Chapter 24.
CONVEYANCE OF GOODS BY INTERNATIONAL MAIL
Article 291. International Mail
1. For the purpose of application of the provisions of this Chapter, international mail shall be defined as any postal items accepted for dispatch from the customs territory of the Russian Federation, arriving in customs territory of the Russian Federation, or transiting in said territory. International mail comprises the following categories:
(1) letters (ordinary, registered, registered with statement of value);
(2) postcards (ordinary, registered);
(3) parcels and special “M” bags (ordinary, registered);
(4) cecograms (ordinary, registered);
(5) small bags (registered);
(6) packages (ordinary, with statement of value);
(7) international express-mail items.
2. International mail shall not be released to recipients by postal service organisations or dispatched to the addressees located outside the customs territory of the Russian Federation without authorisation by the customs authorities.
Article 292. Prohibitions and Restrictions on the Importation to and Exportation from the Customs Territory of the Russian Federation of Goods by International Mail
1. Prohibited for dispatch by international mail shall be the following goods:
(1) the goods prohibited for importation to and exportation from the customs territory of the Russian Federation;
(2) the goods whose dispatch by mail is prohibited by the regulations of the Universal Postal Union;
(3) other goods subject to restrictions imposed pursuant to the Federal Law of the Russian Federation on the State Regulation of Foreign Trade Activities whose register may be determined by the Government of the Russian Federation.
2. With regards to the goods whose importation to or exportation from the customs territory of the Russian Federation is restricted by Russian law or international treaties, to which Russia is party, the senders or recipients thereof or the persons acting on their behalf shall be obliged to submit to the customs authorities all the requisite permits, licenses, certificates, and other documents confirming their observance of the above-mentioned restrictions.
3. The goods dispatched by international mail shall not be liable for any restrictions of economic nature stipulated by the Federal Law of the Russian Federation on the State Regulation of Foreign Trade Activities in the following instances:
- if the goods’ customs value does not exceed the limits stipulated by Sub-Item 2) of Item 2 in Article 319 of this Customs Code;
- if the goods are dispatched to natural persons and are intended for personal use;
- in the other instances determined by the Government of the Russian Federation.
4. Withdrawal of the goods prohibited and/or restricted for posting by international mail as well as disposal thereof is effected by the customs authorities in pursuant to this Customs Code or in the order prescribed by the Government of the Russian Federation wherever the provisions of this Customs Code do not apply.
Article 293. Customs Registration of Goods Posted by International Mail
1. The customs registration of goods posted by international mail accompanied with the documents stipulated by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) shall be conducted in accordance with this Customs Code and with consideration of the peculiarities stipulated by this Chapter.
2. The customs registration of goods dispatched by international mail shall be conducted as a priority procedure within the shortest possible time, which should not exceed three days. The specific time limits of customs registration formalities are determined by the Federal Customs Authority in coordination with the Federal Postal Authority.
3. Customs registration of the goods dispatched by international mail shall be carried out at international postal exchange offices, except the case stipulated by Item 6 herein. The register of post offices authorised to operate as international postal exchange offices is determined and approved by the Federal Customs Authority in coordination with the Federal Postal Authority.
4. In the instance when all the details, which the customs authorities may require for customs clearance purposes, are contained in the documents stipulated the statutes and regulations of the Universal Postal Union accompanying international mail items, no separate customs declaration will be required, except in the instances stipulated by Item 5 herein.
5. A separate customs declaration pertaining to posted goods shall be required in the following instances:
[1] the customs value of the goods imported to the customs territory of the Russian Federation exceeds the limits prescribed for the conveyance of goods by international mail exempt from customs duties and taxes, as per Item 1 of Article 295 in this Customs Code, except the cases when such goods are addressed to natural persons and are intended for personal, family, household and other use which is not associated with any entrepreneurial activities;
[2] the goods sender ought to confirm their exportation from the customs territory of the Russian Federation to customs and/or tax authorities;
[3] the goods imported to the customs territory of the Russian Federation are intended for placement under a customs procedure which does not stipulate their release for free circulation.
