Bus service delays at the Estonian-Russian border

Dear passengers, we remind you of the need to take into account possible long checks and queues when passing through border and customs controls at the border between Russia and Estonia. This is especially true when transferring from regular buses to other types of transport. Allow at least four hours for the time of arrival in the direction from St Petersburg to Tallinn and at least eight hours in the direction from Tallinn to St Petersburg.

Baltic Shuttle cannot in any way influence the duration of border checks, which lead to significant delays for buses on route Tallinn — Saint Petersburg — Tallinn.

From February 1, 2024, at the Narva-Ivangorod border checkpoints, passengers cross the border on foot.

From June 15, 2026, the border checkpoint hours are from 7:00 to 19:00.

Due to the introduction of full customs control by Estonia, the time for customs checks when entering Russia from Estonia will increase. We strongly recommend that you get acquainted with all sanctions restrictions and customs rules for entering Russia in advance. Estonian customs pays special attention to the prohibition of importing EU cash currencies (euros, zloty, forints, etc.), therefore we recommend to exchange EU currencies for roubles in Narva or Tallinn in advance, or to take currencies not prohibited for import to Russia (e.g. US dollars, sterling, Swiss francs, yuan, etc.).

When traveling from Russia to Estonia, comply with all sanctions-related restrictions and Estonian customs regulations.

Estimated service delays as of October 8, 2026 (updated)

Tallinn — Saint Petersburg — Tallinn route (Narva — Ivangorod checkpoint):

• in the direction from Estonia to Russia, bus arrival delays up to eight hours (minimal delays on the night bus from Tallinn);
• in the direction from Russia to Estonia, bus arrival delays up to four hours.

The time it takes to cross the border from Narva to Ivangorod varies greatly depending on the change of border guards and customs officers at the Narva-1 checkpoint.

Tallinn — Pskov — Tallinn route (Koidula — Kunichina Gora checkpoint):

• in the direction from Estonia to Russia — up to three hours;
• in the direction from Russia to Estonia — up to two hours.

On this route, the duration of delays is directly related to the number of passengers on the bus.