SUMMARY
The Russian Federation spans the continents of Europe and Asia. It has coastlines on the Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Caspian Sea and Black Sea. It is bordered by Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus and the Ukraine in the west; Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China in the south.
Capital:
Moscow.Port(s):
St. Petersburg, Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Novorossiisk, Vladivostock.Population:
144.5 million (2003 estimate).International Country Code:
RU.Documentary requirements and import restrictions in Russia change constantly. It is therefore important to communicate regularly with your customer, shipper/freight forwarder and the various diplomatic posts listed on these pages.
LANGUAGE(S)
Russian.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
Metric system.
ELECTRICITY SUPPLY
220v. 50 cycles AC.
CURRENCY(-IES)
1 Russian ruble (RUR) = 100 kopeks.
EXCHANGE RATE
50.45 RUR = £1 sterling (fluctuating rate).
INTERNATIONAL DIRECT DIALLING CODE(S)
00 7.
TIME
3 to 12 hours ahead of GMT. Clocks change (by one hour) to summer and winter time at the end of 30 March and at the end of September, respectively.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
1, 2, 7 (Orthodox Christmas Day), 14 (Orthodox New Year) Jan; 23 (Defence of the Motherland) Feb; 8 (Women’s Day) Mar; 1 (Labour Day), 9 (Victory Day) May; 12 (National Day) June; 7 (Accord and Reconciliation Day) Nov; 12 (Constitution Day) Dec; and the Easter holidays.
EMBASSY(-IES)
13 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QX. Tel: 020 7229 2666, 3628, 6412, fax: 020 7727 8625, e-mail: office@rusemblon.org — website: www.great-britain.mid.ru (Link to an external site - Disclaimer 
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) Consular Section: 5 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QS. Tel: 020 7229 8027, fax: 020 7229 3215.
Trade Delegation, Westfield, 33, Highgate West Hill, London N6 6NL. Tel: 020 8340 4492, 020 8340 1907, fax: 020 8348 0112, e-mail: info@rustradeuk.org.
BRITISH EMBASSY
Smolenskaya Naberezhnaya 10 Moscow 121099. Tel: 00 7 095 956 7200, fax: 00 7 095 956 7201, e-mail: moscow@britishembassy.ru — website: www.britemb.msk.ru (Link to an external site - Disclaimer ). Commercial: Tel: 00 7 095 956 7477, fax: 00 7 095 956 7480, e-mail: commercial.moscow@fco.gov.uk
). Commercial: Tel: 00 7 095 956 7477, fax: 00 7 095 956 7480, e-mail: commercial.moscow@fco.gov.ukBritish Consulate General, Commercial Section: Pl Proletarskoy Diktatury 5, Smolninskiy Raion, St Petersburg 193124. Tel: 00 7 812 320 3200, fax: 00 7 812 320 3222, e-mail: commercial@stpetersburg.mail.fco.gov.uk — website: www.britain.spb.ru (Link to an external site - Disclaimer ). Opening hours: Monday to Friday 09:00-13:00 14:00-17:00.
). Opening hours: Monday to Friday 09:00-13:00 14:00-17:00.British Consulate-General, Commercial Section, 4th Floor, 15a Gogol Street, Ekaterinburg 620075. Tel: 00 7 3432 554931, fax: 00 7 3432 592901, e-mail: brit@sky.ru — website: www.britain.sky.ru (Link to an external site - Disclaimer ).
).CHAMBER(S) OF COMMERCE
Russo–British Chamber of Commerce, 42 Southwark Street, London SE1 1UN. Tel: 020 7403 1706, fax: 020 7403 1245, e-mail: mail@rbcc.co.uk — website: www.rbcc.co.uk (Link to an external site - Disclaimer ).
).Russian Chamber of Commerce, 6 Ilynka Street, Moscow 109012. Tel: 00 7 095 929 0009, fax: 00 7 095 929 0360, e-mail: dios-inform@tpprf.ru — website: eng.tpprf.ru (Link to an external site - Disclaimer ).
).Russo-British Chamber of Commerce, Ducat Place II, 3rd Floor, 7 Ulitza Gasheka, Moscow 123056. Tel: 00 7 095 961 2160, fax: 00 7 095 961 2161, e-mail: mail@rbcc.com.
St Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ulitsa Chaikovskogo 46-48, St Petersburg 191123. Tel: 00 7 812 273 4896, fax: 00 7 812 272 6406/8612, e-mail: info@spcci.ru
IMPORT RESTRICTIONS
Some items are prohibited; import licences are required for certain goods (to be obtained by the importer). An Import Passport must be issued by the importer’s bank to allow payment against fulfilment of the contract. Exporters should check the latest legislation before despatch as procedural requirements are subject to change.
EXCHANGE CONTROL
Foreign exchange is allocated by the Central Bank upon receipt of import permit. However, exchange control regulations are subject to change and exporters should check the current position before committing themselves.
BILL(S) OF LADING
No special wording required.
CONSULAR INVOICE(S)
None.
CERTIFICATES OF ORIGIN
Statement of origin required for all deliveries but the requirement for a Chamber of Commerce Certificate of Origin is generally specified in the contract.
COMMERCIAL INVOICES
Must contain full details of the goods, value plus packing information. Also, it is important that the Country of Origin is shown on your invoice. Invoices should be originally signed. Generally six copies required. It is important to check individual contract, which may stipulate other details required on the invoice. It may ask for a Russian translation of the document.
SPECIAL CERTIFICATE(S)
A Certificate of Conformity is required for most goods going to Russia. These are obtained, following inspection, from SGS (GOST) UK Ltd, SGS House, 217-221 London Road, Camberley, Surrey GU15 3EY (tel: 01276 697890; fax: 01276 697888). SGS is accredited by the Russian State Standardisation, Measurement and Certification Committee (Russian State Standards Committee (GOSSTANDART) to undertake these inspections. The Certificate of Conformity, once issued, normally travels with the goods and is presented to Customs at the point of entry and should be available on demand by the authorities as evidence of certification. If the Certificate of Conformity is not available the goods can be impounded or confiscated after two months.
Products such as cosmetics, food and textiles, which come into human contact must also be accompanied by a Hygiene Certificate (issued by Sanepidemadzor of Russia). This needs to be obtained before the Certificate of Conformity is requested — contact SGS for details. Food products also require special labelling requirements and testing and exporters are advised to contact the Commercial Department, British Embassy, Moscow (tel: 007 095 956 7477) for the current requirements.
Certificates are required from DEFRA or Department of Health for exports of plants, animals, birds, raw products of origin (including raw wool) animal fodder etc.
Some equipment may also require GOSGORTECHNADZOR permits for their safety of operation within Russia. For advice and information on all certification requirements and procedure contact SGS (GOST Department).
MARKING OF GOODS
These are specified in individual contracts. Exporters of food products to the Russian Federation must ensure that they comply with regulations on the labelling of foodstuffs. The following information should be included on the container or label of the products: product name, country of origin, name of the manufacturer, the weight and volume of the product, names of the main ingredients in the product (including food additives), nutritional information (eg vitamins), storage conditions, date of production and use-by date, cooking instructions (for half-finished products and baby food), recommendations for use (for biologically active food additives), and conditions of use.
Also, all food, cosmetic and toiletry products entering Russia must be labelled in Russian. GOSSTANDART certificates (available through SGS in the UK or directly through Rostest in Moscow) are required as well. For electrical or electronic goods, an “EMC” certificate is required.
Labelling of most consumer products, foodstuffs and drinks must be in Russian on its own or together with English. Bar codes where applicable should also be added.
PACKING MATERIAL
Specified in individual contracts.
MARKING OF CASES
Specified in individual contracts.
SHIPPING ARRANGEMENTS
Unifeeder weekly service (agent: Johnson Stevens); Coli Shipping (UK) Ltd; Containerships (UK) Ltd; Barwil Agencies; Eimskip UK; Fred Olsen Agencies; Andrew Weir Agencies; Argomann Ferry Service; John Good & Sons (Hull) Ltd.
Overland road services: East European Transport; Enterprise Forwarding Ltd; M&TM Freight (UK) Ltd; Kuehne & Nagel; Orient Freight Group; PSA Transport; Charles Gee & Company; Eurogate International Forwarding; Whittle Eastern Europe; Rohlig UK Ltd; FS Mackenzie; Kepstone Freight Services; DFDS Transport; Maru; Blue Water Shipping.
AIR FREIGHT
Services from the UK: Aeroflot; British Airways World Cargo.
POSTAL PARCELS
Parcels must be strongly packed.
SAMPLES
It is important that the proper procedures are followed for the temporary importation of the goods. Failure to comply with the rules may result in goods being seized and, in more serious cases, penalty fines also being levied. Russia is a member of the ATA Convention, but, in practice, only a handful of Customs posts in are able to handle them. For a detailed note on the operation of carnets in Russia please e-mail Export Info ( exportinfo.russia@tradepartners.gov.uk). A system known as the Duplicate List system is still in use.
