This is exactly the kind of thing that gets blown way out of proportion. Pretty soon we'll be reading distorted reports based on your post about tourists being locked into cells with convicted murderers until they paid $1000, etc.

I don't mean to criticize you for posting this, actually it is an interesting story and a useful example. And while I wasn't there and so could be missing some important context, I don't know if it is fair to assume that they put you in the cell to get money from you. If that was the case, I think they'd have certainly locked the door? Who knows, maybe they didn't have anywhere else to put you, or SOP in that detachment was to put everyone in the cell until further notice, they were having a birthday party in the usual waiting room, etc. It is not as if these stations are large, well-planned facilities. The fact that they gave you a bible seems to indicate that they didn't have hostile intentions.

I don't mean to be always sticking up for the Russian police, I have met some right fine bastards among them, but many stories are way overblown and based on misunderstandings on both sides due to lack of a common language. I just hate to see people scared of coming to Russia because of fear of police, it is a serious overreaction.

Entertaining thread!!

I was caught breaking the law 6 times in Russia and Kaz (speeding or overtaking) and twice they just wanted to give me words of advice, but 4 times they wanted to bust me and couldn't because I couldn't speak Russian - HA!

Also - don't fall foul of visa registration rules ie register within 2 (or is it 3?) business days of entering Russia, then again if you're in any 1 place for more than 3 days. I entered Russia through Vladivostok and had to stay there for 2 weeks awaiting my car (shipping and customs delays). I had stayed in a hotel for the first night and had asked them to register my visa. They apparently did so, but I wasn't given any stamp on my immigration card (and didn't know one was needed). The first time I was aware of any problem was when I tried to stay in a hotel in Khabarovsk and got refused because my visa hadn't been registered. After this I called the British Embassy in Moscow and they explained about the registration system. It was they who advised me to start keeping receipts from roadhouses / hotels / filling stations as an 'audit trail' to show where I'd been and on which days to prove I hadn't been in any 1 place long enough to need to re-register my visa. They also told me to expect trouble when I left Russia as I hadn't registered my visa properly in Vladivostok. That being said, none of the frequent police stops I had to make for document inspections ever gave me any trouble about the missing registration stamp on my immigation card.

When I drove to the Omsk border with Kazakhstan, the guards seemed to take a liking to me and one of them stuck his head around the door of the passport control and said something to the woman. I don't know if that helped, but I wasn't given any hassle about my visa.

A month later, I re-entered Russia through the Orsk crossing. This time I kept receipts right from the start AND registered my visa properly with a stamp on my immigation card. About 10 days before I left Russia, I was near Red Square with a German when we both got stopped by the tourist police. I was able to prove with my wad of receipts that I hadn't been in Moscow for long enough to need to register my visa there (or indeed any other part of Russia); the German didn't have any proof and had to pay a 500 rouble bribe.

1 very minor suggestion - have all your papers in a clear plastic wallet ready for when you get stopped for frequent dokumenty inspecty and proffer it out the window as soon as you stop. Makes it look like you've nothing to hide and speeds things up.

Mark

overlandcruiser.net

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www.overlandcruiser.wordpress.com

The place was just a normal roadside police "control post" or what they are called in English. The cell was the first room after the entrance so yes, if they absolutely wanted us inside the building for some reason it was the easiest place to put us even if a cell gives you a pretty bad feeling.

But yes, they did never ask for any money or anything else, they just had the idea that their registration was too late and spent some time inside the police station with their documents. It's possible that they used that time to check what the rules are and found out that everything is in order.

The reason I posted it is pretty much to tell people to keep calm and wait and see what's happening. The way the police operate over there is a bit different to Europe but things have a tendency to sort out even if the situation feels bad.

Most of the contacts with the police in Russia are just regular stops to see your documents. At worst I have been stopped four times in one day. Usually they are just curious and want to know from where you are where you are heading. After my first trip I bought a A5 sized book with ten transparent pockets so i have all my vehicle documents and Russian documents available for easy viewing. Highly recommended.