russian federation export guide

7/27/2019 Russian Federation Export Guide

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RUSSIAN FEDERATION,

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ADDRESSES

LONDON ADDRESSES

Embassy of the Russian Federation , 6 and 7 Kensington Palace Gardens,

London W8 4QP; tel. 0207 229 3628, 6412 and 7281, fax 0207 727 8625 e-mail

[email protected], Website www.rusemblon.org

Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10 am to 12.30 Pm

Consular section , 5 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QS; tel. 0207

229 8027, fax 0207 229 3215

Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10 am to 12.30 Pm.

Office of the Trade Representative , 33 Highgate West Hill, London N6 6NL; tel.

0208 340 4492 and 1907, fax 0208 348 0112, e-mail [email protected]

Website rustradeuk.org

Open Monday to Friday 8.30 Am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5.30 Pm.

BRITISH POSTS

British Embassy,Smolenskaya Naberezhnaya 10, Moscow 121099; commercialsection tel. 00 7 095 956 7477, fax 00 7 095 956 7480,e-mail

[email protected], Website www.ukinrussia.fco.gov.uk/en

British Consulate-General,Commercial Section Pl. Proletarskoy Diktatury 5,Smolninskiy Raion,St. Petersburg 193124; tel. 00 7 812 (St. Petersburg) 320 3200,

fax 00 7 812 320 3211, e-mail [email protected],

Website www.britain.spb.ru

British Consulate-General, Commercial Section, Fourth floor, 15a Gogol Street,

Ekaterinburg 620075; tel. 00 7 343 (Ekaterinburg) 379 4931, fax 00 7 343 359

2901, email [email protected], www.ukinrussia.fco.gov.uk/en

BERR COUNTRY DESK

Trade Partners UK Kevin Reynolds tel. 0207 215 8445 or 8371

e-mail [email protected] Federation consists of 21 Republics, 6 territories, 49 regions 2 cities

(Moscow and St. Petersburg) of republican subordination and 11 autonomous

areas. Russia has been a member of the IMF and the World Bank since 1992

and is a 'country of operation'of the European Bank for Reconstruction and

Development. The country suffers from previous concentration on heavyindustry and high spending on defence. Although there are major

opportunities for participation in national development, the economy is weak

and imported goods, especially those sent by road, attract organised theft.

Infrastructure is weak from chronic under investment and lack of working

transport equipment. The fiscal and legal systems are underdeveloped. Therepublics of the former USSR now have co-ordinated policies in banking,
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energy, finance, transport, customs tariffs and foreign relations; in trade

between them payment is increasingly in hard currency rather than by barter

or other forms of countertrade. Russia is a member of the Eurasian Economic

Community EAEC and trades with other members without customs duties. The

Russian Federation is a member of a customs union with Belarus and

Kazakhstan.Russia is returning to private ownership of land, which has been state property

since the revolution of 1917, and it is hoped that sales of land will improve the

economic status of private and commercial landowners. Clear ownership

should also make it easier for businesses to borrow money from banks. The

danger is that the new market in land, without established prices orprocedures for transactions, may be exploited by the wealthy few and bring

little benefit to others.

Documentary and procedural requirements are subject to change often and

at short notice. Much detail which would be standard for other countries is

specified in individual contracts. Further information on exporting to Russia

from Trade Partners, e-mail [email protected] are in metric units. Where business is not part of an aid

programme, payment should be on secure terms. There may be long delays

in remission of hard currency even against letters of credit and bills of

exchange. Long credit periods are usually requested, and sellers' willingnessto grant them commonly decides whether business is done.

Travel: visitors must always carry proof of their identity. Mugging, theft etc. Are

common in streets, taxis and trains especially in major cities. The Ministry of

Foreign Affairs advises foreign nationals not to enter the Chechen Republic

and there is a state of emergency in areas of North Ossetia and Ingushetia.Advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office: tel. 0870 606 0290.

Seaports and Airports

Main seaports: St. Petersburg (Gulf of Finland); Murmansk (Barents Sea);

Arkhangelsk (White Sea); Novorossiisk (Black Sea) and Vladivostock (Sea ofJapan)

International airports: Moscow Sheremetyevo SVO, 18 miles from the city; St.

Petersburg Pulkovo LED, 10 miles from the city; there are extensive internal

servicesElectrical supply: 220 volts AC, 50 hz. Plug type C & F - see general section for

plug type. Type F used in new construction. Type C common in older

structures.Travel advice: Foreign and Commonwealth Office tel. 0870 606 0290. The

situation remains disturbed with several terrorist groups allied to Al-Qaeda.

INVOICE

No particular format specified: SITPRO form V5D (English and French, without

declaration of origin) is suitable and available from Tate Freight Forms Ltd; the

continuation sheet is V5CF. The invoice must show full details including

country of origin, details of packaging and value. An individual contract mayspecify special details and a translation into Russian if the invoice is drawn in

another language. Customs usually require two originals.

