Import of goods worth more than €1,000 into the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union will be liable to customs duties from January 1, 2019. Interfax reported with reference to the Eurasian Economic Commission.
It is about the decision of the EEC Council on the gradual reduction of customs limits. The measure is aimed at preventing small-scale illegal trade. From January 1, all travelers will have to pay a fee, except for aviation tourists, for personal belongings brought from abroad. They will still be able to import goods to Russia with the cost of €10,000 and weighing not more than 50 kilograms.
«From 2019, everyone else can import goods duty-free for a total of not more than €1,000 and weighing up to 50 kilograms, and from January 1, 2020 — up to €750 and 35 kilograms. In January 2021, it will be possible to import goods from abroad for an amount not exceeding €500 and weighing not more than 25 kilograms from abroad. In addition, one person can bring 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars (cigarillos), or 250 grams of tobacco, or 2 liters of alcohol from abroad to Russia,» the message says.
For exceeding the established norms, one must pay a fee of 30 percent of the purchase price, and for exceeding the weight norm — at least €4 per kilogram.
A phased reduction of customs limits implies payment of customs duties for the purchase of goods in foreign online stores. From January 1, 2019, it is possible to order goods for a total amount of up to €500 and weighing not more than 31 kilograms for one calendar month without paying customs duties and taxes. From January 1, 2020, the duty-free import norm will be reduced to €200 and 31 kilograms. At the same time, all restrictions on the time and number of orders will be removed.
According to the adopted document, together with the norms of duty-free import from January 1, 2020, the customs duty for exceeding the limits will be reduced twice up to 15 percent, and overweight will cost at least €2 per kilogram.
