Driving Through Russia Without A Visa: The Saatse Boot

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 มี.ค. 2016
  • In the south-east of Estonia, there's 800m of road where you can drive through Russia without a visa. We drove it. BONUS PARK BENCH: We Got Pulled Over By The Estonian Military: • We Got Pulled Over By ...
    This video has a correction: Further research revealed that the camera tower Matt spots is, almost certainly, just a regular cell tower. Or, at least, that's what they want us to think. For all corrections on this channel, see www.tomscott.com/corrections/
    I'm at tomscott.com - @tomscott on Twitter - / tomscott on Facebook - tomscottgo on Instagram
    MATT is at mattg.co.uk or @unnamedculprit everwhere
    PAUL is @cr3 on Twitter

ความคิดเห็น • 707

  • @TomScottGo
    @TomScottGo  5 ปีที่แล้ว +1990

    This video has a correction: Further research revealed that the camera tower Matt spots is, almost certainly, just a regular cell tower. Or, at least, that's what they want us to think. For all corrections on this channel, see www.tomscott.com/corrections/

    • @MalekiRe
      @MalekiRe 5 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Thx

    • @bartechnika5317
      @bartechnika5317 5 ปีที่แล้ว +47

      Thankyou. You are very dedicated to making sure your videos are accurate!

    • @xnopyt13
      @xnopyt13 4 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      Wow still corrected a video posted three years ago! Amazing

    • @user-cx5ni7me6l
      @user-cx5ni7me6l 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Tom Scott
      Interesting!
      Thank you (and everyone helping) for making all your video's.
      Greetings,
      Sam (with a dutch A, but that doesn't really matter, anyway, thanks!

    • @tommypetraglia4688
      @tommypetraglia4688 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Ahh, ooookayyy, yea I see. Cell tower, right.
      The video with an error is still up. Hmmm.
      That's what they want us to believe

  • @TomScottGo
    @TomScottGo  8 ปีที่แล้ว +2731

    Yes, I know this is technically a clickbait title. But it's a clickbait title that delivers, damn it.

    • @videotoblin
      @videotoblin 4 ปีที่แล้ว +63

      I never think of anything you make as clickbait lmao

    • @BrowncoatInABox
      @BrowncoatInABox 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      I want to like this but its at 666

    • @linuxsbc
      @linuxsbc 4 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      This is clickbait? I guess this explains why your video titles are never even slightly clickbait.

    • @iriscandy6377
      @iriscandy6377 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      wow swear ii ng

    • @hugomarques747
      @hugomarques747 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @The secular humanist yes it is

  • @YSOFTWARE
    @YSOFTWARE 8 ปีที่แล้ว +5193

    I can drive through Russia without a visa. I wish I could get out though.

    • @heinrichb
      @heinrichb 8 ปีที่แล้ว +69

      +Ярослав Ерохин Don't we all? Getting a Schengen visa is a simple and quick task, but a permanent solution would be neat.

    • @heinrichb
      @heinrichb 8 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      *****
      Well, unfortunately it ain't gonna help in the foreseeable future. We're too busy pretending to be relevant.

    • @Poldovico
      @Poldovico 7 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      Technically that's "into", not "through".
      Pedantic distinction until you're locked up in russian jail.

    • @Nehmo
      @Nehmo 7 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      Snowden got in without an advance visa. I suppose you could copy his procedure.

    • @kapsaline
      @kapsaline 7 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      estonia has a law that If u find a job that pays atleast 1000€ or something u can work in estonia as long as u keep the job, and If u really want you can get estonin citizenship and If you don't like estonia you can live anywhere in EU as estonian citizen

  • @heiloheil6275
    @heiloheil6275 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4721

    I lived in Värska and our summerhouse is behind Saatse, so I can answer your questions.
    You can pass that area with a bike. Still, you should not put your leg on that ground- you can get a ticket.
    If you are passing that area on very low speed (like, under 10km/h), border guard might stop you and take you to their headquarters for questioning. There are many smoke smugglers and another criminals so they might think you are one of them.
    If your car should break down, stay in the car and call the police and ask for local border guard to come to you. They will help and you won't get a ticket or put in jail. If the Russian border guard should see you, you better know russian so you can explain what happened.
    If you are going to pass that area on foot- just don't. If anyone sees you, even some random local people, they will call boarder guard and they will be there in less than 5 minutes.
    Long story short - you can pass that area with any vehicle, but you can not put your foot on ground. If you do, beg that no one sees you.
    And.. there are no cameras on that mast. Cameras and sensors are hidden near borders, like on trees.

  • @Ostsol
    @Ostsol 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1137

    Obligatory: "Papers, please."

    • @sagiksp4979
      @sagiksp4979 8 ปีที่แล้ว +99

      GLORY TO ARSTOTZKA

    • @joshc1981
      @joshc1981 7 ปีที่แล้ว +54

      your papers are out of date DETAIN

    • @itwontcomeout5678
      @itwontcomeout5678 7 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Ostsol to GULAG

    • @TheBoredEditor
      @TheBoredEditor 7 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Ostsol Cobrastan is not a real country

    • @TroyVan6654
      @TroyVan6654 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Bork Laser You don't detain for expired papers.