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN


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No general requirement provided the country of origin is stated on the

invoice, but an EC certificate may be requested.

SANITARY CERTIFICATE OR VETERINARY CERTIFICATE

Animals including birds, animal products such as wool, animal fodder and

plants require certificates issued by the UK Department of the Environmentand the Regions or the Ministry of Health for GOST certification.

The Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance

Rosselkhodznadzor in August 2009 ended the ban on importation of animals

and products susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease. Exporters may apply for

export health certificates as they did before the outbreak in August 2007.

Producing establishments must again have been inspected and certified by

the Russian authorities.

FACSIMILE SIGNATURES

Not accepted.

CONSULAR LEGALISATION

The Russian Federation is a signatory of the Hague Convention abolishing therequirement for legalisation of foreign public documents.

EXCHANGE CONTROL

There is a serious shortage of hard currency. Commercial banks issue import

permits against which the Bank for Foreign Trade allocates foreign currency,

but the arrangements are subject to change and exporters should confirm

the present position before agreeing to ship goods.

IMPORT LICENCE

Licences are required for many goods. The Russian Federation has a common

licensing system with its partners Belarus and Kazakhstan. Importers must

register with the Federal Tax Service and there must be a written salescontract for any importation. Licences are issued by the Ministry of Industry

and Trade.

CERTAIN PRODUCTS - SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Specified in the contract.

Agricultural products: Early in 2009 Russia demanded plant health passports

showing chemical treatments applied to agricultural products; it has alsoobjected to residues of veterinary medicines and pesticides in meat-based

products, has prohibited imports from some slaughterhouses and has

changed quotas for import preference of meat products.

Audiovisual goods and alcoholic drinks: mark of conformity (Gosstandart)required from 1st January 1999.Electrical devices: Safety or conformity certificates may be required for

various devices.

Foodstuffs: special labelling regulations since 1st May 1997.

Many goods for personal use (cosmetics, food, domestic electrical

appliances, furniture, machinery for handling food and cosmetics and forpackaging, building materials) require Hygiene certificates issued in Russia by

Sanepidemadzor, and these must be produced when applying for

certificates of conformity.

Pigs and pork products: restrictions relating to possible infection with swine

influenza (virus strain H1N1); products must be certified to show that they havebeen heated to at least 80 for at least 30 minutes.


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Wildlife: import permits for animals, plants and products covered by the

Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and

flora CITES.

PRESHIPMENT INSPECTION

PRESHIPMENT INSPECTION AND GOSSTANDART

Many goods in Russia and most imports require certification of compliancewith national standards by or on behalf of the Russian standards organisation

GOSTSTANDART. Products which meet GOST standards for testing and

labelling are expected to carry GOST conformity marks. Conformity with

international standards is usually not accepted; there is an agreement

between GOST and IEC on the certification of electrical products, but thesemust have been tested, or test reports evaluated, at a facility accredited by

GOST.

Products subject to mandatory certification include, among others:

agricultural products, chemicals, children's clothing and shoes, cosmetics and

toiletries, domestic appliances and furniture, electrical and electronic

equipment, industrial tools, information technology equipment, medicalequipment, nursery equipment, toys and and sporting goods. Such goods

require a hygiene certificate issued by ROSPOTREBNADZOR in Russia;

exporters should contact the commercial department of the British Embassy

in Moscow (tel. 007 503 956 7489) for the procedure.Certificates of conformity are issued in the UK only by SGS UK Ltd. (GOST

Department), SGS House, 217-21 London Road, Camberley, Surrey GUlS 3EY,

tel. 01276 697890, fax 01270 697888.

Certificates of conformity CoC are issued in the UK for many but not all of the

goods requiring them. A certificate normally travels with goods and ischecked by Russian customs at the point of entry; goods lacking certificates

cannot be cleared but are impounded and confiscated after two months ifCoCs are not produced.

Equipment may also require permits for use in Russia; these are issued by

GOSGORTECHNADZOR; details of the requirements and procedures may beobtained from the GOST department at SGS.

CoCs are of three kinds: individual shipment certificates; while the original is

valid the exporter may use certified copies (available from the agency) to

obtain cutoms clearance. Contract certificates: cover multiple shipments

under one contract. Serial production certificates valid for one year, or up tothree years subject to a process audit of the manufacturing site or sites.

CUSTOMS PROCEDURES AND TARIFF - ASSESSMENT OF DUTIES

Duties are ad valorem on CIF value. Goods imported by state tradingorganisations are admitted duty-free. Goods from the other EAEC members

Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are admitted duty-free. duty is

levied at 50% of the standard rate on goods from developing countries and

goods from 47 less-developed countries are admitted duty-free. Goods from

other countries, including those sent by mail, are subject to duty ad valorem

on the delivered value: rates are up to 30%. Goods are also subject to a

customs processing charge of 0.15% and VAT at 10% for foodstuffs and 20%for other goods, based on CIF value plus customs duty. Customs will not clear

goods unless the importer is a company registered in Russia. Customs

formalities are complicated and may take weeks to complete. It is reported

that customs procedures are recognised as onerous and are under review(summer 2010).


