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In a few weeks I will be using train 305 to go from Mongolia to Irkutsk. This train leaves on a Tuesday and arrives at Irkutsk on Wednesday. According to Russian Railways, this train arrives the border point at Naushki at 23:55, still Tuesday, and stays there a couple of hours.

The thing is, my visa is valid from Wednesday. I know that technically if I really arrive at 23:55 my visa will not yet be valid, but by the time the guards take my passport it would probably be Wednesday already.

Maybe a better question would be if guards will stamp the visa with the Tuesday date or Wednesday, since it will in fact be Wednesday. But only people that have traveled on that particular train will know.

Anyone that has traveled on that train or in a similar situation could tell me what chances I have to be taken off the train?

EDIT:
This is the timetable from Russian Railways. Times until Sukhbaatar are local. From Naushki times are Moscow time (add 5h for local).

20180124_070113_50.jpg

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    Are you sure you have the arrival time right? I have found several time tables saying that the train (305И) arrives Naushki at 19:55 Moscow time (UTC+3), which should be 0:55 local time (UTC+8).
    – Tor-Einar Jarnbjo
    Commented Jan 24, 2018 at 1:08
  • I've added the timetable in the original post.
    – neixir
    Commented Jan 24, 2018 at 8:17
  • There is obviously something wrong with the timetable you have posted. If the train arrives 18:55 in Naushki and departs 20:45, it would have a 1:50 hour stop and not 1:10 as stated. The other time tables I have found post an arrival time of 19:55 and departure 20:45. The times for Djida are also the same.
    – Tor-Einar Jarnbjo
    Commented Jan 24, 2018 at 12:44
  • Seat61 have diferent times (arrival 19:20 / departure 21:10) but that's 1h50 too. What are the other timetables you have found?
    – neixir
    Commented Jan 24, 2018 at 12:56
  • I tried the German Railways travel planner and a few other European railways (Austria, Poland) and they all agree on arrival 19:55 Moscow time. They may however all use the same, potentially incorrect, source of data.
    – Tor-Einar Jarnbjo
    Commented Jan 24, 2018 at 13:07

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Your timetable is correct (there is an error in math for stop time on RZD site), so the scheduled stop at the first Russian city is at 23:55 local time. But your visa can be checked on start, in Mongolia, and you simply can be denied on train, because railroad workers wouldn't take responsibility for your not yet valid visa. Also, if train will be ahead of time even for 20 minutes, you also in risky situation. This is a real lottery, and, if I were you, I would switch the train to the next one or get another visa.

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  • I didn't think that they could check the visa in Mongolia. I will probably get another visa to be on the safe side, and also because next train will be 2 days later...
    – neixir
    Commented Jan 24, 2018 at 19:24
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    I saw many reports in Live Journal about this train, and they DO check the passport during boarding, to avoid problems on border, as this train being used for small commercial traffic (goods from China), and has additional attention on Russian border.
    – VMAtm
    Commented Jan 24, 2018 at 20:00

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