Borders
Norway is one of the countries to where border travel restrictions will be lifted from June 15.
Construction work starts this spring amid the COVID-19 restrictions on border crossings between Finland and Russia.
From Monday June 15, Norwegians can transit through Sweden in private vehicles en route to Finland or Denmark, but no overnight stays are allowed and social distancing to Swedes is a must.
While seven regions in southern Sweden from Saturday are open for travel, the Norwegian government still considers the COVID-19 situation in northernmost regions to be too bad.
Finland, Norway is up 27%, while Finland, Sweden is up 25%. Biggest concern, though, is the Tornio, Haparanda border where traffic more than tripled last week.
Norway’s closed borders to foreign nationals will apply until August 20th, but a special law might keep non-Nordic borders closed until January 1, 2021.
Cross-border traveling will not resume any time soon.
The small rubber boat was supposed to bring them to Norway’s northern shores, but their dream of Europe ended dramatically in the Barents Sea as Russian security services in helicopter and boats forced them to stop after shooting warning shots.
After the Arctic Route migrant wave in 2015, there have been several attempts by third-country residents to illegally cross the land border between Russia and Norway, but this is likely the first time someone tried to enter Schengen-Europa via the Barents Sea.
Restrictions on border traffic and quarantine rules are tightened even more as the Finnish government aims at slowing the spread of coronavirus.
FSB Border Guards stopped the suspects who intended to illegally cross the border to Norway.
Siste/ mest lest
The monument erected after the delineation of the two countries' border in 1826 has officially been declared an object of historical significance to the Russian state.
Russia closes all its borders from March 30 in an attempt to curb the coronavirus.
With the goal to prevent the spreading of coronavirus, soldiers are now backing up local police with turning away foreign nationals if they don’t have a legal reason to enter the country.
Sweden’s chief epidemiologist at the public health agency, and who is leading the work against the coronavirus says closing borders, like those carried out by Denmark and Norway, is not a solution.
Cases of coronavirus have been revealed at our neighbors, governor of the north Russian region explains.
Coronavirus: Only people with a working or living permit in Norway or another valid reason will be allowed to enter any of the northern cross-border roads from Finland from 8 am Monday morning.
But in 2020 the number is again expected to rise as Norway now allows for dual citizenship.
21,880 border crossings were counted in January.
Highest number of border-crossers between Russia and Norway since Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The growth in travelers from Murmansk to northernmost Finland was more than twice the 2019-growth on the Russian-Norwegian border.
The years with liberal interpretation of Schengen’s requirements comes to an end on September 1.
Most Russians go to Norway for shopping and when the ruble gets stronger against the krone follows more cross-border travel.
Russia is planning to reform it’s tourist visa system, and introduce an online, free-of-charge visa for travel to certain areas, according to reports from a number of Russian media outlets.
About 500 km of road in the Murmansk region will from now on be managed by federal authorities. It will lead to better cross-border connections with Finland, regional authorities argue.
Cross-border traffic and trade is down, but regional authorities in Murmansk still want to build a new road and border-crossing point to nearby Finland.
Russian border guards have detained two individuals that allegedly tried to make it illegally across the border to Norway.
Single-entry visas for a stay of up to 16 days will come in the start. Later, the goal is to issue multiple entry e-visas.
Two individuals from the Republic of Chad have been sentenced to 9 months in jail for their attempt to illegally make it from Murmansk to Norway.
«This is very good for tourism in Inari and Kirkenes,» says Marja Männistö, development coordinator for business in Inari municipality.
Russian officials reportedly stopped more than 1,000 people from illegally crossing the border into Finland last year, according to the Lännen Media news consortium.
More than three times more Chinese were granted visa than Russians in 2018.
Russian New Year celebrations, which run until mid-January, is normally a busy time for cross-border shopping. Not so this year.