  • @aaronvancoillie1088
    @aaronvancoillie1088 5 ปีที่แล้ว +383

    Dammit, now I cant stop imagining someone driving through that forest playing YMCA at full blast with the windows open...

  • @WrathOfMega
    @WrathOfMega 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2483

    I like to think the tower was just a huge pole with a platform at the top, and on the platform was a guy with an RPG, just PRAYING that you'd stop.

    • @Godishus
      @Godishus 8 ปีที่แล้ว +89

      +WrathOfMega A reeeeally bored guy. ^_^

    • @typek6239
      @typek6239 8 ปีที่แล้ว +50

      +WrathOfMega Or that you would slow down juuusssttt enough for him to get the shot. i mean, you just blew up the evidence :)

    • @patu8010
      @patu8010 7 ปีที่แล้ว +85

      with heavy russian accent "da, make my day"

    • @mihan2d
      @mihan2d 6 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Now that looks like a job worth signing up for!

    • @abramo7700
      @abramo7700 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It's just some people with an RPK aiming down at cars and as soon as someone stops, they spray them down so much that the car will look like a prop at a shooting range gallery.

  • @Rebasepoiss
    @Rebasepoiss 8 ปีที่แล้ว +320

    I'm from Estonia and I can confirm one thing: you are allowed to ride a bike through Saatse boot. I haven't done it myself but a friend of mine has.

    • @Rebasepoiss
      @Rebasepoiss 8 ปีที่แล้ว +35

      He has done it several times and I know other people have done it as well. You can cycle through the 'boot' but you cannot stop or get off. It's not heavily guarded by the Russian border patrol but they still do keep an eye on it.

    • @anousenic
      @anousenic 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      +Rebasepoiss Also the "don't enter"-sign only had a pedestrian on it, not a bicycle or anything else.

    • @5roundsrapid263
      @5roundsrapid263 8 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      I found an Estonian news article that goes into more depth. You can ride a bike, or even a mule-drawn cart, as long as you don't get off of it. It's only gravel, because Russia won't allow it to be paved. If your car breaks down, they'll check your car, then give you fuel or tow you back. The "boot" itself is a farm, that was claimed by Russia after WWII. The farmhouse is still there.

    • @emidonendfx149
      @emidonendfx149 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I am in russia without vis and i want to cross the border. How can i do it?

    • @martinfrostnas6610
      @martinfrostnas6610 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@emidonendfx149 Go back home!

  • @spengu64
    @spengu64 7 ปีที่แล้ว +534

    Another anticlimax: you can get a cruise to Saint Petersburg, spend day in Russia and leave in the evening with the cruise ship, all without a visa. To be precise, you can spend total of 72h there if you reserve a room from hotel beforehand.

    • @DutchAver
      @DutchAver 6 ปีที่แล้ว +54

      Actually, as someone who has done this, you actually have to book an excursion and stay with the excursion while in St. Petersburg. So you can't reserve a hotel and you have to leave with the cruise ship back home, AFAIK.

    • @roaringviking5693
      @roaringviking5693 6 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      DutchAver
      I have done this as well, and no you don't have to stay with the excursion. You just have to enter and leave on the cruise ship and book a "tour", which really is just transport from the harbour into the city. Then you can do whatever you want as long as you stay in the city.

    • @emidonendfx149
      @emidonendfx149 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I am in russia without visa and i want to cross the border.. please how can i do it?

    • @emidonendfx149
      @emidonendfx149 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @Mor Dor that's true tho. But can't surrender my self rather i prefer to get cut while trying! Thanks.

    • @lttsr
      @lttsr 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Or you can go to Saint Petersburg Florida and just act like you’re in Russia during the summer time...

  • @fahadus
    @fahadus 5 ปีที่แล้ว +173

    0:07 "If you're a British tourist, Russia isn't easy to get in to. You have to book your travel, then request a formal invitation from the hotel you're staying at, and then apply for a visa weeks or months in advance."
    If you're from MOST countries in the world, this is true for almost anywhere you go.

    • @Smitology
      @Smitology ปีที่แล้ว +14

      I think the bar is slightly different when talking about European countries though

    • @Robosium
      @Robosium 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      @@Smitology in europe you can legit just walk across the border into another eu country and nobody cares most of the time

    • @franceskinskij
      @franceskinskij 20 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

      ​@@Robosiumthanks to the Schengen agreement, as an Italian I can go anywhere in Europe except for Switzerland and the UK with just the ID, like, if I'm going to France there's no border guards or douane or anything like that

  • @ariebrons7976
    @ariebrons7976 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1394

    why wouldn't you do something stupid to get arrested
    it'll get you maximum value for your travel:
    one week estonia
    20 years siberia
    value!

    • @computerman4321
      @computerman4321 8 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      Worth it

    •  8 ปีที่แล้ว +117

      +arie brons 20 years in Russia without visa. Seems like a good deal.

    • @JonatasAdoM
      @JonatasAdoM 6 ปีที่แล้ว +45

      You get to live in Russia by not being allowed to live in Russia!

