Every year during the summer period, the number of citizens crossing the border increases. This is due to the holiday season. To ensure a comfortable border crossing and avoid any unpleasant surprises, the Brest Customs offers to familiarize yourself with the basic legal requirements for the movement of goods for personal use.

   Currently, the rules for the movement of goods for personal use across the customs border of the Eurasian Economic Union (hereinafter referred to as the EAEU) in the Republic of Belarus are determined, in particular, by Chapter No. 37 of the Customs Code of the Eurasian Economic Union, the Decision of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission dated December 20, 2017 No. 107 "On certain issues related to goods for personal use" (hereinafter referred to as the Decision; entered into force on March 29, 2018), and the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated July 21, 2014 No. 360 "On the movement of goods for personal use across the customs border of the Eurasian Economic Union in the Republic of Belarus".

   When leaving the customs territory of the EAEU, it is necessary to remember that goods for personal use subject to customs declaration using a passenger customs declaration include:

goods for personal use, in respect of which prohibitions and restrictions apply, including cultural values;

cash and/or traveler's checks, if their total amount exceeds the equivalent of $10,000, as well as monetary instruments.

   If you have expensive goods for personal use (for example, photo and video equipment, laptops, tablets, etc.), we recommend taking with you on your trip a document confirming the production or purchase of such goods on the territory of the member states of the EAEU (product passport, warranty card, receipt, purchase and sale agreement, specification, invoice for the agreement, proforma invoice for the agreement, commodity waybill). In the absence of such a document, when exporting such goods, make a customs declaration by filling out a passenger customs declaration in two copies. When returning, if you present to the customs officer documents confirming the production or purchase of goods on the territory of the member states of the EAEU, or a passenger customs declaration issued when exporting goods for personal use, the weight and/or value of such goods will not be included in the duty-free import limits.

   If you plan to travel by car, please note that in addition to the fuel in the regular tank of a vehicle for personal use, you can export fuel from the customs territory of the EAEU for personal use in an amount of no more than 10 liters in a separate container.

   When going on vacation or returning back, do not take with you more than 250 grams of sturgeon caviar, alcoholic beverages and beer with a total volume of more than 5 liters, tobacco and tobacco products in the amount of more than 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars (cigarettes), or 250 g of tobacco, or these products in assortment with a total weight of more than 250 g (if you are over 18 years old). Also remember that without paying customs duties, you can bring alcoholic beverages and beer to the customs territory of the EAEU in an amount not exceeding 3 liters. If the volume of imported alcoholic beverages and beer exceeds this norm, that is, it will be from 3 to 5 liters inclusive, customs duty will have to be paid. The rate is 10 euros for each additional liter to the established norm, and in this case a fee for customs operations will be charged in the amount of 10 Belarusian rubles.

   Shoppers abroad need to know that without paying customs duties, you can bring to the customs territory of the EAEU in accompanied baggage:

- by air transport, goods for personal use (except for ethyl alcohol, alcoholic beverages, beer, indivisible goods for personal use), the value of which does not exceed the amount equivalent to 10,000 euros, and (or) the weight does not exceed 50 kg;

- by other modes of transport or on foot, goods for personal use (except for ethyl alcohol, alcoholic beverages, beer, indivisible goods for personal use) the value of which does not exceed the amount equivalent to 1,500 euros, and (or) the weight does not exceed 50 kg (until December 31, 2018 inclusive).

   The norms of duty-free import include tobacco and tobacco products - 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars (cigarettes), or 250 g of tobacco, or these products in assortment with a total weight of not more than 250 g per person who has reached the age of 18;

   If the duty-free import norms are exceeded, customs duties and taxes on goods for personal use are paid at a single rate of 30% of their value, but not less than 4 euros per 1 kg in excess of the value and (or) weight norm; a fee for customs operations in the amount of 10 Belarusian rubles.

- regardless of weight and value, awards in the form of orders, medals, cups imported in any way by persons awarded outside the customs territory of the EAEU and (or) addressed to such persons, subject to the submission of documents confirming the receipt of such awards;

- cash and (or) monetary instruments regardless of value and weight.

   If an indivisible item is purchased, customs duties and taxes are payable on such item, regardless of its value and (or) weight, at a single rate of 30% of the value, but not less than 4 euros per 1 kg of weight, and a fee for customs operations in the amount of 10 Belarusian rubles.

   An indivisible item for personal use is understood to mean an item for personal use weighing more than 35 kg (taking into account the actual primary packaging that is inseparable from the item before its consumption and (or) in which the item is presented for retail sale), consisting of one unit of the item (including those moved in an unassembled or disassembled form, including incomplete or unfinished form), provided that such item cannot be divided without changing its purpose. Compliance with these conditions for classifying goods as indivisible goods for personal use may be confirmed on the basis of information provided by the manufacturer, seller or sender of the goods on labels, product passports, warranty cards, packing sheets, other documents, as well as based on generally accepted (traditional) practice of using such goods in accordance with their functional purpose.

   Citizens crossing the EAEU customs border in the Republic of Belarus by land transport or on foot should take into account that goods imported across the EAEU customs border in the Republic of Belarus by individuals in accompanied and unaccompanied baggage more than once every three calendar months, if the customs value of such goods exceeds the amount equivalent to 300 euros, and (or) the total weight exceeds 20 kilograms, do not qualify as goods for personal use.

