Customs control

Procedure for transfer of goods for personal used by individuals through customs border of the Customs Union.

Currently, the Russian Federation is a country, which is a member of the Customs Union.

The common customs territory of the Customs Union is made up of the territories of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation. The limits of the common customs territory of the Customs Union are the customs borders of the Customs Union.

Transfer of goods across the customs border of the Customs Union is regulated by the customs legislation of the Customs Union.

Customs legislation of the Customs Union defines the following concepts:

Goods are any movable property transferred across the customs border including the media, the currency of members of the Customs Union, securities and (or) currency values, traveler’s checks, etc.

Goods for personal usage are the goods intended for personal, family, household and other non-business activities, the needs of individuals moved across the customs border in accompanied or unaccompanied baggage or otherwise.

Indivisible goods for personal usage are the goods for personal usage weighing more than 35 kilograms, consisting of one unit or one set of goods, including roaming exploded, unassembled, incomplete or unfinished goods, provided that the same has the basic property of complete or finished product.

Accompanied baggage is the goods for personal use including hand luggage directly moved by an individual who crosses the customs border.

Unaccompanied baggage is the goods for personal usage, belonging to an individual, transferred or to be transmitted to the carrier under a contract of international carriage (transport forwarding) for the actual movement across the customs border in connection with the entry of that person into the territory of the Customs Union or departure from the customs territory of the Customs Union.

When crossing the customs border of the Customs Union by air, the following shall be subject to customs declaration (passenger customs declaration shall be filled):

imported goods, which customs value exceeds the equivalent of EUR 10,000 and (or) the total weight is over 50 kg;
imported and exported cash (bank notes, treasury notes, coins, with the exception of precious metal coins) and (or) traveler’s checks for the total amount exceeding the equivalent of US $ 10,000;
imported and exported monetary instruments (promissory notes, checks and securities);
cultural valuables;
exported state awards of the Russian Federation;
animals and plants under a threat of extinction, their parts and products derived from them;
weapons and explosives;
imported alcoholic beverages in the quantity exceeding 3 liters but not more than 5 liters;
narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances as medicinal drugs for medical indications in the presence of relevant documents;
radioelectronic and high frequency devices for civilian purposes including built-in or parts of other goods;
hardware with encryption functions;
goods for personal use received as inheritance provided the availability of documentary evidence of the receipt of such goods in inheritance;
goods for personal use imported in accompanied baggage, if an individual who moves them has unaccompanied baggage;
other goods specified by the customs legislation of the Customs Union.

ATTENTION! An individual has the right to declare at his will in writing the products that are not subject to customs declaration in writing.

A declarant of the goods moved across the customs border can be both a person of the state, a member of the Customs Union and a stranger. Customs declaration of goods for personal use of an individual, who has not reached the age of 16, shall be made by a person accompanying him (one of the parents, adoptive parents or guardian of the person, and, when traveling in organized groups of minors, by a team leader).

Failure to submit a customs declaration in respect of the above goods can be seen as a statement that the individual has no goods subject to customs clearance. Detection at selective customs control of goods subject to customs declaration entails bringing passengers to justice in accordance with the laws of the state, member of the Customs Union.

False information in the passenger customs declaration shall result in liability under the laws of the state, member of the Customs Union.

Submission of a passenger customs declaration must be accompanied by submission of documents to the customs authority confirming the declared information.

These documents include the following:

identity documents (including minors);
documents to prove adoption, custody or guardianship of the minor;
documents to prove value of the declared goods for personal use;
transport (carriage) documents;
documents to confirm the right to benefits on payment of customs duties, including those to confirm temporary import (export) by the individual of items for personal use, as well as confirming the recognition of the individual as a refugee, forcibly displaced or resettling to permanent residence person;
documents to prove compliance with restrictions, save for non-tariff and technical regulation;
documents containing information that can help identify the vehicle for personal use;
documents to confirm the right of ownership, use and (or) disposal of the vehicle for personal use;
other documents and information, which submission is provided for by the customs legislation of the Customs Union.

ATTENTION! Goods for personal usage, in which relation declaration may not be made, are not exempt from the customs control.