    • @josefnesher4907
      @josefnesher4907 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      why wouldn't we do something stupid to get arrested
      it'll get us maximum value for our travel:
      one week estonia
      20 years siberia
      value!

    • @titanyx8292
      @titanyx8292 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      20 years Goolag*

  • @dryued6874
    @dryued6874 8 ปีที่แล้ว +365

    One feature TH-cam definitely needs is "You're subscribed to this channel from ", because I have no idea how this got into my subscriptions.
    Have a like.

    • @Skorphie
      @Skorphie 8 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      +Dryued Same! I have literally no idea. I'm not even sure I ever subscribed. The videos just started showing up, i swear to god

    • @LukeSumIpsePatremTe
      @LukeSumIpsePatremTe 8 ปีที่แล้ว +80

      +Dryued Numberphile -> Computerphile -> Tom Scott

    • @Nehmo
      @Nehmo 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      +Mona A -- Me too. It's no big deal, though. Maybe I accidently subscribed to Computerphile and that somehow does it.

    • @hadinossanosam4459
      @hadinossanosam4459 6 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      "And I am sorry for the existance of from , and I will be careful in the future when I'm doing so again. Thank you."
      If you haven't seen that, that must sound really weird.

  • @Dovoline3
    @Dovoline3 8 ปีที่แล้ว +682

    Anticlimax?
    What, were you expecting to have to slow for wild T-90s crossing the road or something?

    • @alphaadhito
      @alphaadhito 7 ปีที่แล้ว +87

      Nah, maybe some tamed T-72 passing by

    • @shafwandito4724
      @shafwandito4724 7 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      Many tank crossing is normal for Russian.

    • @Nehmo
      @Nehmo 7 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      At least an onion dome would be appropriate.

    • @heinrichb
      @heinrichb 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@shafwandito4724 if the road is next to the bloody proving ground, yes. But then again, you would see the exact same thing around Bovington or in general Salisbury area.
      That is all to say, not bloody likely.

    • @screamsinrussian5773
      @screamsinrussian5773 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@heinrichb well it depends, if you live near airports or military bases, then seeing tank/apc convoys is common as hell

  • @madhavsharma3599
    @madhavsharma3599 2 ปีที่แล้ว +42

    GOOD THING YOU DID IT 6 YEARS AGO

  • @cmilla111
    @cmilla111 4 ปีที่แล้ว +564

    I can just imagine the Russians asking why you’re there.
    “Oh the three of us just decided to to get in the car and film this little stretch of road. It’s for
    youtube.”
    “Who would watch such mundane things? You British spies think you can fool me?!”

    • @princesidon
      @princesidon 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I liked when it was 68 and now it became 69. Nice.

    • @martinfrostnas6610
      @martinfrostnas6610 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Except most FSB border guards hardly speak English, adding to the awkwardness

    • @elbowsbuns1896
      @elbowsbuns1896 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@martinfrostnas6610 *gruffs in vodka*

  • @jwhite5008
    @jwhite5008 7 ปีที่แล้ว +888

    Hello from Russia :)
    We are not as scary as you might think. However the "boot" is often used for contraband, thus the no-stop regulations.
    If you stop there for technical reasons, your car is most likely to be searched for contraband and other illegal stuff, and then estonean border guards get called to fuel or transport the vehicle with russian ones' permission.
    Please don't go out to take a selfie with the "no walking" signs - in past years russian border guards were known to freak out and arrest people "just in case", getting you all the way into Russia and having you spend quite some time while they check your identity, you pay fine and actually get out of there. Nowadays they've gotten used to tourists and most likely will just escort you out.
    As for what you do in your car while on russian land - nobody cares, well, unless you make a scandal out of it. So don't worry.

    • @fabian.f97
      @fabian.f97 4 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      Play the long con and have the estonian border guards actually smuggle the contraband.

    • @dewecond
      @dewecond 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Fabian it is plausible actually. I think some of them are really doing that

    • @isaacmoraesdornelasdesouza4830
      @isaacmoraesdornelasdesouza4830 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      What happiness if the car breaks down (as in do they still arrest you?)

    • @martinfrostnas6610
      @martinfrostnas6610 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@isaacmoraesdornelasdesouza4830 Nope, unless a Russian border guard appears straight away, you call the Estonian police at +3727861770 (some officers know English) for further instructions. Do NOT leave the vehicle unless explicitly told to.

    • @isaacmoraesdornelasdesouza4830
      @isaacmoraesdornelasdesouza4830 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@martinfrostnas6610 oh cool thx!

  • @johndtha
    @johndtha 8 ปีที่แล้ว +74

    There's actually another similar situation in which EU citizens can pass through Russia. The Saimaa Canal (built when Finland was still part of the Russian Empire) joins the Baltic Sea to the Finnish lake system through Russian territory and, as long as you have a passport and don't leave your boat, you can sail through Russian without the need to go through the visa process.

    • @DomyTheMad420
      @DomyTheMad420 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      t.. that's true for every country.
      national waters do not count as *land*
      *go figure*

  • @MeDaK2ZAKON
    @MeDaK2ZAKON 8 ปีที่แล้ว +156

    You are presenting this `Going through Russia` as some very very very scary thing. I couldnt even imagine what would have happened if i just used a boat to come to GB without a visa.

