By train to St. Petersburg

The Allegro service started on 12 December 2021

Currently, only Finnish and Russian citizens are allowed to travel by train. Please note this if you are a citizen of another country. You may be able to use air traffic to travel between Finland and Russia, but unfortunately not yet train traffic. It is the passenger's responsibility to ensure that you are a Finnish or Russian citizen (applies to persons with double citizenship as well) when buying a train ticket. Otherwise we will have to remove you from the train in Finland or deny you access to the train in Russia.

As the traffic operations begin, VR and RZD (Russian Railways) will immediately require that all passengers travelling to Finland and Russia have the necessary health certificate when boarding the train. Passengers will not be allowed to board the train without the health certificates.

The Finnish and Russian border and health authorities inspect the certificates required for entry upon arrival. In train traffic, the entry conditions are checked before boarding the train or on the train during ticket inspection and passport control. In other words, please prepare to present your travel documents and COVID-19 certificates during the ticket inspection and passport control process. Prepare to also fill in a health information form, if necessary.

When travelling, please remember

The customer must take into account the

• safety distances at the departure and destination stations and on the train
  
• guidelines of the authorities
  
• wearing a face mask on the train
  
• good hand hygiene and taking fellow passengers into consideration
  
• additional checks when leaving the country and crossing the border
  

In train traffic between Finland and Russia, operators VR and RZD or the authorities of the country of destination may carry out additional checks of travel documents or, for example, temperature measurements when boarding a train or crossing the border. Please also note that we cannot accept customers on the train if they are showing clear symptoms of a respiratory tract infection. On Allegro, we take care of health security with comprehensive hygiene measures, including enhanced cleaning. Additionally, we use an algorithm that automatically sells Allegro seats distributed across the cars. The train personnel wear masks, and we require the passengers to wear masks as well.

Please note that it is very important to provide your own contact details when you purchase a ticket, so that if the situation changes, we can contact you. We also recommend that you check our website for up-to-date information.

Please note that you will only be able to travel on the train once you have shown our train personnel the required health certificate. The customer is responsible for the admissibility of the health certificate and the related costs.

Approved vaccine and test certificates (health certificates)

The Finnish and Russian border and health authorities inspect the health certificates required for entry upon arrival. In train traffic, the entry conditions are required to be checked in ticket inspection and passport control. In other words, please prepare to present your travel documents and COVID-19 certificates during the ticket inspection and passport control process.

A health certificate is always required when boarding a train. There will be no separate health testing on the Allegro train. Health certificates are required for all persons born in 2006 or earlier. When travelling to Finland, the health certificate requirements are based on the entry requirements by the Finnish Border Guard and the Finnish Communicable Diseases Act (Finnish institute of health and welfare, THL).

When travelling to Finland by Allegro, one of the following health certificates (1, 2 or 3) is currently required:

1. Vaccination certificate (EU) (at least 7 days have passed since the last vaccination)

• Finnish nationals are only required to have a vaccine certificate.

  • The same applies to Russian nationals permanently residing in Finland or holding a residence permit, and persons for whom entry is necessary
    

• Russian nationals must present an EU vaccination certificate and a 48-hour test result (PCR or antigen)

  • A certificate of having had COVID-19 and one acceptable COVID-19 vaccination are equal to a full set of vaccines (must be presented with one certificate)
    

2. Certificate of having had COVID-19 (digital EU certificate, less than 6 months) OR certificate of having had COVID-19 (less than 6 months)

• Finnish nationals are only required to have a certificate of having had COVID-19.

  • The same applies to Russian nationals permanently residing in Finland or holding a residence permit, and persons for whom entry is necessary
    
• Russian nationals must present a digital EU certificate and a 48-hour test result (PCR or antigen)
  

3. A negative test result (less than 72 h), PRC or antigen

• Applies to both Finnish and Russian nationals
  

Please note! We update current information on travel requirements to vr.fi mainly on weekdays. Please check the current requirements for traveling to Finland also from the online services of the Finnish Border Guard and the Finnish institute of health and welfare.

The Russian health authority Rospotrebnadzor is responsible for the health security practices in Russia.

The certificate must be issued by a trusted health operator. An official laboratory, health authority or other national authority, for example, are considered trusted health operators.

The COVID-19 vaccine series approved upon entry into Finland are based on the Finnish Communicable Diseases Act (the EU COVID-19 certificate).

Travel from Finland to Russia is still limited

You will be allowed to arrive in Russia from Finland by train when you meet any of the following conditions:

• You are a Finnish citizen
  
• You are a Russian citizen
  

Finnish citizens (of all ages)

• Must provide proof of a negative PCR test result.
  
• The test must be carried out no earlier than two calendar days before arrival in Russia (48 h PCR). The period of validity of the PCR test certificate shall be calculated from the date of testing.
  
• All passengers must fill in a health information form and give it to the train crew during the journey by train.
  