It is possible to import the following goods for personal usage to the customs territory of the Customs Union with exemption from customs duties:
which customs value does not exceed the equivalent of EUR 10,000 and the total weight does not exceeding 50 kg, moved by air in accompanied and unaccompanied baggage, including:

alcoholic beverages and beer not more than 3 liters per passenger of the age over 18 years;
tobacco and tobacco products: 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars (cigarillos) or 250 grams of tobacco, or the specified assorted products weighing less than 250 grams, based on one person over the age of 18 years;
second-hand goods imported by refugees, forcibly displaced persons, migrants;
received as inheritance, subject to documentary evidence of such goods being inherited; imported by diplomatic personnel, employees of the administrative and technical staff of a diplomatic mission or consular post and members of their families (except car bodies);
imported by individuals assigned by public authorities to work in a foreign country who remained outside the customs territory of the Customs Union not less than 11 months (subject to documentary evidence) (except car bodies);
imported by individuals temporarily residing abroad for at least one year (subject to documentary evidence), which customs value does not exceed the equivalent of EUR 5,000 (excluding car bodies);
imported back into the customs territory of the Customs Union in the same condition, subject to confirmation of their export from the territory of the Customs Union;
cultural values, provided that they are classified as such under the laws of members of the Customs Union;
urns with ashes, coffins with bodies (remains) of the deceased;
second-hand goods temporarily imported by foreign individuals into the customs territory of the Customs Union:
jewelry (in the amount necessary for use during temporary stay);
personal hygiene items (in the amount necessary for use during temporary stay);
cameras, camcorders, cine-cameras (not more than one item) and accessories (in the amount necessary for use during temporary stay);
portable cine-projectors, projectors for slide show (in the amount of not more than one item) and accessories (in the amount necessary for use during temporary stay);
portable video recorders (not more than one item);
portable sound recording and reproducing apparatus (including recorders), DVD-players (not more than one item) and accessories (in the amount necessary for use during temporary stay);
portable record players (in the amount of not more than one item) and records (in the amount necessary for use during temporary stay);
sound recording media, with and without records (in the amount necessary for use during temporary stay);
portable radios, flash players (in the amount of not more than one item) and accessories (in the amount necessary for use during temporary stay);
TV sets with the diagonal measurement of the screen not exceeding 42 cm (in the amount of not more than one item);
portable typewriters (in the amount of not more than one item);
binoculars (in the amount of not more than one item);
mobile phones (not more than 2 units);
portable personal computers (laptops) (not more than one) and accessories (in the amount necessary for use during temporary stay);
portable musical instruments (in the amount necessary for use during temporary stay);
buggies (in the amount necessary for use during temporary stay);
child seats attached to car seats (in the amount necessary for use during temporary stay);
wheelchairs for the disabled (in the amount necessary for use during temporary stay);
tools and accessories for sports, tourism and hunting, balloons (in the amount necessary for use during temporary stay);
portable dialysis unit and similar medical devices and consumables (in the amount necessary for use during temporary stay);
pets including those intended for hunting, sport (in the amount necessary for use during temporary stay).
When goods for personal use are imported by individuals into the customs territory of the Customs Union, the following rates of customs duties shall apply:
the uniform rate of 30% of the customs value of goods, but not less than 4 euros per 1 kg of weight in excess of the standard cost of an equivalent of EUR 10,000 and of 50 kg standard weight — in the case of import of goods for personal use, the customs value of which exceeds equivalent to 10,000 euros and of weight in excess of 50 kg;
the aggregate customs payment — in case of import of indivisible goods for personal use;
the uniform rate of 22 euros for 1 liter — in the case of import of ethyl alcohol in the amount of 3 to 5 liters;
the uniform rate of 10 euros per 1 liter in excess of 3 liters — in the case of import of alcoholic beverages and beer in the amount of 3 to 5 liters inclusive.

Goods for personal usage exported by individuals from the customs territory of the Customs Union are exempt from customs duties and taxes at flat rates and aggregate customs payment.