    • @tktspeed1433
      @tktspeed1433 4 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      You get paid, because obviously you are an assylum seeker, and then you can do whatever, because you haven't yet gotten used to the culture

    • @eshansingh1
      @eshansingh1 4 ปีที่แล้ว +67

      @@tktspeed1433 You have literally no idea how hard it is to get asylum and how difficult life is for those who manage to get it.

    • @tktspeed1433
      @tktspeed1433 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@eshansingh1 well, atleast it should be easy to live with the amount of money you get

    • @heinrichb
      @heinrichb 4 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      @@eshansingh1 it's easy enough if you cover your skin in shoe polish and pretend not to understand English. If you have no ID on you and they can't identify your country of origin, they will have nowhere to deport you to.

    • @conallharkin5365
      @conallharkin5365 4 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      @@tktspeed1433 Easy to live on? It's 36.95 a week. less than 2000 a year, and you are not allowed to work.
      do you think that 2000 a year is easy to live on?

  • @Ben7Roethlisberger
    @Ben7Roethlisberger 8 ปีที่แล้ว +112

    Actually you can go to Russia from Estonia visa free for up to 3 days.
    If you take a ferry from Tallinn to Petersburgh, given that you have a valid passport, you can stay in Russia for up to 72 hours.
    The same goes for ferries from Helsinki.
    So if you'd want to make a quick trip to Russia without going through all the VISA application process, you can fly to either Finland or Estonia and take the ferry from there.

    • @Nehmo
      @Nehmo 7 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      Your comment is inconsistent with the others below the video. From reading those, we see that Russia is an authoritarian, xenophobic, police state, and American is the Land of the Free. You must be incorrect about the 72-hour grace period.

    • @user-fb4el3jk7k
      @user-fb4el3jk7k 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@Nehmo а ты думаешь, что он не прав?

  • @dkoaaaaa
    @dkoaaaaa 8 ปีที่แล้ว +225

    Hi Tom, since I'm early I want to take this opportunity to say that I find your videos very interesting, absolutely love them. Your voice only helps.

    • @double4345
      @double4345 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      But no one replied

    • @ditto4239
      @ditto4239 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Double Games but you did

    • @jonasgrenild
      @jonasgrenild 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      OOHHHHHH

  • @simondekkerlinnros2594
    @simondekkerlinnros2594 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    I cycled through there one week ago, still possible and a cool place! Felt a bit sketchy though but was no problem

  • @MPPelli
    @MPPelli 8 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    One way of getting into Russia without a visa is jumping on a passenger ferry travelling from Tallinn, Helsinki or Stockholm to St. Petersburg. The passengers (and crew) on the ship are regarded as an organised excursion group, so a 72-hour visa free stay is allowed. And there is still a big pile of forms to fill before entering the country, though.

  • @I0H0II0H0I
    @I0H0II0H0I 8 ปีที่แล้ว +39

    Actually their are multiple ways to get into Russia without a visa thoug!. You can enter all major Russian port cities (Archangelesk, Kalingrad,Sevastropol, Sint-Petersburg, Vladivostok) without a visa if you are on a cruise (for a visit up to 72 hours, while residing on the boot I believe). Their is a canal called the Saimaa Canal that was build in Finland during the final decades of Russian Rule. After Finland declared independence their were two wars between Finland and Russia, resulting in Finland having to cede the province of Karelia and with that loosing sovereignty over part of the canal. But Russia and Finland later made a deal that allowed the Fins to use the Russian 20 km stretch of the canal visa-free !

    • @niqolas
      @niqolas 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Sevastopol is a Ukrainian city. What cruise are you talking about? There are no touristic cruises to Crimea due to sanctions.

    • @alcedob.5850
      @alcedob.5850 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@niqolas it is still a major cargo hub

  • @Klarden
    @Klarden 8 ปีที่แล้ว +73

    Haha. I love how you get to a "thump!" on a bad part of the road just as you say "Russia!". Perfectly summed :D

    • @EvilOttoJrProductions
      @EvilOttoJrProductions ปีที่แล้ว +1

      same thing happens crossing the border from Maryland into Pennsylvania 🤣

  • @milutin.mp4
    @milutin.mp4 4 ปีที่แล้ว +151

    Tom: "you can't just arrive on the plane and ask to let you in"
    Me: *laughs in Serbian*

  • @sevret313
    @sevret313 8 ปีที่แล้ว +102

    When seeing "Through Russia", I had expected it to be in the direction of China, not back into Estonia. But then again, I should expect this from you by now.

  • @pol1250
    @pol1250 8 ปีที่แล้ว +480

    I crossed the boarder to russia by accident...coming from Finland and guess what? The boarder police was so nice they even invited us on a drink in their office....no joke!!! We even took a group photo including the watchdogs!!
    We get very badly influenced by our governments about how crazy and dangerous Russia can be but the reality is mostly very different...Russians are nice people !!!