Finnish citizens who, in the 14 calendar days preceding their arrival in Russia, have spent time in the Republic of Botswana, the Republic of Zimbabwe, the Republic of Lesotho, the Republic of Madagascar, the Republic of Mozambique, the Republic of Namibia, the United Republic of Tanzania, the Kingdom of Eswatini, the Republic of South Africa or the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region are temporarily banned from entering Russia (Russian Government Order No 635 on 10 December 2021).

Russian citizens must:

• Preferably before the trip but at least before arriving at the Russian border (before buying a ticket), use the Gosuslugi portal to electronically fill in the registration form for passengers arriving to Russia in order to facilitate health and quarantine checks at Russian border crossing points.
  
• within three calendar days of arrival, undergo a PCR coronavirus test.
  
• prior to receiving a negative test result, self-quarantine at their place of residence (accommodation).
  
• disclose the information about the PCR test, certificate of having had COVID-19, or vaccination on the Gosuslugi portal www.gosuslugi.ru/400705/1 by filling in the form within four calendar days of arrival in Russia.
  
• A PCR test is not required if you have been vaccinated against the coronavirus (a coronavirus vaccine approved in Russia) in the past 12 months or if you have had COVID-19 in the past 6 months.
  

Russian citizens who have, in the 14 calendar days preceding their arrival in Russia, spent time in the Republic of Botswana, the Republic of Zimbabwe, the Republic of Lesotho, the Republic of Madagascar, the Republic of Mozambique, the Republic of Namibia, the United Republic of Tanzania, the Kingdom of Eswatini, the Republic of South Africa or the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, must, after arriving in Russia, quarantine for 14 days and have two COVID-19 PCR tests (the first test within two days of the day of arrival in Russia and the second test within 10–12 days of the day of arrival in Russia).

Acceptable certificates when travelling to Russia:

• Finnish citizens: certificate of negative coronavirus test result (48h, PCR)
  
• Russian citizens: requirement to fill in the registration form in the Gosuslugi portal before the trip, which instructs Russian citizens on follow-up measures in Russia.
  

We only accept English- and Russian-language certificates when travelling to Russia Certificates in languages other than those mentioned above will not be accepted, as the Russian authorities must be able to read and understand the certificate when you arrive in Russia.

The certificate may be a printout or in digital format. However, we recommend that the certificate be printed out.

When arriving in Russia from Finland, the normal border formalities and passport and visa requirements are followed. In train traffic, the Russian Border Service and health authorities also check health certificates related to passengers’ health security.

Travel from Russia to Finland is still limited

You will be allowed to arrive in Finland from Russia by train when you meet any of the following conditions:

• You are a Finnish citizen
  

• You are a Russian citizen – if you are a Russian citizen, first check the Border Guard website to see whether you meet the conditions for arriving in Finland.

  • The conditions for entry into the country may include, for example, a compelling reason or special groups. More detailed information can be found on the Finnish Border Guard website.
    
  • The Border Guard provides advice on entry into Finland and border crossing traffic by telephone and e-mail in Finnish, Swedish and English on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., tel. +358 295420 100. Questions can also be sent by e-mail to: rajavartiolaitos(at)raja.fi.
    
  • The Finnish Border Guard is not responsible for COVID-19 testing or certificates. For more information on COVID-19 testing, COVID-19 certificates and preventive measures, as well as health authorities’ recommendations for passengers; Travel and the coronavirus pandemic – Infectious diseases and vaccinations – Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) or Prime Minister’s Office Coronavirus Information telephone +358 295 535 535.
    

When arriving in Finland from Russia, the normal border formalities and passport and visa requirements are followed. The Finnish Border Guard also checks prior certificates related to passengers’ health security in train traffic as official assistance to the Finnish health authorities.

If you are a Finnish citizen or a Russian citizen and the conditions for entry into the country are met, check the requirements for health certificates on THL's website.

When travelling to Finland, we only accept certificates in Finnish, English and Swedish in accordance with the guidelines of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). Certificates in languages other than those mentioned above will not be accepted, as the Finnish authorities must be able to read and understand the certificate when you arrive in Finland.

The certificate may be a printout or in digital format.

Please read THL's Instructions for passengers arriving in Finland (2021-11-18)

If you are travelling to Finland with a negative COVID-19 test or a partial COVID-19 vaccine series, you will be asked to present a summary view of the FINENTRY service at the checkpoint in connection with ticket and passport control and in connection with Finnish border control. Please log in to FINENTRY to receive personal instructions for arriving in Finland, to make an appointment for a COVID-19 test and to make your arrival easier.

Those with two vaccinations (EU COVID-19 certificate) and those with a certificate of having had COVID-19 do not need the Finentry service; a digital or paper certificate is sufficient.

We require that all passengers – except those who have been vaccinated twice (EU COVID-19 certificate) and those who have a certificate of having had COVID-19 – use the Finentry service when arriving in Finland. You can fill in the necessary information in the Finentry service even before the trip starts.

Please arrive at the St. Petersburg departure station well in advance (the inspection begins 1 hour before boarding the train) as the documentation checks may take some time.

The Finnish health authorities (THL) recommend that all transport companies transporting passengers require a prior certificate from all passengers arriving in Finland. More information is available on the THL website.