Pets allowed to take Russia through border crossing points

Products under quarantine such as plant products and pets can be taken to Russia across the national border through different border crossing points from Wednesday.

The Federal Customs Service of Russia introduces hygiene and quarantine controls of goods, as well as phytosanitary and veterinary inspections on the Finland-Russia border on 11 August, said the Finnish Customs in a press release on Monday.

The controls will cover goods, plants and animals. They will start on border crossing points for road traffic at Salla, Lotta, Lyttä and Suoperä, and on the border crossing point for rail traffic at Lyttä.

With the controls being implemented, products under quarantine such as plant products and pets can be taken across the national border through the said border crossing points. Controls will cover both commercial freight and passenger goods.

One traveller is allowed to take at most two cats and two dogs.

According to Russian legislation, plants and plant products can be imported to Russia without a phytosanitary certificate in quantities under five kilograms.

Flowers can be imported without a certificate in a quantity of not more than three bundles.

A bundle may contain at most 15 cut flowers, buds, leaves, dried flowers or hay, and other plant parts that are not in bloom and do not have buds.

However, a phytosanitary certificate is always required for seed (seed material), planting material and potato.

Travellers can take a maximum of five kilograms of factory-packaged products of animal origin in their luggage to Russia.

A phytosanitary certificate is not required in such cases, but it is required that the zoonosis situation in both the country of manufacture and the country of export is under control.