    • @Igor-hj3tn
      @Igor-hj3tn 5 ปีที่แล้ว +47

      pol1250 slavs in general are much more chill. You can do silly stuff how you want

    • @tomewyrmdraconus837
      @tomewyrmdraconus837 5 ปีที่แล้ว +104

      Of course, then you could get the one border guard that just got cheated on by his wife.
      Don't be irrationally afraid of the Russians, but by the same token, don't poke a tiger. They're within their rights to make an example out of you if you're doing something illegal, so don't intentionally test the line, eh?
      So long as it's an honest mistake, and you're not acting suspicious, you're probably going to be ok. Hopefully you speak the local language though!

    • @ImDemonAlchemist
      @ImDemonAlchemist 5 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      That sounds exactly as nice and broken english as a comment would be if you were forced to write it by the Russian military.

    • @runningfromabear8354
      @runningfromabear8354 5 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      Russian's are generally nice, Russian gov's haven't been so nice. My experience with USSR border guards as a kid with a British passport traveling through East Germany to get to Berlin by car was scary. I won't dispute Russian's are lovely people. I'd love to know why that doesn't translate into sane governments.

    • @heinrichb
      @heinrichb 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@ImDemonAlchemist the red scare is strong with thee

  • @preettygoood7774
    @preettygoood7774 6 ปีที่แล้ว +31

    Drive one mile an hour while blasting The Village People and then run out of gas when you're about 10 feet away from Estonia.

  • @catdisc5304
    @catdisc5304 8 ปีที่แล้ว +54

    the german subs are a bit wrong, i think the translator has some trouble with punctuation and the difference between Visa (credit card) and visa (the paper you need to enter a different country)...

    • @PenPeng
      @PenPeng 8 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I think I have fixed most errors. Now we need to wait until someone approves my changes. They were partially really wierd. :)

    • @catdisc5304
      @catdisc5304 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      +Mr. Tux awesome

    • @thesturm8686
      @thesturm8686 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Tbh, i thought they are the same thing, just one for you and the other for your money....

    • @AjarTadpole7202
      @AjarTadpole7202 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Since I found this comment, could someone explain to me what a visa is? The paper, not the credit card.

    • @kornsuwin
      @kornsuwin 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@AjarTadpole7202 permit

  • @kenny_boii
    @kenny_boii 8 ปีที่แล้ว +50

    It's not THAT difficult to get a Russian visa. All you do is call a visa agency pay a fee (the agency takes 25% on top) post them your passport via special delivery and it comes back 15 days later with a Russian visa in it. They do the invitation stuff for you.
    You can get one 3 months in advance. I've had a unlimited entry business visa in my UK passport for the past 7 years. The only restriction is you need to have some sort of visa before hand that isn't unlimited. Plus they have transit visas at Moscow airport if you have a flight ticket out you can roam for a day or two before catching your connecting flight.
    Even the visa registration isn't enforced much. I travelled all the way across Russia registering my visa in Rostov (late by 8 days) and not registering it again until I got to Vladivostok.

    • @heinrichb
      @heinrichb 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      In all honesty, this sounds similar to getting a Standard Visitor visa to the UK - although you do have to provide a rather extensive history of your travelling in the past 5 years as well as proof of ties to the country of application such as your employment contract, tenancy agreement, residence permit, etc. As long as UKVI is satisfied that you aren't going to stay in the UK due to your ties abroad and can financially sustain yourself, you're good. Unless the Schengen visas, the shortest Standard Visitor visa lasts 6 months.

    • @eccIefechan
      @eccIefechan 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@heinrichb The Russian 'visa' just exists as tit for tat spite. No real checks are done, so it's much easier than a Russian getting into the UK or USA. It is however very irritating and stupidly expensive.

  • @machinerin151
    @machinerin151 5 ปีที่แล้ว +41

    I can drive through any bit of Russia I want! Without a visa!
    Because I'm Russian citizen

  • @ryksy7744
    @ryksy7744 8 ปีที่แล้ว +507

    Tom what's your job?

    • @stefanozurich
      @stefanozurich 8 ปีที่แล้ว +240

      TH-cam.

    • @krausmal37
      @krausmal37 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      ive been asking myself that for a while now :D

    • @LiveseyKnight
      @LiveseyKnight 8 ปีที่แล้ว +257

      +Ryksy Spy

    • @ryksy7744
      @ryksy7744 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      +KingLeatherBelly Wut?

    • @DakMan3
      @DakMan3 8 ปีที่แล้ว +86

      +Ryksy Don't tell Putin.

  • @Lizlodude
    @Lizlodude 8 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    "I'd get my zoom lens out but I'm not doing that on the Russian border" nice

  • @Nikola16789
    @Nikola16789 8 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    That's how hard is to get UK visa for me, so I don't even bother.

  • @asd36f
    @asd36f 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    As someone who lives in a country without land borders (Australia), I have always been fascinated by unusual borders between countries, and how people are allowed to travel across those borders.

  • @CyriilB
    @CyriilB 8 ปีที่แล้ว +97

    That's actually really interesting. But why? I've always been really oddly fascinated with these arbitrary lines we draw that surround and separate countries. It's weird, because nothing's actually any different when you go from Estonia to Russia, but there's a weird giddy feeling when you cross borders.

