Import/Export Customs regulations in Russia Customs regulations (for used personal effects and household goods) in Russian Federation are rather complicated and might be changed at anytime without prior notice by national customs authorities. We wouldn t recommend you attempt to customs clear any shipment through Russian customs on your own, unless you are familiar with the procedures. For your own comfort and peace, let a professional moving company handle everything for you. Ace International Moving offers full door-to-door removals from and to Russia, and worldwide, including packing, crating, export and import customs clearance of personal effects, household goods, antiques, artwork, cars etc. Should you have any questions regarding Russian import or export customs regulations, please send your requests by e-mail to office@ace-intl-moving.com, or give us a call at (+7 495) 953-4540 or 953-1482. We d be pleased to assist you with your move in our best manner. 1. Exporting Personal Effects from Russia worldwide If you decided to use the services of a professional moving company, such as Ace International Moving, we will take care of all customs formalities for you. Your presence at Russian customs house during the export customs clearance is not necessary neither mandatory, but you must provide to the mover certain documents enabling him (the mover) to act on your behalf. The number and types of documents required by customs authorities depend on the mode of transportation (sea, air, land) and on your individual status in Russia (foreign diplomat, foreign or Russian citizen, student, accredited employee, etc.). Generally, the documents required by customs office are: - a Notarized Power of Attorney (one original and two notarized copies) for Russian customs authorities (authorizing the moving company to perform export customs formalities on your behalf) - a Notarized Power of Attorney for the Ministry of Culture (in case you are exporting any artwork and antiques, for which export permissions are required) - a letter to Russian customs from your company/employer (with a company header on top and a stamp) - a copy of your passport - a copy of your Russian visa - a copy of your Russian accreditation card (if any) - a packing list/inventory of your belongings - a valued inventory (if you insure your personal effects) Your moving company must give you samples of all documents required for export formalities. The Power of Attorney can only be obtained personally by yourself from a Russian notary in Russia and must be signed by you personally at the notary's office. If you are a diplomat, a
Power of Attorney might be prepared and signed by your country s Ambassador or Consul and not a Notary. Reference to duties and taxes while exporting personal effects, they (duties/taxes) are not applied, but your shipment might be subject to import duties in your destination country. Always ask your moving company about customs regulations in your country of destination, since the customs laws are different in all the countries. 2. Exporting fine arts and antiques from Russia If you have (among your personal effects) objects of fine arts, antiques, old books, paintings or any other item older then 50 years, export permits (authorization to take the items out of the country) must be issued by Russian Ministry of Culture prior to the actual customs clearance of your shipment. Your moving company must handle this before your belongings depart from Russia. Otherwise (if you don t have such permission) the mentioned items might be forbidden for export and will be taken from the shipment and returned (in best case) to the shipper/mover during the customs inspection. 3. Importing personal effects into Russian Federation Before you move to Russia, chose a right international moving company, which will be able to offer you a full origin and destination services based on door-to-door delivery. Make sure your mover can handle the import customs clearance into Russia for you. Ask your moving company whether it has an agent in Moscow, who will take care of your belongings when they land in Moscow. Your moving company in your country of origin or its agent in Russia will provide you with all documents that are required in Russia in order to smoothly perform import customs clearance of your personal effects. Bear in mind (and it s very important!!!), that you must be already in Russia, before your personal belongings can be cleared through Russian customs. Your presence at Russian customs during the import customs clearance is not mandatory (like in other countries), since you will supply your moving company with a Notarized Power of Attorney (to act on your behalf) along with a number of other documents allowing your mover to handle the import customs clearance for you. All bellow mentioned documents must be in your moving company long before your shipment arrival to Moscow. Otherwise there will be storage charges at the airport or truck demurrage (if it s sea or surface shipment) at customs terminal due to the lack/unavailability of the documents for customs clearance. The number and types of documents required by customs authorities depend on the mode of transportation (sea, air, land) and on your individual status in Russia (foreign diplomat, foreign or Russian citizen, student, accredited employee, etc.). Generally, the documents required by customs office are:
- a Notarized Power of Attorney (one original and two notarized copies) for Russian customs authorities (authorizing the moving company to perform import customs clearance on your behalf) - a letter to Russian customs from your company/employer (with a company header on top and a stamp) - a copy of your passport - a copy of your Russian visa - a copy of your Russian accreditation card (if any) - a Russian TD10 Customs Form (Declaration for Unaccompanied Luggage). It s a customs form that you have to fill in at the airport upon your arrival to Russia or at any border crossing. If you are not given this form on board of a plane, ask it to a Russian customs officer, who sits in so called area of Red Corridor after collection of your hand luggage but before leaving the customs zone. This declaration is in English or Russian languages. The form must be duly completed (mention the number of packages, which flies or sails unaccompanied), signed by yourself and stamped by a Russian customs officer. Do not forget to take this declaration with you. Otherwise your personal effects (without such a form) might be subject to duties/taxes. - a packing list/inventory of your belongings - a copy of MAWB (Master Airway Bill) or B/L (Bill of Lading) If you bring your personal belongings to Russia you must be aware about duties and taxes which might be applied to your goods. Most of the imported household goods to Russia are subject to import duties. The amount of import duties is difficult to be calculated (before the goods arrival) and is not generally included in the original quotation from your moving company in your country. The reason for this is that it is rather difficult to determine the exact amount of import duties in advance due to the fact that the final amount depends on the different factors like: exact weight of the shipment (which can be known only after everything has been packed in your house); your personal effects value; cost of transportation/freight from your country of origin up to Moscow (which will be shown on MAWB). So, in order to calculate the total of import duties, your mover must supply a Russian agent with information about the total weight of your packed belongings, cost of the air, sea, land transportation, your goods value and a copy of the packing list. The following persons are exempted from duties and taxes while importing their own (used) personal belongings to Russia: Diplomats (upon presentation of the full package of the mentioned documents for import customs clearance). Foreign citizens with a due accreditation (upon presentation of the full package of the mentioned documents for import customs clearance). Returning Russian citizens. Only those Russian citizens are entitled for duty free release of their personal effects, who lived abroad for more than 6 month before entering Russian Federation and upon presentation of the full package of the mentioned documents for import customs clearance. Other foreign (particularly with tourist visa) and Russian citizens not complying with import customs regulations are subject to duties and taxes.