Information about Customs Clearance in Russia
The Custom Clearance rules in Russia are generally regarded as very complicated and longwinded. They are quite ambiguous at times, making it difficult for people to interpret their true meaning. This is why, at times people find it very confusing to ship products to Russia. The Federal Customs Service controls the export of all kinds of goods to places in the Russian Federation. It operates a website (in English and Russian) where people can obtain all kinds of information about customs related rules and regulations in the country. It also allows them to download custom declaration forms and other relevant documents.
In order to make sure that the goods shipped are released and delivered on time, you need to make sure that all duties and value added taxes are paid in advance. All kinds of payments have to be made in advance, even before the goods cross the Russian border, especially for items such as tobacco and alcohol. These rules apply to all modes of transportation, such as ocean freight and air freight. The duties and taxes depend on the type of goods that are being shipped. Besides, they also depend on Russia's trade relations with countries where they are shipped from.
The duties and taxes are usually expressed percentages of the total value of items shipped. Apart from the duties and taxes, you will also need to pay a processing fee charged by the Federal Customs Service (which is around 0.15 % of the total cost of an item). The amount usually depends on the current exchange rate and it takes around 3 business days for the fees to be processed by the customs service. This is why, you need to make sure that the fees are paid well in advance so that the items shipped can be cleared on their arrival in Russia.
The Customs Service in Russia has also made it difficult for people to send any items to individuals in Russia, especially those items which are dutiable (taxable). Also, the value of the item that is being shipped should not exceed $100 or else it may not be cleared. Before sending anything to Russia, you will also need to educate yourself about the products which are banned from being shipped to the country. You can obtain information about the same by
visiting the official website of the customs service. Also, you should know that custom clearance rules may be different in different regions of the country.
The whole process of obtaining Custom Clearance begins by declaring the goods to the customs service. You can declare the same by filling and submitting the form online. After the form is submitted, you will be informed of the taxes, duties and other fees that need to be the paid. You can make the payment of the fees online and then you will be able to ship the items. If the goods are not declared in advance, you will not get clearance for them. You might also need to provide other documents, which are demanded by the Federal Customs Service.