    • @eksiarvamus
      @eksiarvamus 8 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Often such borders are drawn on ethnic lines and it used to be for Estonia as well, until Russian SFSR took some lands from occupied Estonia in 1945. But basically the whole Estonian-Latvian border follows ethnic lines, although they are completely arbitrary in the physical context.

    • @eksiarvamus
      @eksiarvamus 7 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      ***** I'm sorry, but you as a Canadian might not understand that. In the Old World defining ourselves on ethnic background is the norm. There is no question on whether the person is a Latvian or an Estonian, unless they are both if they are from a mixed family. And there is a very clear ethnic border that correlates with the border between two countries.

    • @eksiarvamus
      @eksiarvamus 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      ***** Nationalism is what has kept our nation together, that has kept us from assimilating into the bigger group, that has won us our independence!
      I don't know how anyone here victimizes minorities...

    • @eruno_
      @eruno_ 6 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      How it's not different? People are different, language is different, religion is different, money is different, even road signs are different

    • @strakhovandrri
      @strakhovandrri 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Well, you're crossing line between two halves of the world's nuclear arsenal, there's have to be some border.

  • @lightchipster
    @lightchipster 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    57.8 degrees North. I live in Northern Scotland at the same latitude and it's crazy how much more Artic it is in Estonia.

  • @MatuRandma
    @MatuRandma 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    as an Estonian, with only 1.3m people, it is always nice to be mentioned in a channel like this :)

  • @kalle911
    @kalle911 8 ปีที่แล้ว +120

    we can't stop here, this is mordor

    • @BobbyMack
      @BobbyMack 8 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      "They catch you, they *catch you!!*"

    • @joschlunde
      @joschlunde 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      +bobbyfearfactor Best.

  • @Rowow
    @Rowow 8 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Tom, You seem to be shocked that Russia doesn't allow people to come in whenever they want to, but only Europe doesn't see this problem. America and the rest of the world also needs a visa that can take months, even years to take. And the boarders are even worse then Russia.
    The Mexican boarder is miles of barb wire fence with active police patrol. And the Canadian boarder is a line of cut down trees all alongside the Canadian boarder.
    And im not saying its wrong, im just mentioning the fact that you are picking Russia as if its the only one doing this. So I am assuming you have never been to america.
    And for those who will say "America does this because it has a immigration problem!" Russia has the second most amount of immigrants in the world...

    • @TheChipmunk2008
      @TheChipmunk2008 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      +robert karas British people can visit the US without a visa. Provided they don't look brown

  • @topilinkala1594
    @topilinkala1594 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    There is a busline in Helsinki that starts in Helsinki goes trough Vantaa (the neighbouring town) and comes back to Helsinki. It used to be that there was different tickets for Helsinki and one that allowed you to travel both in Helsinki and in the neighbouring towns. So if you had your inside Helsinki ticket and went on that bus where the line started you could not get out till the final stop. I used to use that line often and every time it felt like going through some occupied area you can't get into.

  • @acarrot9868
    @acarrot9868 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Lucky for me as a Hong Kong passport holder, we can stay in Russian for 14 days without a visa.

  • @pmcKANE
    @pmcKANE 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    "We are not bloody finding out" just made me giggle.

  • @jennifergennifer5348
    @jennifergennifer5348 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Blasting The village from the car speakers with open windows while going through Russian border is something I would totally do.

  • @ruckusbird8832
    @ruckusbird8832 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    nice road trip Tom

  • @LaDeXi
    @LaDeXi 8 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    There's a tiny part of Russia on that same road pretty soon after the Saatse Boot (driving north). It's only maybe 15 meters long but same rules apply to it. You can drive a bicycle but can't stop (too bad if you fall or your bike breaks down).

    • @jaycee330
      @jaycee330 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Found it, they've marked the no peds or stopping for 50m.

  • @fedor6514
    @fedor6514 5 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    Knowing russians the guard probably wasn't even there

    • @aneesh2115
      @aneesh2115 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Vodka break

    • @twatenthusiast3660
      @twatenthusiast3660 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They are sneaky af,the borders are not controlled only by humans but secret cameras attached to the trees

    • @fedor6514
      @fedor6514 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@twatenthusiast3660 Dude why did you respond to a year old comment, the guy who left it is probably dead by now.

  • @jaycee330
    @jaycee330 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    As some Estonians have noted in the comments, there are actually TWO locations on the road with these restrictions, the Boot, and a 20m section of the road about 1.5 kms north of the Boot. Also, the road is now apparently paved and marked with road markings.

  • @kaupokattai2150
    @kaupokattai2150 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    when you were stoped there, the border patroll sayed "tervist" (it kinda sounds like tourist) wich means hello in estonian, and you guys thought he sayed "tourist?"

    • @siriusczech
      @siriusczech 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I needed to google-translate it, couldn´t believe it. But yes and thank you for widening my knowledge :)

  • @GoodBoyTheOne
    @GoodBoyTheOne 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    We have the same visa problem visiting England. The most problems come from US Visa with month of waiting and personal interview.

