UrBC, Moscow, July 18, 2018. The Russian Government might introduce a separate customs duty to be paid by the Russian national on goods they purchase from international shops online. The draft bill on Customs Regulations, with all the amendments made for the second reading, has been presented to the State Duma’s Budget Committee already.

It is explained that the new version of the Customs Regulations Act is expected to bring the Russian law in compliance with the Eurasian Economic Union’s Customs Code (adopted in 2017).

Under the new terms, the Russian Government will be able to impose a duty on goods private individuals purchase throughout international online shopping networks; the government can also regulate the payment procedure and deadlines.

For the time being, customers only have to pay customs duties on the goods they purchase from abroad if their overall value exceeds €1,000 a month and their weight amounts to more than 31 kg a month. The duty comes to 30% of the overall cost (€4 per kilo at least). The plan is to reduce the limit to €500 in 2019 and to €200 in 2020.

Meanwhile, the Federal Customs Service suggests that the Finance Ministry should impose a duty on every single item purchased abroad, regardless of the cost.