﻿ Laws in Russia | Adventure Alternative Russia

Laws in Russia

The following advice is intended to provide a brief outline of any laws in the desination country that are directly applicable to travelling there. This is not intended to be exhaustive or complete and laws do change from time to time so we strongly advise visiting the UK Foreign Office website and checking for their current advice.

In general the laws of any country will be based on the same values as at home but significant differences can be present subject to the prevailing cultural, religious and political environment in the country. These four basic factors can be your main guide to how to act in unfamiliar situations. If you are any doubt as to what to do in a given situation it is usually possible to identify the "safest" fallback option and go with it. For example, not buying something, not taking a photo of a government building etc.

This information should also be read in conjunction with our relevant pages dealing with Cultural Awareness and Visa Requirements.


Do not become involved with drugs. Long sentences are given for those in possession of even small quantities of drugs, regardless of whether they are "hard" or "soft"


You must carry your original passport at all times in the Russian Federation. A copy will not be sufficient. If you cannot produce your passport when asked, you will be fined. The Russian immigration service usually retains copies of visiting cruise passengers passports for immigration purposes for 6-12 months.


Homosexuality is legal in Russia and there is a reasonably tolerant attitude to homosexuality in major urban areas. However, be careful about public displays of affection as there is still a degree of intolerance amongst some sections of the population.


The photographing of any military installation, establishment or site of strategic importance (including airports) is banned. You are likely to have your film confiscated, be detained for questioning and possibly arrested if you do not observe this rule.