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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, e-mail: sidorov@vlc.ru

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:

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).