Bringing Goods Across the Border

Customs regulations of the Customs Union, which consists of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus, apply to all foreigners.

Goods allowed into Russia free of duty:

• Goods for personal use worth up to EUR 1,500 (or up to EUR 10,000 if you arrive by plane) and weighing up to 50 kg;
• Alcoholic beverages and beer: no more than 3 litres per one person over 18 years of age;
• Tobacco and tobacco products: 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars weighing not more than 250 grams per one person over 18 years of age;
• Used goods brought in by refugees and displaced persons;
• Goods which are inherited, and the inheritance of which is confirmed by documentary evidence;
• Goods worth up to EUR 5,000 brought in by individuals who temporarily lived outside Russia for at least 1 year;
• Goods brought back after being exported temporarily, on condition that they have not been modified and the prior exportation of them is confirmed by documentary evidence;
• Urns with ashes, coffins with bodies (remains) of the dead;

Goods to declare:

• Goods worth more than EUR 1,500 (or more than EUR 10,000 if you arrive by plane) and weighing more than 50 kg;
• Cash and/or travellers’ cheques of more than USD 10,000;
• Bills of exchange, cheques, securities;
• Precious metals and jewels;
• Cultural property, Russian Federation government awards;
• Endangered animals and plants species and related products;
• Weapons and ammunition (written authorization required);
• High-potent pharmaceutical products (prescription required);
• Alcoholic beverages in amounts greater than 3 litres;
• Radio-electronic devices, including built-in ones;
• Encryption tools;
• Urns with ashes, bodies (remains) of the dead;

Goods for personal use prohibited for export:

• Precious metals and jewels worth more than USD 25,000;
• Seafood and fish in amounts greater than 5 kg;
• Sturgeon caviar in amounts greater than 250 g.

Goods allowed across the border only by permits

obtained from the relevant permit issuing authority

• Weapons, their parts, ammunition – a permit issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation;
• Cultural property – a permit issued by the government agency that controls the trafficking of cultural property (Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation);
• Endangered animals and plants species – a permit issued by the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources;
• High-frequency and radio-electronic devices – a permit issued by Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Telecom, Information Technologies and Mass Communications;
• Healthcare products for personal use – allowed across the border only if included into the list issued by the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation;
• Encryption tools – a permit issued by the Center for Licensing, Certification and Protection of State Secrets of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.