Any experience of Ukraine border crossing recently??

Off to Ukraine on the bike in 6 weeks and wondered whether anyone out there had heard, or better experienced, the crossing into the Ukraine (nr Lviv preferably) since the relaxation of visa requirements?
I know Charlie and Ewan spent 12-13hrs at the crossing but I asusme that was more to do with their lack of stamping the carnet and it was also in the old visa days.
We're a little short on time for our trip and getting stuck for hours might mean the difference between 1 or 2 nights in Kiev!!

Any help/thoughts appreciated.

And if a moderator can pop this in the proper forum all the better....sorry.

Britishbeefy said:

I know Charlie and Ewan spent 12-13hrs at the crossing but I asusme that was more to do with their lack of stamping the carnet and it was also in the old visa days.

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I thought they spent that long because they didn't have the Original reg documents of the bikes, the Carnet issue
was in Slovakia, I think!

Beefy
I cheated and flew over it last week. Getting through the customs at the airport was a doddle - it takes longer getting back into Belgium when I got back at Brussels airport ! I know this doesn't help you much but I did see a number of western registered vehciles in Kiev last week so people are obviously managing the borders . I also saw lots of deep snow when I was there so I hope for you it warms up a bit because it was not bikeable last week. (See pics)Have you checked on horizons unlimied for more info.

If you are really worried I can get in contact with someone in the Ukraine and ask him to advise.
I'm very interested to know what route you are going to do when you are there - are you just passing through or is your destination in the Ukraine ? If you are looking for some worthwhile places to visit the 'Ternopil' region in the west is supposed to be awesome. The city of Ternopil is described as unchanged since the 19th century and has an 18th century cathedral (14 Sahadachny street) as a focal point. There is a castle (JanTarnowski castle) which dates back to 1540 there too.In the southern part of the region there is a canyon through which the Dnister river runs - it is reported to be really spectacular and worth a visit. the canyon runs for 250km .
A few other places that are highly recommended are the towns of Chortkic on the Seret river, Mykulyntsi which dates back to 1096. there's also over 200km of caves called the Optimistic Caves which are worth seeing.

All this info comes from my few visits there (by plane) and my mate Maxym who is from the west of the Ukraine. He now lives in Kiev. If you send me a PM I'll give you his phone number - you never know you might need a friend in case you get in any bother and Maxym speaks good English.
I'm really envious to hear you are going so please keep me updated - I'm interested to get down there on the bike too

The Dniepr river - still half frozen last week.

In the Ukraine a woman's work is never done

My man Maxym in Kiev - with a big bell

re. Gecko's reply

Hi Gecko, I'll PM you but in short (in case anyone else is interested) my friend and I have four days in the Ukraine (mostly travelling I think). We're going down through Holland...Germany...Poland to Krakow and visiting a nearby point of interest at Oswiecim, we're then off via the hills through to L'viv and then on to Kiev....from there we will travel back to Kovel and up through Warsaw...Poznan and Berlin to Hoek van Holland. My initial research suggested that Kiev would be 60oF in late April...but obviously the temperature in the more southerly parts might be a fraction colder! From my experience of South Wales I have seen the temperature drop from +5oC to -2oC in 22 miles and 1000ft increase in altitude (last week).

Anyway thanks for the comments and keep them coming!

Beefy

Beefy

Did the Poland, Ukraine, Russia run 10 years ago on a BSA. The border near Lviv wassimple to get through - took a couple of hours, mainly because the Deklaratsi form (declare your worldly goods) was only in Ukranian and I had to get a guard to help me work out what to put. Third Party Insurance for the bike was available at that border - £3 for £200 of cover.

XCharlie and Ewan had problems with their photocopied bike reg docs AND ALSO carnets for all of the expensive camera kit the film crew had. You won't need a carnet for your kit - just the deklaratsi.

Lviv to Kiev, via Chernobyl, plus some monkeying around Kiev getting lost was a 363mile day - very doable on a BSA.

Be careful of the road surface as the tar between the concrete slabs forms huge blocks - painful of you hit them.

Late April may be cold and wet - mid-May is better.

Simon

Simon,

Awesome trip fella! April it must be for us though, possibly unfortunately, the family have already booked their alternative holiday whilst I'm living it up on the saddle of my GSA!

Great to hear so many stories though..please keep them coming as I'm reading them all and getting more excited by the minute!

Tarmac...so the roadie tyres will suffice then...no need for the knobblies!

Thanks.

Beefy

No need for knobblies - unless the snow is still thick!

I did the trip to Moscow on Dunlop Arrowmaxs (like T66s). Did the trip to Vladivostok in 2002 on road tyres too - even mongolia.

Simon

Gecko,

Very useful info....

