Russian citizens can stay in Armenia without legalization no more than 180 days a year, otherwise a fine of at least 50,000 drams is imposed. To prolong the pleasure and stay in the country longer, they do registration, residence permit or workpermit, and someone organizes a visaran - crosses the border to reset the permitted period of stay in the country.
Relocant Maxim Shvetsov uses this method, and he tells us about his successful experience already told. Now let’s find out what to do if you have abused Armenian hospitality: Will you be deported if you can't count to six?
Contents
How it all began
When I realized that I was exceeding my stay in Armenia, the first thing I tried was to sign up for OVIRto pay the fine there. But in November 2023, there were free slots only for June 2024, so I had to use the second method - make a visaran.
I decided to cross the border into Georgia by minibus. I advise you to warn the driver in advance that he will have to wait for you. And think about what time of day is more comfortable for you to drive: it’s light during the day, but there are a lot of cars, and it’s dangerous to overtake. And at night the highway is not lit, but there are few cars, you can overtake and get there faster.
Armenian customs
At customs I immediately went up to the border guard and I said I can't count. I was sent to 23 room, she's in the same building behind. I needed a foreign passport - only with it can I get to Georgia. It took me 20–25 minutes to fill out the necessary paperwork. In the next room I paid a fine of 50,000 drams. Although there is a terminal there, it is better to take cash. By the way, they give you change.
I returned to the office with three receipts, they were stamped. Next, I had to sign three documents - they were all in Armenian. I also asked Isn't this an agreement on deportation?, to which they answered: "Not yet".
After that, they handed me papers: I gave one to the border guard, and kept the second for myself. They gave me stamps and I crossed the border.
Ride home
I returned “cheerfully,” but not because of a violation. I was let down by the minibus for which I ordered tickets through tutu.ru - it simply did not arrive. When I called the carrier, they told me that they had run out of cars, so it would be better call before your trip and clarify everything again. I had to go to another company, and I returned home later than planned.
At customs they didn’t ask any questions, they didn’t ask for paper. And yet my adventure was not over: I decided to inquire how much alcohol can you bring with you?. It turned out that there were only three liters, but I had five. You ask, where did I hide the extra bottle? Answer: nowhere, no one checked the portfolio. But I still don’t advise taking risks; not everyone can be as lucky as me. This is the same lottery as visaran - it works, although it shouldn’t.
We hope this story will help you deal with visarans and fines. And if you had a similar experience, share it in the comments.
It may be useful: you can go to Georgia not only by bus, as Maxim did, but also by rented car from Move2Car.
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