How to go through customs
The law on customs clearance of a car is mandatory for everyone, and every driver entering the territory of the Russian Federation with foreign license plates must go through customs.
You need this in order to obtain official permission to travel on Russian roads. State - to check the vehicle for compliance with all standards and regulations. This procedure should be carried out within 24 hours after crossing the border, otherwise your car will become smuggled.
Is it possible to drive a non-customs cleared car?
The legislation of the Russian Federation directly requires that any vehicle entering the territory of Russia must be cleared through customs in strict accordance with the procedure defined by law. A person is given 24 hours to complete such activities.
If, within the time established by law, the citizen has not fulfilled the requirement for customs clearance of the car, then his vehicle will be considered smuggled. This status of a thing makes it possible for authorized services to arrest, and subsequently confiscate, transport.
Car decoration
In order not to risk their property and the money spent on it (if a car is confiscated, no money is returned to the person), a citizen must register it properly. This is not at all difficult, especially since such actions are now carried out by customs officers located right on the border, at the nearest point.
To register a car and subsequently use it on the territory of the Russian Federation, a person must pay:
- I'll pay a fee.
- Collection.
- VAT.
If the total period of use of the vehicle exceeds 8 years, then the owner additionally has an obligation to pay tax, except in cases where the car was received under a gift agreement or by inheritance.
According to the law, only after proper registration of the car, the owner will be able to legally use his vehicle on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Is it possible to avoid the procedure?
Of course, if you simply enter the country with foreign license plates without filling out any documents, nothing good will come of it. But there is still a way to drive a vehicle that has not cleared customs in Russia. This is a temporary import registration. You can learn about all the necessary documents and the rules for their preparation from the article “Cars without customs clearance from Lithuania and Latvia.” Why these countries? It’s just that they most often bring used cars to Russia from there.
Remember, if you do not clear the car through customs or do something incorrectly, it will be regarded as an administrative or even criminal offense. The result is fines, and in particularly unfavorable circumstances, even imprisonment.
Advantages of driving a non-customs cleared car
Many citizens prefer not to register cars at the border, taking into account the following advantages:
- Significant financial savings, because the cost of an unregistered vehicle is several times lower than those cars that are sold in showrooms in Russia.
- Possibility not to pay transport tax, since the car is not registered on the territory of the Russian Federation.
- Possibility not to undergo technical inspection of the vehicle.
- Problems with imposing fines on a driver driving a foreign vehicle.
Difficulties in bringing a motorist under administrative responsibility are due to the fact that foreign license plates cannot be recorded by the technical means used by the traffic police, since information about them is simply not available in the database. In this case, the inspector will not be able to send a notice of fine, since the database does not contain information about who is the owner of the vehicle. In addition, in some cases, the car turns out to be registered in the name of a foreign citizen, who may not be subject to the laws of the Russian Federation, since he is actually located in another country.
The presence of these advantages indicates that when using non-customs cleared transport, the owner can save significantly on it.
In what cases is it possible not to clear a car through customs?
Be that as it may, you can’t just drive cars with foreign license plates in Russia on a regular basis. We will provide generalized instructions on how to drive a non-customs-cleared car in Russia.
As mentioned earlier, in Russia you can drive a car that has not cleared customs if it has been temporarily imported. To do this, the car must be registered in another state. This is necessary so that at the border customs officers issue permission for the car to stay in the country. This permit is temporary and is available to foreigners and citizens of the Russian Federation.
If during the established period the car owner did not want to go through customs clearance or part with their car, the procedure will need to be repeated by leaving the country and entering back. Obtaining a temporary permit for a car to stay in the Russian Federation is not only difficult, but also time-consuming. Therefore, such cars do not stay in the country for more than a year. In addition, permission to import cars with foreign registration to citizens of the Russian Federation is given only for 6 months within one year.
In any case, you will need the following documents:
- Passport.
- Insurance policy (must be obtained in the country of registration of the vehicle).
- Documents for a car with foreign registration.
At the customs point of the country where the car is registered, the owner must fill out a temporary import declaration.
Who can drive such a car?
If we have sorted out whether it is possible not to clear a car through customs, an equally important question remains: who has the right to drive it. Only the person who brought the vehicle into the country has the right to use such a car. If you arrange the temporary import of a car yourself, it is much simpler - the documents when issuing an import permit are issued in your name. When a foreigner handles the procedure, although you will have the car at your disposal for a year, you will not be able to drive it. Such transport is only suitable for spare parts.
It is most rational to issue such a permit to foreigners temporarily entering the territory of Russia, as well as to citizens of the Russian Federation who have a residence permit in another country, dual citizenship, or persons working abroad and registered with a consulate.
How long can you drive a non-customs cleared car?
The length of stay of an uncleared vehicle in the country depends on who issued the temporary import and for how long. A foreign citizen has the right to drive a non-customs cleared car for no more than 1 year. A Russian has the opportunity to drive such a car for no more than 6 months within one year.
