Warden Messages
Border Zone Regime Territories
March 11, 2008
This is a Warden Message for American citizens. Please share it with your American citizen friends and colleagues. If you are a Warden, kindly distribute it to the members of your Warden Group. If you have any questions, please contact the US Consulate General in Vladivostok by e-mail or at the following number:
Phone: (4232)30-00-70
E-mail: vladcons@state.gov
32 Pushkinskaya
Street, Vladivostok 690001
American Citizen Services Public Hours:
Monday-Thursday 14:30-16:30, Friday 09:00-16:30.
After Hours Emergency
Phone: (4232)71-00-67
Recently, the U.S. Consulate General in Vladivostok received an official
notice from the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia reminding us that
American citizens may travel in so-called Border Zone Regime Territories (See
section 1 below.) only under very limited circumstances as regulated by FSB
decree # 458 issued on September 10, 2007. In order to enter such Border Zone
Regime Territories, a foreigner must have a passport, a migration card, and an
FSB permit. An American who does not have the required documents may not
enter.
There are also several other restricted areas (See section 2 below.) in the Russian Far East. The information below is, to the best of our knowledge, accurate as of 1 March 2008. The US Consulate, however, strongly encourages American citizens to check with the FSB before traveling to these regions, since access to the Border Zone Regime Territories and other restricted areas is subject to change.
Please note the following Border Zone Regime Territories in the Russian Far East:
Chukotskiy Autonomous Okrug
The entire region is restricted.
Kamchatskiy Kray
Specific, limited towns and areas may be visited without special permission: Ivashka, Voyampolka, the south slopes of the Klyuchevskaya Sopka Volcano, the cities of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Yelizovo, and the villages of Paratunka, and Termalnyy. To enter other territories on the Kamchatka Peninsula, please check with the local Border Guard office.
Khabarovskiy Kray
The city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur is restricted.
Primorskiy Kray
The following towns and regions are restricted and require special permission:
Khasanskiy region – Khasan, Lebedinoye, Tsukanovo
Ussuriyskiy city okrug – Korfovka
Lesozavodskiy city okrug – Busse, Markovo, Verkhnemikhaylovka
All questions and inquiries about how to process a permit to go to one of the Primorskiy Kray Border Zone Regime Territories should be forwarded to:
Military Detachment #2459, 67 Svetlanskaya Street, Vladivostok, 690001
Tel/fax: (4232) 22-24-48 email: pogran.zona@mail.ru
Also please take note of these other restricted areas in the Russian Far East:
Primorskiy Kray
The following areas are restricted: Russkiy Island, Bolshoy Kamen, Fokino, Petrovka, Sukhodol, Dunay, Putyatin. Questions on how to process a permit in Primorskiy Kray should be directed to:
Vladivostok City Administration
International Relations Department
Fax (4232) 26-49-25, tel. 26-47-28
Amurskaya Oblast
The city of Uglegorsk is restricted.
Kamchatskiy Kray
The City of Vilyuchinsk is restricted.
Governmental decrees describing access and restrictions may be found at
the following web sites:
- FSB decree # 458 issued on September 10, 2007
- FSB Decree # 193 issued on April 17, 2007 “Border Zone limits in Primorskiy Kray”
- Russian Government Decree # 470, section 3, issued on July 4, 1992 as updated November 15, 2006
- Russian Government Decree # 508, issued on July 5, 2001
Americans living or traveling in Russia are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the Department of State’s travel registration web site, https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/, and to obtain updated information on travel and security within Russia. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs web site at http://travel.state.gov, where current Worldwide Caution, Travel Alerts, Travel Warnings, and health-information resources can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S., or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).