Lines at the border in Narva started growing longer after the Estonian Tax and Customs Board (MTA) switched to conducting full customs checks earlier this fall. Every traveler leaving Estonia undergoes a thorough check to prevent sanctioned goods from entering Russia.

Inspecting a single traveler can take up to ten minutes, but if any prohibited goods turn up, the subsequent paperwork can take over an hour.

The line is slow moving because the tiny Narva border checkpoint cannot accommodate any more customs officials.

"Our infrastructure in the pedestrian terminal is precisely the size that we've staffed it precisely to max capacity," explained Narva customs checkpoint director Ants Kutti. It's physically impossible to include any more customs officials there, he added.

The trend in recent days has been gifts for relatives that travelers are taking with them across the border. Often brought as gifts are luxury goods and prohibited items.

"If, for instance, someone has a mobile phone with them as a gift, and it's wrapped, then unwrapping it and inspecting everything takes time," Kutti explained.

How long anyone has to wait at the border is unpredictable. Waits in freezing weather can range from five to even ten hours.

On Monday morning, the line barely moved. Border crossers are blaming line sitters.

"There are several hundred of them," described Helsinki resident Aleksandr. "They each take up a spot in the line every ten meters. Later, they'll sell these spots for €50-100."

The catch, he continued, is that the spot is held by one person, but then another five show up. "There is a lot of good in Estonia, but this is rock bottom," he said. "You can't get any lower than this."

The biggest waves of border crossers at the Narva checkpoint are expected right before Christmas and the New Year.

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