Crossings down another 5% in February as multi-entry visas expire

2019 was the last year before the pandemic and war that Norway issued large numbers of 5-year valid multiple-entry visas to Russians in the Murmansk region. Those are now expiring and traffic at the border continues to drop.

Norway has closed its consulate general in Murmansk and the embassy in Moscow no longer issues tourist visas.

People crossing the border nowadays are mainly those heading to other European destinations, using Storskog checkpoint into Norway as transit. Crew to Russian fishing boats allowed to make port calls to Tromsø, Båtsfjord and Kirkenes drive bus from Murmansk into Norway, and a few with dual citizenship live in northern Norway visiting relatives in Russia.

Shoppers from Murmansk to the border town of Kirkenes are becoming a rare sight. Norway last October introduced a ban on Russian private cars from entering. 

If the trend from January to February continues, 2024 could see a halving in traffic compared with 2023 when 72,000 crossings occurred.

“The numbers from February show 4,098 crossings at Storskog,” says Sven Arne Davidsen with the police in charge of immigration control.

That is down 4,76% compared with January and down 36% compared with February last year.

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