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Passing
the Russian Customs
Contents: Customs Declaration - Entry
Limitations - Special Permissions - Customs Tax - Commerical and
Personal Items
Russian
Customs Declaration
If
you have any goods or items that are subject to declaration,
you should fill in a special customs declaration form (available
upon
arrival) and pass through the "red corridor" at a Russian
airport or customs point at the border. If you don't have anything
to declare, you may cross the Russian border through the "green
corridor".
If you bring in something that you think may be questioned when you come out
of Russia, it's better to declare it directly when you come in. That way you
will be able to prove you are not exporting it, but had it with you when you
entered the country first place. Always make sure you keep the stamped declaration
until the end of your trip to avoid problems when leaving the country.
Entry Limitations & Customs Restrictions
The following items are subject to declaration
and limited entry to Russia. These items (or excess) should
be declared and you should
pass
through the "red corridor". Some of the items that are being brought
to Russia permanently, for sale or commercial use, may incur customs tax,
which can go up to 30% of
the total
price (that is usually determined by the
customs
officials).
• Cash foreign currencies (if equivalent or more than $3000 US) or rubles (if more
than 500 minimum salaries, equals approximately 75,000 RUR which is approximately
$2500 at today's rate),
• Stocks and securities, including travelers cheques
• Alchohol (if more than 2 liters),
• Cigarettes (if more than 100), tabacco (if more than 250
gramm), cigars(in more than 50),
• Caviar (if more than 250 gramm), sturgeon(if more than 250
gm),
• Items
for commercial activity (including advertising materials)
If you have less than the allowed amount of the items listed above (e.g.
$2000 US in currency, 100 gm of caviar, 1 bottle of vodka etc.), then you do
not need
to declare it when you come / leave Russia and you don't have to pay extra
money
to be
able to bring it through. Just go through the "green corridor".
You can still bring in between $3000 and $10000 (or equivalent), but if you have
more than $3000, you need to declare it, so when you leave the country you can
prove you're not taking the money out of Russia.
Also, recently travelers cheques were made subject to declaration, so if you
want to avoid going through the red corridor, bring your money on credit cards
instead.
Special Permissions
The following items are necessary
to declare and are subject to special permission valid in Russia
or your doctor's prescription
when bringing in (and out): apparels, guns, explosives, ammunition, strong
medicines (anaesthesiacs, sleeping pills, etc.), psychotropic medicines,
items,
that have
cultural value for Russia (usually, more than 70 years old), poisons,
strong sedatives, radioactive materials, wild flora & fauna
that is in a danger of dissappearment, technical telecommunication
devices (radio phones, stations,
cable TVs with a frequency more than 900Ghz (except cell phones), printed
materials (of facist, racial, pornographic content), merchandise for
production or commercial
activities.
If you have any of the items above that you need to take out from Russia,
you should seek to obtain the special permission at the point of sale
or through the appropriate Ministry (e.g. Ministry of Culture for items
of cultural value).
Customs tax on commercial goods and items for personal
use
The goods that are brought in Russia for
professional use or for merchandise should be declared
and will be subject to the customs fee if their total value
exceeds 65 thousand rubles (approx. $2300 US) or if their total
weight
is more than
50 kilograms. The customs fee will be
30% of the total value (determined by the customs officers),
but not
less than 4 EUR per kilogram.
It is up to the customs officers to determine which goods are considered
to be for professional use, and which goods are for personal use, and
this border is
a bit blurred. The main thing to consider is that this regulation is
created to avoid illegal import. So if you are bringing ten new packed
cellphones the total value of which is more than $2300, you will most
likely be taxed. But if you bring in the items that you can prove are
for your personal use and you are going to take them back with you when
you leave Russia, you don't need to pay any tax.
For instance, if you bring in a laptop, you don't need
to declare it and no tax should be paid, even if you know it costs more
than $2150 US. However,
if you bring in two laptops, the customs may consider that you may sell
the second laptop, or you will be using it for commercial activity (to
establish an office, for example). In that case, they will
sum up their total cost and you will have to pay 30% (that is, if the
value of the both laptops is valued at $4000, you will pay $1200).
If you bring in a DV camera, which you have used before,
you won't need to declare it. However, if you bring, say, two new DV
cameras, packed,
the customs may consider you're going to sell them in Russia. Then if
the total value is determined at $3000 US, you will have to
pay $900
to
the customs.
If you bring in a professional video camera, even if
its value is less than $2000, the customs officers may consider that
it is an item for
commercial use, and may oblige you to pay a 30% tax on the value (which
they will determine). The only way to evade the tax is to prove that
it's for your
own personal use, and you are going to bring it back home. The main thing
that the officers should be sure about is that you're not going to sell
it in Russia, and you're not going to make some sort of commercial shooting
with it.
If you are moving to Russia and send a package with your clothes valueing
it more than $2300 US, then the customs will hold it until you pay 30%
tax to them. Obviously, to them it will look like you're importing the
clothes and they won't care that it's your personal belongings. So, in
this cases it's better to send smaller shipments or to carry the clothes
with you, so that it's possible to prove you're going to take it back.
In case you do not want to pay the customs tax, you
can leave the item at the border and take it back when leaving the country.
In this case
you will need to get an official paper from the customs which describes
exactly what item was taken, its value, and the reason for it being "detained" at
the border.
The customs rules and procedures change often, so to get the latest update contact
Customs Department of Sheremetyevo II international airport in Moscow at +7 095
578-7653. There are also customs information desks in the airport.
Also, we should notice, that the Russian customs is generally quite relaxed,
so it is very unlikely somebody will search through your bags or try
to tax everything you have. Just follow the rules, and you will be fine.
If you need to bring it
more than $3000, you can always keep them on credit cards, as there's
no limit on the amount of money you have there and ATMs are readily available
throughout Russia. A general rule for the items is to make
sure they are not going to be left or sold in Russia, then
you won't have to pay any taxes.
Comments, Questions...
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