ATTENTION! An individual cannot export from the territory of the Customs Union the following products for personal use:

fish and seafood (except sturgeon caviar) in quantities more than 5 kg;
sturgeon caviar weighing more than 250 grams;

ATTENTION! In the case of classification of goods transported by an individual through the customs border as the goods not for personal use, customs operations in respect of such goods (including customs declaration) are made in the manner provided for the participants of foreign economic activity. Classification of goods transported by an individual through the customs border as the goods for personal use is made by the customs authorities based on:

an individual’s statement of transported goods (orally or in writing, using a passenger customs declaration);
the nature and the quantity of goods;
frequency of crossing by an individual and (or) moving goods by him through the customs border.

The following goods are not goods for personal use:

natural diamonds;
exported goods in respect of which export duties have been established;
district heating boilers;
mowers (excluding those for lawns), machines for hay collection, etc.;
sunrooms for suntan;
medical equipment (except which is necessary en route or on medical grounds), etc.

ATTENTION! Individuals shall be responsible for violation of customs regulations in accordance with the laws of the state, member of the Customs Union.

In case of disagreement with the actions of a customs official, an individual has the right to appeal against them in accordance with the laws of the state, member of the Customs Union.

The following are the goods for personal use, which movement by individuals across the border of the Russian Federation may be permitted by state authorities:

weapons, their main parts, ammunition — on permission from the Interior (Main directorate for protection of public order and coordination with the executive authorities of constituent entities of the Russian Federation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia — 15 Zhitnaya St., Moscow);
cultural values — permit to export cultural property issued by a public authority exercising control over trafficking of cultural property (Ministry of Culture of Russia — building 1, 2, house 7/6 M. Gneznikovsky Per., Moscow);
animals and plants under a threat of extinction, their parts and derived products — SITES permit issued by Rosprirodnadzor (4/6 B. Gruzinskaya St., Moscow), Rosprirodnadzor Department in Primorsky region (31 Okeansky Prospekt, Vladivostok, Primorsky region, 690000);
radioelectronic equipment and (or) high frequency devices for civilian purposes — permit of Roskomnadzor (Building 2, 7 Kitaigorodsky Proezd, Moscow);
technical means with an encryption function — notification registered by the Center of the Federal Security Service of Russia for licensing, certification and protection of state secrets (1/3 B. Lubyanka St., Moscow). A list of registered notifications filled out by the product manufacturer or an authorized person can be found on website tsouz.ru.

Import and shipment of drugs

Import, as well as international shipment of drugs by individuals, except for narcotic and psychotropic drugs, in accordance with the Agreement of June 18, 2010 “On the procedure for moving goods for personal use by individuals through customs border of the Customs Union and customs operations related to their release” is carried out without prohibitions and restrictions of the non-economic nature.

Import of drugs for personal use (for non-commercial purposes) not registered in the Russian Federation does not require submission of a license issued by the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade and permission of Federal Service for the Supervision of Public Health of Russian Federation.

Individuals have the right to import medicines for personal use containing narcotic and psychotropic substances only in limited quantities and for medical reasons in the presence of the relevant documents. As a rule, this is a doctor’s recipe or a certificate, an abstract from the medical history. These products are subject to customs clearance.

In order to find out whether restrictions and prohibitions on import into the territory of the Customs Union apply to your medicine, it is necessary to examine the drug for narcotic and psychotropic substances. A list of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances prohibited for trafficking can be found in Cl. 2.12. of the Uniform list of goods subject to prohibitions or restrictions on import or export by member states of the Customs Union within the Eurasian Economic Community in trade with third countries (see the Commission of the Customs Union website: tsouz.ru).

Export of medicines from the territory of the Customs Union is not under control.

Rules for import and export of pets

In accordance with the Resolution of the Customs Union Commission of March 2, 2011 No. 569, import of dogs and cats is allowed into the territory of the Customs Union if they are transported for personal use in the amount of not more than two pets without a permit to import and quarantine accompanied with an international passport, which is in this case equal to a veterinary certificate subject to the presence of a mark of the competent authority of clinical examination within five days prior to shipment. When importing from third countries, an international passport renewal to an accompanying veterinary document is not required.

The list of checkpoints across the customs border of the Customs Union, where sanitary-quarantine, veterinary and phytosanitary control is carried out, is posted on the official website of the Commission of the Customs Union in Section “Supervision and control of the safety of goods (products)”, as well as on the Rosselkhoznadzor site: fsvps.ru.

The official website of the Federal Customs Service of Russia.