Customs clearance is the process of declaring goods to the Customs authorities for goods entering or leaving a country.
The purpose of customs clearance is to ensure that all applicable import duties and taxes are paid and that goods comply with all relevant regulations
When we speak about the Russian Federation, all the goods crossing the customs border of the Customs Union must be cleared at customs, regardless the type of transportation.
Many people consider customs clearance the most difficult part of the overall logistics process. This is partly true — the customs clearance procedure involves a deep knowledge of the legislation, filing in the correct package of documents, careful selection of HS codes, payment of all taxes, duties, fees, filling out declarations and much more. It requires attention to detail, careful monitoring of the process and, of course, experience.
The main difficulties that a client may encounter in the process of exporting/importing goods from abroad may be the refusal to release the cargo for free circulation — which entails delays in delivery times and additional costs (and, therefore, losses for the business), confiscation of the cargo, re-export, destruction at the expense of the importer, fines and penalties.
The problems with customs clearance often arise due to the lack of advance preparation and approval of a package of documents for customs clearance or insufficient information on the cargo. For example, a shipper may add something to a container at the last moment without notifying his client, or they may simply make a mistake with the quantity or assortment during loading.
Agora Freight professionals have experience in dealing with customs clearance, they know all the key factors and assist in selection of the correct HS codes while monitoring the preparation of the declaration and payment of duties and other necessary fees. We can prepare commodity declarations for a client’s contract or a broker’s contract — we work individually with each customer.
Agora Freight specialists will help you register with customs for export and import cargo cargoes. Please note that we only work with legal entities and not private individuals.
To get to know the customs fees – use our free customs fees calculator!
Customs Fees Calculator
Exporting goods from Russia
The following documents must be provided by the Seller for the import of goods to Russia:
Export Clearance Locations:
If the exporter has a customs post within their facility, cargo can be export cleared there. Some large Russian producers have this option.
If the exporter does not have an on-site customs post, cargo is usually export cleared at the nearest customs control zone.
Export cargo can also be cleared at the Russian port of exit.
Quoting for Export Cargo:
When quoting for export cargo, it’s best to have information on the export clearance location. This will impact the haulage rate from the place of loading to the port of loading.
Mind that only a Russian legal entity is allowed to export, none of the logistics companies can act as the exporter.
EXPORTING GOODS TO RUSSIA (=IMPORT INTO RUSSIA)
The Commercial Invoice must include:
All this documentation, relevant certifications/licenses, and appropriate shipping documents are all essential for successfully importing goods into Russia. Ensuring you have the right information and paperwork is crucial.
Responsibility of the Russian Importing Entity:
Importer of Record (IOR) System:
In some cases, a legal importing entity may not exist. The IOR system may be used in certain circumstances if this is the case. Please contact us (link) for more information if this situation applies.
Do not send any shipments without prior notification. Lack of required documents or non-compliant documents may result in goods being detained at Russian Customs, leading to substantial additional costs.
Ensuring the proper procedures are followed for paying import taxes and duties, as well as providing all necessary documentation, is critical to avoid delays and additional expenses when importing to Russia.
When exporting FCL (Full Container Load) to Russia, it is crucial that the container is officially weighed before it arrives at the overseas port of departure.
Russian customs strictly require that containers are weighed upon arrival at Russian ports of discharge.
If a discrepancy is found between the declared weight and the actual weight upon arrival in Russia, it will trigger a customs inspection, which may result in additional storage and incur a significant surcharge that the importer will be responsible for paying.
Additionally, the nominated forwarder will face administrative actions from the Russian authorities, which could include a fine of approximately USD 800.
