last edited Dec 11, 2019
Getting to Russia by Land or Sea
By Land
Borders
Russia is one of the countries in the world with the most "neighbours" and borders, totalling over 20,000 km spread across fourteen countries.
"European" Part
Eight neighbouring countries with Norway (196 km), Finland (1,340 km), Estonia (294 km), Latvia (232 km), Belarus (960 km), and Ukraine (1,576 km). Also, Poland (217 km) and Lithuania (280 km) for the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
Caucasus and "Asian" Part
Six neighbouring countries with Georgia (723 km), Azerbaijan (284 km), Kazakhstan (6,846 km), Mongolia (3,485 km), China (4,250 km), and North Korea (19 km).
Access from Neighbouring Countries
Closed Borders
Beyond the border with North Korea, Russia’s land borders with Azerbaijan and Georgia (outside separatist zones) are closed to foreigners. The same applies to crossing (which is strongly discouraged for security reasons) between Russia and Ukraine via separatist-controlled areas.
As for the Belarus-Russia border, since 2017, non-Russian and non-Belarusian nationals are no longer permitted to enter Russia by land via Belarus, even though the border between the two countries remains open. This leaves air travel as the only option for foreigners (despite a brief past ban).
Open Borders
Crossings with all other countries are open.