  • @HackThePlanetNow
    @HackThePlanetNow 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    It's things like this that make road tripping so fun

  • @RadicalMusicStudio
    @RadicalMusicStudio 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Tavaline päev, vaatan subscription listi. Tom Scott uus video, jess. EESTIS :D ? Väike üllatus selle kohapealt.

  • @alcx112
    @alcx112 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    You really make videos of things I don't know!

  • @joshuanesbit
    @joshuanesbit 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    I"ve always wondered those questions what you brought up! Breaking a law from the other side of the border

  • @Fritschge128
    @Fritschge128 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    very interesting, thank you!

  • @cyberhermit1222
    @cyberhermit1222 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You can stay 3 days in St Petersburg without a visa if you go by ferry

  • @Velocity_Rapture
    @Velocity_Rapture ปีที่แล้ว +12

    This video would be so badass if it was posted this year.

  • @rowansmith422
    @rowansmith422 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    "we just drove thru a bit of russia without a visa"
    ... then got stopped by Estonian military

  • @jpHasABadHandle
    @jpHasABadHandle 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    I think you can also cycle across the border. At least between the border of Finland and Russia.

  • @FrozenAmy
    @FrozenAmy 8 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    for me, going to Estonia is as hard as going to Russia is for you, and going to Russia for me is as easy as going to Estonia is for you. I'm from Belarus :)

    • @FrozenAmy
      @FrozenAmy 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      yes for 3 months at a time only. as for Lithuania or the rest of the Schengen area, you will need to apply for a visa weeks in advance with ton of conditions depending on the type of visa, like having hotel reservations and at least 8 grands in a bank account.

    • @eksiarvamus
      @eksiarvamus 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      Could you give me an estimate of how many (young) Belarusians have ever been to Lithuania?

    • @IblameBlame
      @IblameBlame 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@FrozenAmy isn't the border between Belarus and Russia open?

    • @niqolas
      @niqolas 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@IblameBlame it is

  • @markog1999
    @markog1999 8 ปีที่แล้ว +34

    the answer to those questions is: don't fuck with russia.

  • @YensR
    @YensR 8 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    That is not the type of road conditions I want to experience if the punishment for a break down or accident is a week in a cold cell.

    • @Nehmo
      @Nehmo 7 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      The video is actually about a _leniency_ in border control, yet most comments (aided by Tom's cold-war attitude) seem to feel it confirms their concept of a xenophobic and authoritarian Russia.
      BTW, the easiest place (statistically) to get a cold cell is in America.

  • @how2what4
    @how2what4 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Have you produced a video of the Airport which serves 3 nations? I just arrived at it this week and I have so many questions about it works. I would like to be lazy and watch you explain how it all.

  • @jaagup
    @jaagup 8 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I would have wanted to meet you when you were in Estonia.

  • @nicklindsey1765
    @nicklindsey1765 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love how there's snow as soon as you enter Russia

  • @BrendanThompson
    @BrendanThompson ปีที่แล้ว +5

    things that you wouldn't dare do in 2022:

  • @Redn0ks
    @Redn0ks 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    You guys should try to find some people to play citation needed with, you could make a series "Citation Needed Abroad"

  • @POTKC
    @POTKC 7 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    You're wrong there - all you need to get into Russia is a visa. Even if hire British. Or from any other country. It's not the USSR anymore. Source - I'm American and live in Russia, used to on a visa, now have a residence permit.

    • @TobiasNijssen
      @TobiasNijssen 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      POTKC but for the Visa itself you relatively need a lot of paperwork compared to visas for other countries, even the simple tourist visas

    • @0XZ
      @0XZ 7 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Why would you move to Russia from the US? That's quite interesting.

    • @StrikeFromTheSkies
      @StrikeFromTheSkies 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Getting a Russian visa nowadays requires an invitation from within the country, either from a hotel (booking) for tourist visa or from a Russian citizen for a private visa.

  • @yungjoshx
    @yungjoshx ปีที่แล้ว +6

    1:39 legal...legal...legal... ILLEGAL. ILLEGAL

  • @vipermagi5499
    @vipermagi5499 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    Your a lot braver than I would have been. I would have gotten the VISA and tried to get one of the closest hotels invitation I could just in case I did get stopped.

  • @wainber1
    @wainber1 7 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    It is also technically possible to drive through territory Syria claims as its own, without needing a tourist visa: the Golan Heights, which can, for most people, only be accessed from Israel proper.

    • @wainber1
      @wainber1 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      ***** There are so many land disputes around the world, with a lot of them unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.

  • @briantime3762
    @briantime3762 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    I just saw an advertisement for tom Scott on Tom Scott's channel

  • @smalltime0
    @smalltime0 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Yeah, when I saw this I was like:
    "That's one of those no stop things right?"
    Several countries have this, and it makes no sense.

  • @cameronealey3274
    @cameronealey3274 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    what if you did doughnuts in the middle of the road because technically you wouldn't be stopping

  • @viesturssimsons1175
    @viesturssimsons1175 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Nice! You were in the baltics

  • @abbiearcher4716
    @abbiearcher4716 8 ปีที่แล้ว +42

    OK, part of me wants to drive through the Saatse Boot blasting Hey Mum by Body with a car full of Drag Queens flying the Rainbow Flag while Cosplaying Sailor Uranus.

