A bill was introduced to the State Duma that will lift border controls for cruise ships flying the Russian flag when they call at ports in the Arctic and the Far East.

The legislators noted that Russian cruise ships are required to comply with border regulations, which entails the need to obtain numerous permits and send notifications.

“As it is, state border requirements are tougher for Russian cruise ships than for foreign cruise ships, so the exemption of border control regulations for Russian cruise ships and their passengers and crew, as provided for by the provisions of the draft federal law, is aimed at eliminating this inequality,” the explanatory note states. 

The bill proposes supplementing Article 16 of the Law On the State Border of the Russian Federation (maintenance and establishment of border control) with a new provision that says border control regulations do not apply to ships flying the Russian flag “that carry passengers for tourism purposes, when calling at ports and/or points located in interior sea waters and the territorial seas of ​​the Russian Federation adjacent to the territories of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation included in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and/or the Far Eastern Federal District, as specified in the agreement of a tourism product sale, as well as to the passengers and crew of these ships, provided they notify the border authorities with information on the route, passengers and crew of the ship.”