Crossing the border at Narva
What is actually possible at the Narva crossing right now — on foot only, 07:00–19:00, no vehicles — straight from the Police and Border Guard Board.
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What is actually possible at the Narva crossing right now — on foot only, 07:00–19:00, no vehicles — straight from the Police and Border Guard Board.
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Narva and Ivangorod are one bridge apart, and for a long time crossing was ordinary. It is not ordinary now: the crossing point has been closed to vehicles since 1 February 2024 and closed overnight since 1 May 2024, so the only way across here is on foot, in daylight hours.
Everything on this page comes from the Police and Border Guard Board. Third-party travel pages contradict them on the basics, which is exactly why this page exists.
Ivangorod, on foot
In RussiaFrom the Narva border crossing point (Sõpruse sild)The trap
No bus crosses the bridge. A coach journey towards Russia means getting off, walking across, and boarding again on the other side. If you have a car, this crossing is not open to you at all — Koidula or Luhamaa instead.
The Police and Border Guard Board advises against travelling to Russia.
This is a full external border check, every time
Narva is the European Union's external border with Russia, so every crossing is checked in both directions — this is not a Schengen internal border where you might be waved through. As things stand on 1 August 2026: pedestrians only, 07:00–19:00, no vehicles since 1 February 2024, and no night crossing since 1 May 2024. The night closure was made for an indefinite period. Russia closed the crossing to vehicles saying it needed to carry out construction works at Ivangorod, and the Police and Border Guard Board says it does not know how long that might take — while noting that no construction work is being carried out there. The police advise against travelling to Russia.
Carry with you
Police and Border Guard Board — the current arrangements at Narva
Source: Police and Border Guard Board (politsei.ee), English page, read in full, checked 1 August 2026 (today).
Nothing sells a journey across this border. There is no through bus and no combined ticket: whatever you have booked, you cross on foot and arrange onward travel on the far side. We do not publish timetables for services on the Russian side, because we cannot verify them.
The crossing is free. What it costs is time, and the Police and Border Guard Board publishes no queue figure for the pedestrian lane.
Ivangorod, on foot
In RussiaFrom the Narva border crossing point (Sõpruse sild)The trap
Hours and rules here have changed more than once since 2024, and they change from the Russian side as well as the Estonian one. Before you set out, read the police page rather than any travel blog — this run found third-party pages that contradicted the official arrangements outright.
No bus crosses the bridge. A coach journey towards Russia means getting off, walking across, and boarding again on the other side. If you have a car, this crossing is not open to you at all — Koidula or Luhamaa instead.
The Police and Border Guard Board advises against travelling to Russia.
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Source: Police and Border Guard Board — working arrangements at the Narva border crossing point, checked 1 August 2026 (today).
Koidula — if you have to cross by car
In Estonia → RussiaFrom the Narva border crossing point (Sõpruse sild)The trap
Vehicles cannot cross at Narva at all, so a car journey to Russia from here starts with a long drive to the far south-east of Estonia.
Luhamaa — the other road crossing
In Estonia → RussiaFrom the Narva border crossing point (Sõpruse sild)Source: Police and Border Guard Board — Narva border crossing point arrangements, checked 1 August 2026 (today).
Journey times and frequencies here are typical, not today’s timetable — check the operator before you travel. Border and document rules can change at short notice.
Source: Police and Border Guard Board — Narva border crossing point arrangements, checked 1 August 2026 (today).