    • @WeUsedToWonder
      @WeUsedToWonder 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I like that.

    • @atomicninja4847
      @atomicninja4847 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Or you will find Putin waiting for you when you are ecscorted back to Estonia with bears

    • @pastellexists
      @pastellexists 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Add Girls/Girls/Boys to the playlist. I'll join you.

  • @loughkb
    @loughkb 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    Came to this video because of the thumbnail. It looks like you've got Jim from the American version of The Office riding with you.

  • @TheMaplestrip
    @TheMaplestrip 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    Awesome. I think I'd be rather nervous about the car breaking down :p

  • @JustOneAsbesto
    @JustOneAsbesto 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    What if you're ghost riding the whip???????

  • @GordonHugenay
    @GordonHugenay 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    nobody commenting that visa is a plural word, the singular of which is visum?

  • @stefanetienney2666
    @stefanetienney2666 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    My ultimate goal in life is now to drive through the Saatse Boot blasting You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) and the Village People out of my car at full volume.

  • @doyowan
    @doyowan 8 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    What happened at the very end? Were you pulled over?

    • @gfrewqpoiu
      @gfrewqpoiu 8 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      +Doy Owan they were by the military of estonia

    • @systemvoid287
      @systemvoid287 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      +Doy Owan Watch the damn video k

  • @crazyflod
    @crazyflod 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Do we get to see that bit where you got pulled over?

  • @njrifai5734
    @njrifai5734 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    The thumbnail makes me think of a mum and dad with a bewildered child in the back seat

  • @NobleBrutus
    @NobleBrutus 8 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I really didn't find it that hard to get into Russia... just think how hard it is for them to visit the UK.

    • @Ezullof
      @Ezullof 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      +NobleBrutus Except if they are political refugees.
      Wait...

    • @sagiksp4979
      @sagiksp4979 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      Not anymore!

  • @ChristianBessell
    @ChristianBessell 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    This video is mad close to 1 mill

  • @adnanalam6201
    @adnanalam6201 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    What if vehicles break down ?

  • @patu8010
    @patu8010 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Huh, I had no idea there was a place like that boot shaped area.

  • @LumpiDerLump
    @LumpiDerLump 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    2:26 these words didn’t age well

  • @misterl4320
    @misterl4320 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    i am from georgia and if you are a georgian citizen you are a citizen of all of eu and all of ex sovie tcountries its awesome

  • @MinecraftSss
    @MinecraftSss 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Wait... YOU WERE TO ESTONIA.. for a second!? Why didn't I know!!
    ;(

  • @realkosh
    @realkosh 8 ปีที่แล้ว +38

    Well, stuff with Russian visas from any country is simple: you have same conditions as Russains applying for your country's visa. Btw, it was kinda pity to see some dumb stuff about Russia in video and comments at this channel

  • @jeanelliot3243
    @jeanelliot3243 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I'm honestly curious what would happen if someone had an accident on that part of the road, or some kind of animal came running towards you.. I guess it would depend on wether the border guard believes the story but there are legitimately ways where you could on accident break that agreement

  • @Cheodo
    @Cheodo 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I *want* to say that this has aged well, but given that it JUST popped up in my recommended feed, I dunno...

  • @cosmotect
    @cosmotect 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Its so bizzare seeing how big of a deal simple drive through Russia can be for foreigners as a russian xD

  • @martinfrostnas6610
    @martinfrostnas6610 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Was there yesterday and was told you'll hardly be arrested these days for e.g. walking through the boot, just given an angry lecture and handed over to Estonian police. Years ago it was far more tense, but they've got used to tourists by now. The Boot is popular with smugglers though, so that's another can of worms.

  • @middleman3165
    @middleman3165 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    To clarify, you don't need to book your travel before applying for a Russian visa. In fact it's recommended that you don't.

  • @TheMegamaster44
    @TheMegamaster44 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I imagine they would probably just escort you out if you broke down

  • @D-Man_Jam
    @D-Man_Jam 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    No wonder the country is so big with such a small amount of people. They won't let anyone in.

  • @grahamparks8885
    @grahamparks8885 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    If anyone’s wondering if (i) the events of 2022 have changed or closed this route (ii) what happens if you drive through in a UK-plated vehicle and (iii) what happens if you stop straight afterwards for selfies with your dog in front of the scary sign.
    The answer to all three is absolutely naff all.

    • @benwyatt7619
      @benwyatt7619 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I thought that you couldn't even go here anymore. Not because of the war. I thought Estonia closed off this area to non locals

    • @grahamparks8885
      @grahamparks8885 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@benwyatt7619 Is there a purpose to this comment?

    • @benwyatt7619
      @benwyatt7619 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@grahamparks8885 Um yes, I am responding to you?
      You said that this route is still open and you can drive through in a UK vehicle. I thought this area is now closed off to non-Estonian or non-Russian citizens, and has been for around 5 years.