Federal Customs Service of Russia

Rules for travelers

Export currency over 10 thousand US dollars is temporarily prohibited from March 2, 2022 Relevant presidential decree of the Russian Federation was published on March 1, 2022. According to the document, export from the Russian Federation cash and monetary instruments in foreign currency in amount exceeding the equivalent of 10 thousand US dollars is prohibited. It is calculated at the official exchange rate of the Central Bank of the Russia established on the date of export.

While entering the Russian Federation

1) goods imported in accompanied luggage are exempt from customs duties:

goods for personal use (except for ethanol and indivisible goods), customs value of which does not exceed an amount equivalent to €1000 and the total weight is not more than 31 kilograms (€10,000 and total weight is not more 50 kilograms for aviatravelers only);

alcoholic beverages and beer in amount of not more than 3 liters, 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars (cigarillos) or 250 grams of tobacco or specified products in assortment, the total weight of which does not exceed 250 grams per one individual over the age of 18;

used goods for personal use in accordance with Annex 4 to the Agreement on movement of goods for personal use by individuals across the customs border of the Customs Union and customs operations related to clearance of the goods regardless of their customs value and weight.

2) goods indicated in Paragraph 1 and imported in accompanied luggage are not prohibited and are not restricted for import.

3) imported Russian rubles, foreign currency, travelers cheques are not subject to customs declaring, and can be moved through the “Green” Channel (Green Corridor) if their total amount does not exceed the equivalent of U.S. $10,000.

4) you have no unaccompanied luggage (including the luggage that has not arrived).

When departing from the Russian Federation

1) exported goods are exempt from customs duties.

2) exported goods are not prohibited and are not restricted for export.

3) exported Russian rubles, foreign currency, travelers cheques are not subject to customs declaring, and can be moved through the “Green” Channel (“Green” Corridor) if their total amount does not exceed the equivalent of U.S. $ 10,000.

WARNING! Moving goods through the “Green” Channel (“Green” Corridor) being subject to customs declaring constitutes a customs offense for which administrative and in some cases criminal liability is provided.

If you are not sure which corridor to choose, you should go through the Red Channel

RED CHANNEL (RED CORRIDOR) FILL IN THE DECLARATION AND CHOOSE THE RED CHANNEL (RED CORRIDOR) IF:

WHILE ENTERING THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

1) you import dutiable goods, including:

- goods which value exceeds €1000 in equivalent and weight is over 31 kg (€10,000 in equivalent and weight is over 50 kg for aviatravelers only);

- over 3 liters of alcoholic beverages and beer per one individual over the age of 18;

- indivisible goods;

- ethanol.

2) you bring in goods is prohibited or restricted to import.

3) you import Russian rubles, foreign currencies, travelers’ cheques in equivalent exceeding U.S. $10,000 and (or) securities.

The entire amount is subject to declaring.

4) you carry unaccompanied luggage (even if the luggage or some part of it has not arrived) or goods have arrived via freight delivery or express delivery.

5) you want to declare imported goods.

6) you import products, which can be exempted from customs duties only upon presentation of relevant documents (for example, resettlement to permanent residence, inheritance of the goods, re-import of the goods previously exported from the territory of the Russian Federation, etc.)

7) you import transport vehicles.

WHILE DEPARTING FROM THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

1) you export the goods prohibited or restricted for export.

2) you export Russian rubles, foreign currencies, traveler’s cheques in the amount exceeding U.S. $10,000 in equivalent and (or) securities.

The entire amount is subject to declaring.

3) you want to declare exported goods.

4) you export transport vehicles.

Passenger Customs declaration

Import of goods for personal use – goods intended for personal, family, home and other needs of individuals not engaged in business activities – to the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is exempt from customs duty.

Goods moved across the customs border of the EAEU are acknowledged by the customs authority as goods for personal use on the basis of:

1) statement of an individual about goods moved across the customs border of the EAEU in oral or written form using a passenger customs declaration;

2) nature and quantity of goods;

3) frequency of crossing of the customs border of the EAEU and (or) transportation of goods across the customs border of the EAEU by an individual or to their address.

