hello guys,

we gonna take the ferry from toyama/japan to vladivostok.
Does someone can tell me how to handle the paperwork and how exactly to release our vehicle from russian custom (which office, ...)?
how and where can i get the obligatory insurence...

thanks for any informations

danyo

Now for my 100th post on the HUBB...

Unless the situation has changed this year, go to the Bizintour office on the third (?) floor of the Vadivostok Sea Terminal. They will be able to do the work for you. In 2003 the price was up to 100 dollars.
Some people have succeeded on their own (usually with the help of a Russian), but I would just pay the money rather than taking many days. Hotels are not cheap in Vladivostok, so you may actually save money by paying the $100.
Contact the Vladivostok HU Community for more information.
And let us know the situation after you arrive in Russia!

Are you in Japan now? Peter Forwood on a Harley Davidson arrived a couple weeks ago and is going to Vladivostok in May.

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Japan touring information

Chris, what would you suggest for someone arriving at the Vladivostok airport with their motorcycle? Is there a Bizintour office at the airport, or would I have to go to the seaport to use their services?

Thanks.

Mike

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Mike

Sorry
I have no idea. Bizintour is the travel agent that handles ferry operations. I doubt that they will go all the way out to the airport.
I guess your best bet would be to talk to your shipping company and get them to introduce you to a customs broker. Or maybe someone in the Vladivostok HU Community knows.
I did come up with this company in a search for Vladivostok airport. They seem to handle customs work.
http://www.air-cargo.ru/en/feedback/
There is an e-mail address on the bottom of this page for the customs dept.

[This message has been edited by Chris in Tokyo (edited 27 April 2005).]

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Japan touring information

Thanks Chris. Info much appreciated.

Mike

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Mike

Hi

Inform about date of your arrival me or Shustrik

My box melnikova_d -- aT -- mail.ru

The telephone in Vladivostok 757809

Than we can by that we shall help...

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email address obfuscated by Grant to prevent spambots collecting it.


[This message has been edited by Grant Johnson (edited 03 May 2005).]

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Åñëè âû ìîæåòå ýòî ïðî÷èòàòü - çíà÷èò âû ðóññêèé, èëè çíàåòå ðóññêèé ÿçûê, èëè ïåðåâåëè ìîþ ïîäïèñü ÷åðåç ïåðâîä÷èê ÷òî ãîâîðèò î âàøåì ëþáîïûòñòâå

As far as I know, one our friend working in insuranse company. She helped some people with insuranse procedure in last year. I'll ask her about help when anybody arrive in Vladivostok.
Everybody, who will be in Vladivostok in this year - call me or Daana. Take care!
(sorry for my english)

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Good luck on the road. :-)

my current contacts:

+7(4232)203963 (home)
+7 902 553 7482 (GSM cellular)
dvoalex [{a-t.]} mail dot ru
ICQ: 48042015

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Don't make it easy for the scumsucking spambots to collect your email address and spam you!

[This message has been edited by Grant Johnson (edited 11 May 2005).]

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Good luck on the road. :-)

Danyo, when will you be arriving in Vladivostok? I hope to get there somewhere between July 18 and 25.

Shustrik, thanks for the info on insurance and contact info. I will be in touch with you and Dasha (with whom I've communicated by emai) when I have a definite arrival date. Any help in Vladivostok will be greatly appreciated.

Mike

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Mike

yeah, keep in touch.
and when you'll be know "arrive-date" - email us.

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Good luck on the road. :-)

thanks to dasha and shustrik, we already stay in emai-contact.

mike, we hopefully will arrive in vlad at 23th of may by ferry form japan. depending if we can find our vehicle, which got lost when shipping from bangkok to japan.....

danyo

This is from Peter Forwood who just arrived in Vladivostok yesterday. Looks like good news!:

Managed to clear customs this morning in an hour by myself, no cost.

What to do:
On the boat ask the second mate to get your Bill of Lading ready early and to write down the customs address an a piece of paper. He will have the Bill of lading by 3pm Sunday, but you have to pay 10 dollars to have it early, else it is not ready till Tuesday.

Take photocopies of passport, visa, immigration card, both sides (get hotel registration if possible before you go to customs, they stamp the back of your immigration card to show you have been registered, not sure if this is necessary as I already had it), customs declaration, both sides, (where you have declared the motorcycle on the back page) registration certificate (ownership papers if you have) and bill of lading.
You also need a letter in Russian to the Customs office stating your intentions. To travel across Russia to xxxx, details of the motorcycle including engine and chasis number and rego number, your home address and where you are staying in Vladivostok.

With this they will process a paper, for me 20 minutes, which you keep to give to customs on leaving the country and which lets your bike out of customs in Vladivostok.
For me, they wrote the letter in Russian at the Customs, window 3 is the official "transit" of vehicles window, but the lady at window 1 is in charge and handled everything for me, she went away and got her boss (speaks good English), who wrote the letter, and did the photocopying for me, no charge. Better to arrive with the letter and photocopies if it is possible, they might not be as friendly everytime.

The motorcycle club could do the letter probably.
I haven't made contact yet, will tonight, as I wanted to do customs myself, often easier.

Suggest other travelers also go alone to customs with the documents if possible.

[This message has been edited by Chris in Tokyo (edited 16 May 2005).]

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Japan touring information

For some reason I was under the impression that one needed to have a list of all posessions bringing into the country, written in Russian. That would include the bike, camping gear, tools etc. Is that the case, or is the Letter of Intent as described in Tokyo Chris' post all that's needed?
Thanks.
Stan

Chris,
Currently Peter Forwood in my home, he is fine. Everythings fine.
In tuesday he'll take bike from custom. Near thirsday leave Vladivostok (to Khabarovsk)

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Good luck on the road. :-)

Thanks to Peter and Chris for posting the above information. This is the first I've hard of the need for a letter of intent in Russian. Have other travelers encountered this requirement also, or is it something new, or have I somehow missed this despite all my online research on traveling in Russia?

Further questions: Was a fire extinguisher, first aid kit, and some sort of vehicle warning sign (a triangle??) required? Did you bring in a gps, and if so was there any problem with that? Were you asked for a Russian translation of your drivers license?

Thanks again for the very useful info.

Mike

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Mike