian-Russian border agreement of 1949 includes regulations on how to behave in the border areas. There are also several other laws and agreements regulating conditions along the border. On the Norwegian side, it is the Norwegian Border Commissioner who follows up the border agreement.
See the document section for a selection of official documents relevant to Russian and Norwegian border cooperation.
On the Russian side, there are special regulations on which places both Russians and foreigners are allowed to access. Read more about Russian border zone regulations here.
Regulations and procedures at the border stations tend to undergo minor changes from time to time. Both countries have their specific rules and procedures. On the Russian side, you have to fill out the migration card and often also a Customs Declaration.
Check out the Border Conduct page about how to behave at the border stations and all along the 196 km long border.
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| Declare your goods |
Customs limitations
Both countries have custom regulations on goods, carried from one side of the border to the other. For example there are limitations in liters of alcohol you can transfer to Norway from Russia (and, by the way, from Norway to Russia too). Packed items or other things that could be identified by Russian custom officers as goods have a limit in weight: no more than 30 kg during a month. For overweight the duty will be imposed – 4 euro/kg.
Check out the Customs page for more information.
You can read more about customs regulations on the websites of the Russian Customs or the Norwegian Customs.
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| Dog sleds in Kirkenes |
What to do?
Would you like to cross the border to explore the cultural life in your neighboring town, go shopping or try one a local restaurant or cafe? Or would you prefer to go for a hike or try out a sport facility?
See the Leisure page or the Tourism page for more information.
If you seek business contacts or information about local authorities, the BorderZone web also get overview of the main companies in the area and links to public institutions, authorities and organisations.
Check out the Business page, the Organisations page and the Authorities page for more information.
The Border Zone web offers information about education opportunities in the area.
Look at the Education page for more information about schools, cultur schools, kindergardens, higher education and research.
If you should be unlucky and end up in some critical situation, you might need the relevant emergency phone numbers. You might also need contact information to local healthcare. Our Healthcare page includes information about local hospitals, clinics and other social or health institutions. Here you can also get information about local dentistry.
The future
In the medium or longer perspective, visa regulations between the EU and Russia might be abolished and people can start crossing the borders with far less trouble than today
Already in the near future, however, cross-border procedures could change radically for the people living in the Norwegian-Russian borderland. If a proposed agreement on borderland traveling is implemented, Norwegians and Russians living in a 30-50 km range from the border will be entitled to travel without Schengen visa. You can read more about the agreement at BarentsObserver.
If you want to know about the history of the Borderzone, a brief historial overview is available.