In June, four of us are crossing Hull Rotterdam, then the outline plan involves various overnights in Magdeburg, Wroclaw, Krakow, Poprad, Lviv - returning via Budapest, Bratislava, Plzen, Rhineland and Rotterdam Hull. I've been as far as Krakow before, so I'm OK with the procedures that far East, but there's a paucity of info on crossing to Ukraine. I'm sure an IDP is required as well as original registration and insurance documents. I'm fairly sure that a UK Passport holder doesn't require a visa, but my main concern is motorcycle insurance. Some folk say that you can buy that at the Border - is that correct? Is there an easy way to surmount this problem?

My 'normal' BMW insurance covers me for the EU and my medical insurance is OK for EU and Ukraine, but straightforward motor vehicle insurance is something of a black hole - can you (or anyone else on the forum) help on this one, please?

Thanks,

Spider

insurance can be gotten from a company before your go but they'll hassle you at the border anyway and you endup getting it again, it's not worth the paper it's written on so take a big lock and chain, drive gingerly and don't fall off.

I think the reason why it took them fellas from LWR so long if your surrounded by cameras, with blokes with 2way radio's jabbering away in septic. i would keep them to one side as well cos you can smell the money everyone likes abit of cash... nuffing wrong with that! really do you really know what happened it's after all info-tainment and cut to a script of sorts to tell a story not hard facts, as facts are boring. Watch some of that open university crap that's one in the middle of the night blokes in brown suites with kipper ties talking about dark matter... NICE!

If your by yourself don't bother anyone drive to the front of the cue, smile (not in a gay way but like your having a good time you'll be fine) Also as far as i understand it the Polish crossing is easier anyway not sure if that's true or not will findout in next couple of months.

I'm sure an IDP is required as well as original registration and insurance documents. I'm fairly sure that a UK Passport holder doesn't require a visa

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Travelled through Ukraine last year. All that is correct - although colour photocopies of both my license and log book fooled the guards. I don't think the IDP is actually a legal requirement now but you might as well get one - there's a section written in Ruski, and they like as many documents as you throw at them, as will the hundreds of police cops who will pull you over. I can't remember whether or not we bought insurance at the Ukranian border (I expect we did), but if you don't get offered it, one option would be to forget about it and ride on as it won't be worth the paper it's written on anyway. The traffic cops are so bent over there that when you get pulled over you are going to be taxed anyway so it might as well be for having no insurance

Pluck

I didn't buy insurance and no one asked for it, but I didn't get stopped either so god knows what would have happened if I had been. Due to the concentration in trying to remember what I was meant to be doing with bits of paper, I forgot to ask...I think I was expecting a question that would have prompted it! I went across from Slovakia to Uzgorhod and went straight up to the crossing on the way into Ukraine but there was a big queue coming back. Sat in the queue for a couple of mins before a couple of car drivers called to me and my mate and told us to go to the front of the line....felt a bit weird but no one seemed to mind.
I took an IDP and original docs and like was said I don't think the IDP was necessary if you have a photo licence but they like as much paperwork as you can muster. Knowing where your frame is stamped so they can check the number is a good idea, my mates metal plate with frame number wasn't sufficient on his VFR...they have to see the stamped ID to prove the vehice is as the document. No matter how long winded and stupid being pushed from one window to the next and seemingly handing over the same bits of information seems to you remember that it's their job and they do actually know what they are doing. Get a piece of paper off one guy, hand it to the man next to him, he stamps it, you then hand it to someone else who tears a bit off and gives you something else which you then give back to the first guy.......and that just customs...then immigration and that's just Slovakia then you move 20yds to the Ukranian side to do it all again!

Sounds mad but I think it took us 50 mins to get through the lot going west to east and maybe 1h 15min coming back the other way.

They like to look in things a lot so careful trying to bring back cheap cigs if u r that way inclined. I did get humour from Ukraniian customs....I asked a serious (they all are) guy if he'd like a look in my top box and he asked whether Bin Laden might be in there!!!

Great experience! Enjoy

Due to the concentration in trying to remember what I was meant to be doing with bits of paper, I forgot to ask...I think I was expecting a question that would have prompted it!

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Get a piece of paper off one guy, hand it to the man next to him, he stamps it, you then hand it to someone else who tears a bit off and gives you something else which you then give back to the first guy.......and that just customs...then immigration and that's just Slovakia then you move 20yds to the Ukranian side to do it all again!

Sounds mad but I think it took us 50 mins to get through the lot going west to east and maybe 1h 15min coming back the other way

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The joys of soviet-style beaurocracy

Thanks everyone for your input & feedback. I'm still no further forward regarding Bike insurance for the forthcoming trip. My insurers (BMW Motorrad Insurance) won't cover me for Ukraine and so far I've failed to find anyone who will.

The fallback is to try to arrange cover at the Border, but I'm told that it might be quite expensive and not very effective. Third party might be OK, but theft or total loss of the bike would be a disaster. Of course I'll carry a big lock and chain and I'll not deliberately fall off but..........

I thought the AA might be able to advise, but it seems they can't. I've also looked unsuccessfully for an email address for the Ukraine Embassy in London or a Ukraine Tourist Board email address. No joy so far.

Grateful for any suggestions

Thanks,

Spider