Customs Control

In order not to have problems with customs services while crossing the border of the Russian Federation it is necessary to know what and in what quantity can be taken with you in the trip. The maximum total cost of the goods imported by you should not exceed 1500 Euros, and their cumulative weight — 50 kg. For extra goods imported duties and taxes are paid on the rate at 30 % from customs cost but not less than 4 Euros per 1 kg of weight above permitted standard. Only 3 L. of alcoholic drinks (including beer), 200 pieces of cigarettes, 50 pieces of cigars, 250 g. tobacco can be brought free of charge.

It is possible to import at a time internal securities, currency of the Russian Federation, currency values and the traveller’s cheques which total cost is equal in an equivalent or less than 10 000 US dollars without written declaring into the Russian Federation.

If you constantly live outside the Russian Federation for the period of stay in Russia you can import all necessary subjects of the private use not intended for sale. The refugees, the compelled immigrants and also those who comes to Russia on a constant residence can import everything that had been acquired by them earlier without payment customs duties and taxes, without restriction of a total cost and weight, except for the car.

At departure from the territory of Russia the same rules operate concerning private use subjects as at import. But if there is a necessity to take out cultural values got during your stay in Russia it is necessary to be aware that: first of all, it is necessary to include the things bought into the declaration and to show their photo on border; secondly, the inquiry from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation is necessary that the things taken out are not on file of the state account and do not fall under action of the law from 15-04-1993 # 4804—I "About Cultural Values Export and Import" (with changes from 2.11.2004).

According to the Law "About Cultural Values Export and Import" cultural values are understood as the movable subjects of a material world located on the territory of the Russian Federation, namely:

• cultural values created by separate persons or groups of persons being citizens of the Russian Federation;
• cultural values having great value for the Russian Federation and created on the territory of the Russian Federation by foreign citizens and persons without citizenship, living on the territory of the Russian Federation;
• cultural values found on the territory of the Russian Federation;
• cultural values bought by archaeological, ethnologic and natural-scientific expeditions with the consent of the competent authorities of the country where these values come from;
• cultural values got as a result of voluntary exchanges;
• cultural values received as a gift or lawfully got with the consent of the competent authorities of the country where these values come from.

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