6. The customs registration formalities pertaining to the goods, whose posting needs to be formalised in a separate customs declaration, as per Item 5 herein, may be effected by the customs office whose sphere of activities covers the goods’ senders or recipients in compliance with the procedures prescribed by the Federal Customs Authority in coordination with the Federal Postal Authority.
7. The customs registration of goods exported from the customs territory of the Russian Federation by international mail, whose dispatch needs to be formalised by a separate customs declaration, as per Item 5 herein, shall be fulfilled by their senders or the persons acting on their behalf prior to the submission of said goods to a postal offices for their dispatch.
Article 294. Customs Inspection and Customs Control of International Mail
1. Upon a request by the customs authorities, postal offices will submit international mail for the purpose of customs inspection and customs control. The methods of such submission are determined by customs authorities.
2. The customs authorities shall not request presentations for inspection of the following international mail items:
- postcards and letters;
- cecograms [literature for blind people].
The customs authorities have the right to demand that postal offices present specific international mail items for inspection and customs control when they have sufficient reasons to suppose that that said mail items contain the goods prohibited or limited for importation to the customs territory of the Russian Federation, as well as in the instances when customs control and customs inspections are conducted on a random or selective basis.
3. The customs authorities have the right to demand that postal offices present to them the exportable international mail items which they deem to subject to customs control or customs inspections on a random or selective basis.
4. In performing customs inspections or customs control, the customs authorities shall make maximum use of the customs control technical facilities.
Article 295. Customs Duties and Taxes Levied on Goods Mailed by international mail
1. The goods dispatched from the customs territory of the Russian Federation by international mail shall be exempted from customs duties and taxes provided the value of such goods addressed within one week to the same recipient does not exceed 10,000.00 roubles.
2. The goods intended for personal use dispatched by international mail to natural persons shall be exempted from customs duties and taxes completely or partially. The Government of the Russian Federation pursuant to Article 282 of this Customs Code establishes general rates of customs duties and taxes applicable to the goods whose value exceeds the cost of the goods dispatched exempt from customs duties and taxes with regard to said excess.
3. The customs duties and taxes with regard to the goods, whose dispatch my international mail does not require submission of a separate customs declaration, shall be calculated and charged by the customs office responsible for the customs registration formalities at international exchange offices with the issuance of a customs receipt (Item 1 of Article 287). The calculation of dutiable payments is based on the information pertaining to the goods’ value, as stated in the documents stipulated by the statutes of the Universal Postal Union, which are applied for customs clearance purposes. The amounts of customs duties and taxes to be levied on international mail items with declared value shall be calculated proceeding from the goods declared value only when it exceeds the goods’ value specified in the reference documents used for customs clearance purposes.
4. International mail items containing the goods, which have been levied dutiable payments by the customs authorities, shall be released to their recipient at international postal exchange office only after the post office concerned has received full amount full amount of dutiable payments due for said goods. Said dutiable payments are levied based on a postal cash transfer form filled in by a customs officer in charge. The paid amounts are subsequently credited to the bank account of the customs office that has levied them after said international postal item has been released to the recipient. The postal fee for the cash transfer is covered by the person making such dutiable payments and it may not exceed 1 percent of the paid amount. The postal cash transfer forms are supplied to customs offices free of charge.
5. In the event of loss of an international mail item or its release to the recipient without authorisation by the customs authorities, responsible for the dutiable payments shall be the postal office which has lost or released said mail item.
6. Calculation of the customs fees and duties and their disbursement for the goods specified in Item 5 of Article 293 of this Customs Code shall be regulated by the procedures set forth in Part III of this Customs Code.
Article 296. Domestic Customs Transit of International Mail
The domestic customs transit procedure (Chapter 10) shall be applied to international mail pursuant to the regulations specified by the Federal Customs Authority in coordination with Federal Postal Authority based on the requirements and restrictions prescribed by this Customs Code.
Article 297. Transit of International Mail
International mail transiting in the territory of the Russian Federation shall not be subject to customs registration.
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