Categories of goods not related to goods for personal use are determined by the list (Appendix No. 6 to the Decision of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission dated December 20, 2017 No. 107)

Declared goods:

1) goods for personal use moved across the customs border of the EAEU in unaccompanied baggage, or goods for personal use delivered by a carrier;

2) goods for personal use subject to prohibitions and restrictions, and requiring the provision of documents and (or) information confirming compliance with such prohibitions and restrictions (Annex No. 2 to the Decision of the EEC Board No. 30 dated April 21, 2015);

3) goods for personal use moved across the customs border of the EAEU in accompanied baggage, in respect of which customs duties and taxes are payable (Annex No. 2 to the Decision of the EEC Board No. 107 dated December 20, 2017);

4) goods for personal use, imported with exemption from customs duties, taxes in accompanied baggage (Annex No. 3 to the Decision of the EEC Board No. 107 dated December 20, 2017);

5) vehicles for personal use, transported across the customs border of the EAEU by any means, with the exception of vehicles for personal use, registered in the EAEU Member States (List of certain types of automotive and motor vehicles and trailers to automotive and motor vehicles for personal use);

6) temporarily imported vehicles for personal use, located on the customs territory of the EAEU in cases of their export from the customs territory of the EAEU, release for free circulation before the expiry of the temporary import and transfer of temporarily imported vehicles in cases other than those specified in paragraphs 7-9 of article 264 of the Customs Code of the EAEU;

7) cash and (or) traveler’s checks, if the total amount of such cash and (or) traveler’s cheques for their one-time import into the customs territory of the EAEU or one-time export from the customs territory of the EAEU exceeds an equivalent of 10 thousand US dollars at the exchange rate valid on the day of submission of the passenger customs declaration to the customs authority;

8) cash instruments other than traveler’s cheques;

9) cultural values in respect of which prohibitions and restrictions apply;

10) goods for personal use sent by international mail.

An individual has the right, on their own volition, to declare goods for personal use not subject to customs declaration, for the purpose of accounting for cost, weight and (or) quantitative limits, subject to which goods for personal use are imported into the EAEU customs territory without paying customs duties and taxes.

ATTENTION! In order to avoid criminal liability under Art. 226.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, it is mandatory to declare goods for personal use of the total cost of 1 million rubles and more, including items made of precious metals and stones, as well as natural pearls; pocket and wrist watches with cases of precious metals; cases, straps, ribbons and bracelets for watches made of precious metals.

Rules for moving goods

(in accordance with the decision of Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission dated April 21, 2015 No 30 “On non-tariff regulation measures”)

In cases of violation of the customs legislation, administrative and criminal liability is provided for in the Russian Federation.

Cases of administrative prosecution:

• concealing goods from customs control by using hiding places or other methods that impede the detection of goods, or by disguising some goods as others when moving them across the customs border of the Eurasian Economic Union;
• failure to declare goods in the prescribed form or inadequate declaration of goods subject to customs declaration;
• non-compliance with prohibitions and (or) restrictions on the importation of goods into the customs territory of the Eurasian Economic Union or into the Russian Federation and (or) the export of goods from the customs territory of the Eurasian Economic Union or from the Russian Federation;
• failure to declare or inadequate declaration by individuals of cash and (or) monetary instruments;
• movement of goods and (or) vehicles or persons across the border of the customs control zone or within its borders or the implementation of industrial or other economic activity without a permit from the customs authority, if such a permit is necessary;
• violation of the terms of temporary storage of goods;
• failure by individuals to export temporarily imported goods and (or) vehicles from the customs territory of the Eurasian Economic Union within the prescribed time limits for temporary importation or failure by individuals to re-import temporarily exported goods to the Russian Federation, subject to mandatory re-importation in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation;
• transfer of the right to use or other disposal of vehicles temporarily imported by individuals inconsistent with the conditions established by the customs legislation of the Eurasian Economic Union;

in other cases, stipulated by the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation.

Cases of criminal prosecution:

• evasion of payment of customs duties levied on an entity or an individual;
• smuggling of disposable funds and (or) monetary instruments;
• smuggling of alcoholic beverages and (or) tobacco products;
• smuggling of potent, poisonous, explosive, radioactive substances, radiation sources, nuclear materials, firearms or their main parts, explosive devices, ammunition, weapons of mass destruction, their delivery vehicles, other weapons, other military equipment, as well as materials and equipment that can be used to create weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery, other weapons, other military equipment, as well as strategically important goods and resources or cultural valuables or especially valuable wildlife and aquatic biological resources;
• smuggling of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their precursors or analogues, plants containing narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their precursors, or their parts containing narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their precursors, tools or equipment that are under special control and are used for the manufacture of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances.

Customs for business

The Customs Code of the Eurasian Economic Union

Contact information

Unified technical support service: +7 (499) 449-78-66

Help telephone service: +7 (499) 449-77-71

Reception of FCS of Russia: +7 (499) 449-76-75

Address: 121087, Moscow, Novozavodskaya st. 11/5

E-mail: fts@ca.customs.gov.ru

Official site of the FCS of Russia: https://eng.customs.gov.ru

Official site of Japan Customs: https://www.customs.go.jp

Official site of The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC): https://eec.eaeunion.org/en