   It should be noted that customs officials may pay attention to baggage not only due to its weight or the value of the goods in it, but also based on other criteria indicating that the goods were not purchased for personal use. The statement of the individual matters; the nature and quantity of the goods; the frequency of the individual crossing the border and (or) moving goods across the customs border. For example, when importing a significant amount of the same type of goods, customs officials take into account whether one individual can use them in everyday life, whether the goods were purchased for personal use.

   When importing food products into the customs territory of the EAEU, comply with the current regulations. The import of food products of animal origin is regulated by veterinary rules. Thus, in accordance with the Decision of the Customs Union Commission dated June 18, 2010, No. 317 "On the application of veterinary and sanitary measures in the EAEU", one person can import up to 5 kilograms inclusive of finished products of animal origin in carry-on luggage and baggage, if these products are in their original packaging and provided that the country of origin of these products and the exporting country are free from epizootic diseases. The import of food products of plant origin is regulated by phytosanitary control rules. In accordance with the Decision of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission dated November 30, 2016, No. 157 "On approval of Unified Quarantine Phytosanitary Requirements for Quarantine Products and Quarantine Objects at the Customs Border and on the Customs Territory of the Eurasian Economic Union", without a phytosanitary certificate, one person can import no more than 5 kilograms of fruits, vegetables (other products of high phytosanitary risk), as well as no more than 3 bouquets of flowers in carry-on luggage and baggage. The import of seed and planting material, including seed and food potatoes, without a phytosanitary certificate is prohibited.

   You cannot be careless about importing medicines purchased in foreign countries into the customs territory of the EAEU. Medicines, including those sold in foreign countries without a prescription, may contain narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances restricted from movement across the customs border of the EAEU, such as codeine and pseudoephedrine. To find out whether a medicine is subject to prohibitions and restrictions when importing (exporting) into (from) the territory of the EAEU, check its composition for the presence of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances listed in section 2.12. "Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Their Precursors" of the List of Goods Subject to Permit Procedure for Import into the Customs Territory of the EAEU and (or) Export from Such Territory, approved by the decision of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission dated April 21, 2015, No. 30 "On Non-Tariff Regulation Measures". This decision of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission can be found on the website of the Eurasian Economic Commission http://www.eurasiancommission.org (subsection – Trade – Department of Customs Tariff and Non-Tariff Regulation – Non-Tariff Regulation – Unified List of Goods Subject to Non-Tariff Regulation Measures in Trade with Third Countries).

   Medicinal products containing narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances included in section 2.12 "Narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors" can be moved across the customs border of the EAEU by individuals for personal use for medical reasons, provided there are supporting medical documents in an amount not exceeding 90 single doses (psychotropic substances) or in an amount not exceeding the weekly requirement (narcotic drugs). If medical documents are drawn up in a foreign language, they must be accompanied by a notarized translation into Russian or Belarusian. Such medicines are subject to customs declaration using the passenger customs declaration.

   If in doubt about the correct choice of corridor, follow through the "RED" corridor!

   Please note that all the above rules apply when moving goods for personal use across the customs border of the EAEU, and may differ from the rules for moving goods established in foreign countries. If in doubt whether you can import or export an item to a particular state, including if you do not know the permitted amount of alcohol and tobacco products, find out such information in advance at the embassy (consulate) of that state.

   Are you waiting for foreign guests? Please warn them that the above rules for moving goods for personal use across the customs border of the EAEU apply to goods imported by foreign individuals during their stay in the customs territory of the EAEU, including the procedure for applying customs duties and taxes established for the import of goods for personal use. Except for the following. Used goods for personal use, the list and quantity of which are established by Appendix 4 to the Decision of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission dated December 20, 2017, No. 107, can be imported by foreign individuals during their stay in the customs territory of the EAEU without paying customs duties and taxes, regardless of value and (or) weight. The list includes:

- clothing, footwear, headgear, umbrellas, jewelry, personal hygiene items, other personal items in the quantity necessary for use during the stay on the customs territory of the EAEU;
- portable audio recording, video recording, playback equipment, photographic equipment in the amount of no more than 1 unit of each name and accessories for such equipment, video media, audio media in the amount necessary for use during the stay on the customs territory of the EAEU;
- mobile phones, smartphones and similar communication devices in the amount of no more than 2 units;
- portable personal computers, tablets, game consoles in the amount of no more than 1 unit of each name and accessories for them in the amount necessary for use during the stay on the customs territory of the EAEU;
- portable musical instruments in the amount necessary for use during the stay on the customs territory of the EAEU;
- cultural values (subject to confirmation of their classification as such in accordance with the legislation of the EAEU member state in the amount necessary for use during the stay on the customs territory of the EAEU;
- baby strollers, child seats secured to car seats in the amount necessary for use during the stay on the customs territory of the EAEU;
- инвалид инвалидные коляски in the amount necessary for use during the stay on the customs territory of the EAEU;
- equipment and accessories for sports, tourism and hunting, balloons in the amount necessary for use during the stay on the customs territory of the EAEU;
- pets, including those used for hunting, sports, tourism, in the amount necessary for use during the stay on the customs territory of the EAEU;
- portable dialyzers, other similar medical devices and consumables for them in the amount necessary for use during the stay on the customs territory of the EAEU.

    Source: www.virtualbrest.by