The procedure is as follows:
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HM Customs & Excise form C&E1246 and a detailed list of items on headed paper (four copies if flying direct to Russia) showing the details of travel within Russia (eg location of the goods), period within the country, a description of the goods including serial numbers and identifying marks (if possible), the value of the goods and the purpose for the visit.
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The document should be signed by a manager or director within the exporting company.
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The following describes the Duplicate List procedure:
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C&E1246 form with a copy of the list should be presented to HM Customs at the port/airport of departure prior to entering passport control. Customs will endorse both forms, certifying that the goods were removed from the UK. Both copies should be retained by the declarant.
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On arrival in Russia the goods and two copies of the duplicate list should be presented to Russian Customs. They will also endorse the lists and retain one copy for their records. Russian Customs may require an amount of money (bond) to secure the potential duty and tax liability on the goods whilst they are within Russia. The amount demanded will be based on the value of the goods, the period within Russia and the information provided in the duplicate list. Whatever amount is paid as a deposit, a receipt will be issued and should be kept safely as it will be required to reclaim the money. On departure from Russia, the list, receipt and the goods should be presented to Russian Customs. An inspection may be carried out to ensure that all the goods are present. Providing this is the case the list will be stamped (and a copy retained by Russian Customs) and the deposit repaid.
On arrival back in the UK, the goods and the C&E1246 (with list) should be presented to HM Customs to allow re-entry into the UK. (If arriving by air, then enter the Red Channel to report to Customs).
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For a comprehensive guide on exporting to Russia, please e-mail Export Info ( exportinfo.russia@tradepartners.gov.uk). The Trade Facilitation Agency SITPRO ( www.sitpro.org.uk
) can also give detailed technical advice on exporting to Russia.
BANK(S)
Bank of Russia; AMI Bank; Baltica Bank; Bank of Business Assistance; Bank of Moscow; Credit-Moscow Bank; East European Investment Bank; Investment Trade Bank; Kremlin Bank; Lubyanka Commercial Bank; Russian Project Finance Bank; Technobank; Trado-Bank; United Export-Import Bank; Vnyeshtorgbank (Bank of International Trade).
DUTIES
Assessed ad valorem on the CIF value of the shipment. No duties charge on goods imported by state trading organisations. Import Customs formalities are complicated but should take no longer than a month to complete. Clearance into Russia can only be completed by a company registered in Russia. Duty rates range between 0-30 per cent with an average of 14 per cent. A Customs processing fee is also levied (0.15 per cent) and VAT is charged on goods entering Russia at the rate of 20 per cent (10 per cent for foodstuffs) calculated on the CIF value of the shipment but Customs duty paid. Information on the standard rates of duty on goods entering Russia and the preference applicable to EU qualifying goods can be found on the EU Market Access Database page “Applied Tariffs Database”, http://mkaccbd.eu.int (Link to an external site - Disclaimer ).
).UK REGULATIONS
All goods must be declared to Customs on leaving the EU (generally arranged by the freight forwarder/carrier). The export declaration for shipments leaving the EU from a UK port or airport is via the electronic system known as NES. All goods subject to export controls (ie covered by an export licence — SIEL, OGEL or OIEL), coming under CAP regulations or otherwise controlled under Customs regulations (eg under IPR/OPR, etc) must be exported with a full declaration unless the shipper is authorised to use one of the simplified NES procedures. All shipments must be given a Unique Consignment Reference (UCR) made up of the shipper’s VAT Number, TURN and export reference, eg invoice number.
Export Controls: Certain classes of goods are controlled under National and EC Regulations. Examples are military goods and dual-use technology. These are listed on www.dti.gov.uk (Link to an external site - Disclaimer ) website under Export Control. Other goods not listed in the statutory instruments may be controlled if their end-use involves chemical, biological or nuclear weapons or the means of delivering them. Subscribers are recommended to seek advice from the DTI Export Control Organisation Helpline, tel: 020 7215 8070.
) website under Export Control. Other goods not listed in the statutory instruments may be controlled if their end-use involves chemical, biological or nuclear weapons or the means of delivering them. Subscribers are recommended to seek advice from the DTI Export Control Organisation Helpline, tel: 020 7215 8070.This information was taken from Croner's Reference Book for Exporters.
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