A difficult question: do I need a passport to Kaliningrad?

The Kaliningrad region is generously endowed with nature. There are spacious beaches with golden sand, pine and deciduous forests, lakes, healing mud and therapeutic mineral waters. And about the cultural and historical heritage of the city, which used to be called Krulevets (and Koenigsberg), and there is no need to speak. By the way, he is the birthplace of the famous philosopher Immanuel Kant. So, many citizens of our country have a temptation to visit this area: for tourism, health improvement or just to visit relatives or acquaintances. But here the question arises: do I need a passport to Kaliningrad?

There is no unequivocal answer here. On the one hand, this amazing edge of amber is an integral part of our state, and from this position any person who has Russian citizenship has every right to come there, taking with him only an internal document. After all, the passport "zagran" is necessary only when entering a foreign country (with a visa - to countries far abroad, and without it - to some neighbor countries: Ukraine, Belarus, for example). However, the Kaliningrad region is unique in that it is almost an enclave, that is, part of the country, surrounded on all sides by the territories of other states.

So do I need a passport to Kaliningrad? If you travel by plane, then the answer is unequivocal - no. The airspace is a neutral zone, and the side of the Russian airplane is part of our country. Therefore, when flying, say, Moscow-Kaliningrad, you do not legally leave the Russian Federation. The documents for landing on the flight are exactly the same as for domestic flights around the country.

Saying that this area is almost an enclave, it is meant that it has access to the sea, that is, to neutral waters. Do you take a ticket for the St. Petersburg-Kaliningrad ferry? Then you can safely start off with an internal document of a Russian citizen. That is, the question of whether you need a passport to Kaliningrad, if you travel by sea, the answer is: no - for a scheduled ferry that runs between two Russian cities: yes - in case you are going to visit the seaside area aboard a cruise liner in the Baltic To the sea.

And what about land transport - bus, train, own car? Here the answer to the question of whether a foreign passport is needed in Kaliningrad is also unambiguous: it is absolutely necessary. And for those who travel by their own car, a Lithuanian visa is also required . Why? It is known that the Republic of Lithuania is part of the Schengen zone. Therefore, those who like to travel with comfort with their vehicles, you need to first turn to the embassy and obtain permission to enter this country. Even Belarusian border guards have a legal right to demand a passport.

To avoid problems with obtaining a visa (and at the same time to travel on land, traveling to Kaliningrad), there is only one way: to buy a ticket for a scheduled train or a bus of the Russian formation. Passport at such a move is also necessary. But cashiers of state bus services and railways automatically issue a transit visa to Lithuania when they sell the ticket, which is also called a "simplified travel document". It should be noted that this service is absolutely free, but the cost of a passport is not included in it: you must already have this document with you to purchase a ticket.