Is it possible to take a power of attorney from a foreigner?
Unfortunately no. Because only the person who imported it can drive such a car. And a car insurance policy for a car with foreign registration is issued in another country, and foreign citizens cannot be included in it. That is why there are no legal ways to use a foreign car imported by a foreigner.
How to drive an unlicensed car
At the legislative level, a list of cases is defined when a motorist can use a vehicle that has not been cleared through customs, without any consequences. In particular, these include:
- Foreigners who have obtained temporary residence status on the territory of the Russian Federation. You can obtain this status upon entering Russia, right at the customs point. In this case, the citizen is issued a temporary permit, according to which he can temporarily use his vehicle on the territory of the Russian Federation. No duties or customs duties will be charged in this situation. After registration, a foreign citizen has the opportunity to use his car in Russia for 1 year.
- Citizens of the Russian Federation who have received the right to use a foreign car. The maximum period of such use is six months within 1 calendar year. In addition, in this case, the owner will have to pay a number of government duties and customs duties. After the maximum period of use has expired, the car owner must take the vehicle out of the Russian Federation (an appropriate document is drawn up confirming the end of temporary import), or extend the period of use of the car (this must be done at the customs point where the import was made). In the second case, the owner will have to additionally pay all state duties and fees.
In all of the above situations, information about the actions taken must be provided by the owner of the car to the customs point at which the car was registered for import into the territory of the Russian Federation.
The list of reasons for using transport in the Russian Federation without customs clearance is exhaustive and cannot be supplemented.
Contrary to existing opinion, such exceptions do not include registration of a car by proxy from a foreigner. Many citizens believe that the presence of such a document gives them the right to use transport on the territory of the Russian Federation without any registration, but in practice this turns out not to be the case. According to the law, a power of attorney gives such opportunities only to foreign citizens, and does not apply to Russians.
Responsibility for violations of customs rules
As mentioned earlier, evading duties or delaying any documents is an administrative offense. Initial penalties range from 500-2500 rubles for individuals and are charged for:
- Late payment of duties.
- Failure to comply with deadlines for filing declarations.
- Violation of an import ban or any other restriction.
- Delay in a temporary permit (the car was taken out of the country at the wrong time).
But this applies only to minor offenses, minor delays and provided that the amount of debt does not exceed 1 million rubles (major non-payment) or 3 million (especially large). If the amount is greater, criminal penalties are already provided. You face a fine of 100-500 thousand rubles or imprisonment for 2-5 years.
Useful video
In this video you can learn how to clear a car through customs:
On many cars in Russia you can see registration plates of other countries. This means that the vehicle did not undergo standard customs clearance when crossing the borders of the Russian Federation.
Noting the fact that such cars do not attract the close attention of traffic police officers, many motorists ask a purely practical question - is it possible to drive a car that has not been cleared through customs in Russia.
The nuances of using non-customs cleared cars in Russia
How to drive a non-customs cleared car in Russia without violating the rules and regulations established by law? To do this, you just need to know these rules and promptly carry out the necessary procedures and manipulations with a car imported into Russia. A temporary permit to operate a vehicle that has not cleared customs is valid for no more than 6 months. After this time, the car must receive an extension of the period of temporary import from the customs authority located at the place of registration of the owner, or leave the Russian Federation (cross the border with the mandatory closure of temporary import at the customs point).
Information about the closure of temporary import (or its extension) within 15 days is provided to the customs points that processed the import. In the absence of such information, the car ends up in the customs database of “unexported cars”, in respect of which all established customs duties must be collected.
Return entry into Russia using an exported vehicle is possible within the time limits established by law. In this case, the car is again subject to the procedure for temporary import of a vehicle and payment of mandatory customs duties and taxes (for citizens of the Russian Federation). To perform these actions, the owner must provide customs officers with the following set of documents:
- personal passport;
- PTS;
- insurance policy obtained in the country of registration of the car;
- a completed declaration for the temporary import of a vehicle.
Of course, prices for used cars in Europe are much lower than prices for similar models in Russia. Therefore, some motorists mistakenly believe that they can buy a car abroad without registering ownership and operate it in Russia under a general power of attorney without any problems for 2 months. Foreigners entering Russia in their own cars actually have this right. This has nothing to do with citizens of the Russian Federation. Moreover, foreigners are prohibited from issuing general powers of attorney for a vehicle to Russians, even if they themselves are in Russia at the time.
When purchasing a vehicle that has not been cleared through customs, one should not forget about the pitfalls of such an operation. It’s one thing if you consciously take this step, knowing that the car cannot be registered and put on state records, but is only good for spare parts. It's a different matter if you are purchasing a car for personal use. When you try to register a car, you will be bitterly disappointed and face a hefty fine. Moreover, such a “mild” punishment (without confiscation of the vehicle and criminal charges) is provided when the transaction for the purchase of a vehicle was completed in Russia, and you managed to prove your non-involvement in the import of an uncleared vehicle into the country. Willful violation entails much more serious liability.
