UrBC, Moscow, August 20, 2019. Russian air travelers will now have to produce a phytosanitary certificate for any fruit, vegetables, seeds, or other agricultural flora items in their carry-on luggage (provided the total weight exceeds 5 kg). The new regulations came into effect on August 19 and will remain in place experimentally through 2022, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports.

Nursery plants or cut flowers will require a certificate as well; you can still take three bouquets (up to 15 flowers each) on board certificate-free.

If the certificate happens to be missing, the produce in question will get confiscated and sent back or destroyed.

The new rules apply in several border control points throughout the country, including a number of points in Free Port of Vladivostok.

Passengers traveling by air, train, and sea will all have to get their luggage inspected. The regulations apply to plane/ship crew and train staff as well. Moreover, automobiles will also get inspected at three customs points: Vartsilya, Karelia (near Finland); Shumilkino, Pskov Region (near Estonia); and Yarag-Kazmalyar, Dagestan (near Azerbaijan).

The amendments have been made through the Russian Government’s Executive Order No. 907 On Making Amendments to The Russian Government’s Executive Order No. 792 Dated August 13, 2016. Order No. 907 was dated July 17, 2019.