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There is a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Russia and the

EC under which qualifying goods are admitted to Russia at most-favoured

nation rates.

Customs clearance requires a deal passport which the import may apply for

at any bank which deals in foreign currency; it is also an instrument of

exchange control.A document of delivery control bearing details of the goods is often required

if customs clearance is at an inland office such as an airport: it is needed for

transit under customs procedure. If the procedure is not complied with, this

facility will not be available for future shipments.

Samples the duplicate list procedure. Samples must be accompanied by afull list (at least two copies) of the sample goods and form C&E 1246 showing

value, purpose of visit, intended duration and place of stay in Russia; signed

by a director or manager of the company responsible. This form and the list of

samples are endorsed by HM Customs at the port of departure to show that

the samples have left the UK. On arrival the lists are endorsed by Russian

customs who retain one copy; payment of duty and tax may also becollected and a receipt given. On departure, moneys paid will be refunded if

the goods are as on arrival and the receipt is presented. On return to the UK,

the endorsed C&E 1246 and list are presented to customs for the samples to

re-enter the country.

ATA carnets may be accepted by a few Russian customs posts.

MARITIME LAW

None reported: carriage will be subject to the Hague rules unless the carrier's

conditions of trade incorporate another convention such as the Hague Visby

rules.BILL OF LADING

There is no special legislation. If appropriate, an express bill or express releasemay be used.

CARGO MARKING

Requirements are included in contracts.CARGO INSURANCE

No general restriction, but specified in each contract.

PACKING MATERIALS

As specified in individual contracts. No general restrictions except that

materials liable to transmit infection, such as straw, must not be used.PACKING LIST

Should show contents of all packages, full description of goods, weights and

dimensions in total and individual packages. If in English, translation intoRussian may be requested. Two copies required.

POSTAL EXPORTS

Dutiable items are admitted in the mail. Russian or French language essential.

Export and import licences: The sender must ensure that if a licence is

required one is obtained before goods are sent. Technical documents,

including legal papers, are subject to formal customs clearance when

arriving in Russia. There may be some delay if the addressee cannot satisfyRussian customs about them. The addressee may also incur charges for

storing parcels if he does not respond to customs so that goods may be

released. Russian customs reserve the right to return parcels to sender if the

addressee does not pay for storage.Gifts


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Small quantities of certain articles may be imported without licence up to

specified limits, provided that they are intended for the use of the addressee

and his family. Gift parcels may not contain perishable food, foodstuffs in

hermetically sealed or glass containers, alcohol, used clothing, cloth or

thread.

Royal MailGifts sent by letter post must be sent unsealed by the small packet service

(surface only, weight limit 1 kg.). They must not exceed 8 in value and letters

must not be inserted.

Advice of delivery: available for recorded and registered letters. The Russian

postal authorities normal choose to have confirmation of delivery signed byan official of the post office of destination and not by the addressee. The

return of a card so signed shows that delivery was made to the address but

not necessarily to the addressee in person.

Recorded and registered delivery available, value limit for registered is 1,000.

Registered mail must not contain written messages beyond brief information

about the contents.Airmail: delivery aim 5-7 days, Swiftair and express delivery available.

Surface: delivery aim 3-5 weeks.

Parcelforce

Compensation is not offered on any Parcelforce service to Russia.

International Datapost: expected delivery main areas 3-6 days, elsewhere 10

days. Three invoices required for merchandise.

Parcels: expected delivery all areas standard 8-14 days, economy 23-45 days.Maximum weight 10 kg, length 1.5 metre, length and girth combined 3.0 m.

One invoice required.

Cash on delivery is not available.

National prohibitionsStamp collections sent to private persons; corrected proofs and printed

matter with marked words or phrases; documents, printed matter,

photographs etc. likely to be construed as prejudicial to Russian views;

narcotics; currency and monetary documents; copper sulphate; lottery

tickets.National restrictions

Books, newspapers, magazines, other printed papers and manuscripts: items

under wrapper containing scientific and technical reference material areadmitted without an import licence when sent by libraries or firms to state

libraries, trade unions, scientific organisations etc.; fashion plates (one copy

only) are admitted without an import licence. Engravings, maps and musical

scores (not more than one copy of each kind), medicines (must be

accompanied by a prescription issued by a doctor in Russia.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

Public holidays:Fixed dates: 1-2 Jan International New Year, 7 Jan Orthodox Christmas Day,

23 Feb Protector of Motherland Day, 9 May Victory Day, 12 Jun National Day,

4 Nov National Unity Day.


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Variable dates: Women's Day, Easter holidays, Working Day, Labour Day, May

Day, Day of Unity.

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