CRIMINAL PENALTIES: While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens are subject to that country’s laws and regulations. In some instances, laws in Russia differ significantly from those in the United States and do not afford the protections available to the individual under U.S. law. Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offenses. Persons violating the law, even unknowingly, may be arrested, imprisoned, expelled and forced to forfeit the unused part of a pre-purchased tour. Serious transgressions of the law can lead to arrest and imprisonment. Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Russia are strict and convicted offenders can expect jail sentences and heavy fines .  

Under the PROTECT Act of April 2003, it is a crime, prosecutable in the United States, for a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien, to engage in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign country with a person under the age of 18, whether or not the U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident alien intended to engage in such illicit sexual conduct prior to going abroad. For purposes of the PROTECT Act, illicit sexual conduct includes any commercial sex act in a foreign country with a person under the age of 18. The law defines a commercial sex act as any sex act, on account of which anything of value is given to or received by a person under the age of 18.

Under the Protection of Children from Sexual Predators Act of 1998, it is a crime to use the mail or any facility of interstate or foreign commerce, including the Internet, to transmit information about a minor under the age of 16 for criminal sexual purposes that include, among other things, the production of child pornography. This same law makes it a crime to use any facility of interstate or foreign commerce, including the Internet, to transport obscene materials to minors under the age of 16.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES: The restrictive and complicated Russian visa regime creates situations unique in the world and unexpected and irrational features of the Russian system will surprise even seasoned travelers. Most striking, Russian visa law requires travelers to have a valid visa to depart Russia and resolving this situation may take up to twenty days. At the same time, travelers without valid visas cannot check in to any hotel, guesthouse, hostel, or other lodging establishment in Russia. United States citizens without valid visas face significant delays lasting several days or more in leaving Russia and during this time may have trouble finding adequate accommodation.