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How to get Russian visa and pass customs → Please, don't forget that you need Russian visa if you'd like to explore the city with a private guide. In order to enter the Russian Federation, it is necessary for all foreign citizens to present a valid visa. Russian visas are issued by embassies or consulates of the Russian Federation in your country of residence. These visas are delivered on the basis of an official invitation of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs or on the basis of an invitation issued by an authorized tour company. These can only be issued by Russian tour companies which own a license. Depending on the purpose of your visit, you can get a tourist, business, private, work or study visa. A visa can be single-entry, double-entry or multiple-entry for up to one year. A tourist visa only allows you to stay in Russia for a period of 30 days. When you arrive in Russia, it is necessary to go through customs control. If you have any goods or items that are subject to declaration, you should fill in a special customs declaration form (available upon arrival) and pass through the "red corridor" at a Russian airport or customs point at the border. If you don't have anything to declare, you may cross the Russian border through the "green corridor". If you bring in something that you think may be questioned when you come out of Russia, it's better to declare it directly when you come in. Always make sure you keep the stamped declaration until the end of your trip to avoid problems when leaving the country. Limitations. The following items are subject to declaration and limited entry to Russia. These items (or an excess) should be declared and you should pass through the "red corridor". Cash foreign currencies (if equivalent or more than $3000 US) or rubles (if more than 500 minimum salaries, equals approximately 75,000 RUB), stocks and securities, alcohol (if more than 2 litres), cigarettes (if more than 100), tobacco (if more than 250 gram), cigars (in more than 50), caviar (if more than 250 gram), sturgeon (if more than 250 gram), items for commercial activity (including advertising materials). If you have less amount of the items listed above (e.g. $2000 US in currency, 100 gm of caviar, 1 bottle of vodka etc.), then you do not need to declare it when you come / leave Russia and you don't have to pay extra money to be able to bring it through. Just go through the "green corridor". Special permissions. The following items are necessary to declare and are subject to special permission valid in Russia or your doctor's prescription when bringing in (and out): apparels, guns, explosives, ammunition, strong medicines (anaesthesiacs, sleeping pills, etc.), psychotropic medicines, items, that have cultural value for Russia (usually, more than 70 years old), poisons, strong sedatives, radioactive materials, wild flora & fauna that is in danger of extinction, technical telecommunication devices (radio phones, stations, cable TVs with a frequency more than 900Ghz (except cell phones), printed materials (of fascist, racial, pornographic content), merchandise for production or commercial activities. Customs tax on commercial goods and items for personal use. The goods that are brought to Russia for professional use or for merchandise should be declared and will be subject to the customs fee if their total value exceeds 65 thousand rubles (approx. $2150 US) or if their total weight is more than 50 kilograms. The customs fee will be 30% of the total value (determined by the customs officers), but not less than 4 EUR per kilogram. It is up to the customs officers to determine which goods are considered to be for professional use, and which goods are for personal use, and this border is a bit blurred. For example, if you bring in a laptop, you don't need to declare it and no tax should be paid, even if you know it costs more than $2150 US. However, if you bring in two laptops, the customs may consider that you may sell the second laptop, or you will be using it for commercial activity. In that case, they will sum up their total cost and you will have to pay 30% (that is, if the value of the both laptops is valued at $4000, you will pay $1200). If you bring in a DV camera, which you have used before, you won't need to declare it. However, if you bring, say, two new DV cameras, packed, and the total value of which is about $3000 US, you will have to pay $900 to the customs. If you bring in a professional video camera, even if its value is less than $2000, the customs officers may consider that it is an item for commercial use, and may oblige you to pay a 30% tax on the value (which they will determine). In case you do not want to pay the customs tax, you can leave the item at the border and take it back when leaving the country. In this case you will need to get an official paper from the customs which describes exactly what item was taken, its value, and the reason for it being "detained" at the border. Also, we should notice, that the Russian customs is generally quite relaxed, so it is very unlikely somebody will search through your bags or try to tax everything you have. Just follow the rules, and you will be fine. If you need to bring it more than $3000, you can always keep them on credit cards, as there's no limit on the amount of money you have there. A general rule for the items is to make sure they don't look new, like this you can always say they are for personal use and are not worth much, to avoid being taxed. If you'd like further information about customs, please call the following numbers: |
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