Estonia is indefinitely extending the 12-hour daily operating schedule at its road and rail border checkpoints with Russia. The measure, previously set to run from spring until the end of August, will now remain in force without a fixed end date.
Road border checkpoints at Koidula, Luhamaa, and Narva-1 will continue to operate daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Rail crossings between Estonia and Russia will follow the same schedule.
Sellist ohuhinnangut meil praegu ei ole (We do not currently have such a threat assessment).
Interior Minister Igor Taro said the government's decision is set against the backdrop of broader EU-Russia relations shaped by Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. He added there is currently no need for Estonia to fully close its border with Russia.
The overnight closure has allowed the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) and the Estonian Tax and Customs Board (MTA) to better utilize staff. The MTA has increased daytime staffing at border checkpoints to carry out full customs checks.
Crossed Estonia's Narva-1, Luhamaa, and Koidula road checkpoints in the first half of 2026.
Traffic through these checkpoints has declined. In the first half of 2026, approximately 444,000 people crossed, 13 percent fewer than the roughly 512,000 in the same period of 2025. Vehicle crossings fell by 20 percent, from about 43,500 to 35,000. Rail traffic between Estonia and Russia has also significantly decreased. [source_ref:claim:11]
