Estonia extends reduced border crossing hours with Russia

Estonia has decided to maintain reduced operating hours at its road border crossing points with Russia. The Narva-1, Koidula, and Luhamaa checkpoints will continue to operate 12 hours a day — from 07:00 to 19:00.

The current temporary arrangement was due to end on August 31, but the authorities decided not to revert to the previous schedule. Thus, the border points will remain closed at night even after the summer.

Earlier, the Estonian Ministry of the Interior proposed extending the 12-hour regime indefinitely. The ministry explained that this was necessary to strengthen protection of the eastern border, enable more effective response to potential border incidents, and conduct customs control.

Minister of the Interior Igor Taro noted that there are currently no grounds for completely closing the border with Russia. For such a decision, he said, there would have to be a more serious threat, confirmed by a corresponding security assessment.

The restrictions at the Koidula and Luhamaa checkpoints took effect on February 24, 2026. They were initially imposed for three months due to incidents at the border and the behavior of Russian border services. Later, the night closure was extended until the end of August, and on June 15 the pedestrian checkpoint Narva-1 was shifted to the same schedule.

At Koidula and Luhamaa, the border can be crossed both on foot and by car. Narva-1 is used for pedestrian border crossings after vehicle traffic was closed on the Russian side.

According to the Estonian Ministry of the Interior, the flow through the land border with Russia continues to decline. In the first half of 2026, about 444 thousand people passed through Narva, Koidula, and Luhamaa compared to about 512 thousand in the same period of 2025 — 13% less. The number of border-crossing vehicles decreased by about 20%, from 43.5 thousand to 35 thousand.

Estonian authorities also continue to recommend that citizens avoid travelling to Russia unless absolutely necessary, warning that border operating hours may be changed depending on the security situation.

Source: ERR, Estonian Ministry of the Interior