Import Regulations

Passengers arriving with goods purchased within the EU which are for personal use only have free import. But if goods provided being for personal consumption and gifts for family and friends are unlimited they obtain duty and tax paid in the EU. However, if bringing large quantities of alcohol or tobacco and stopped by Customs, questions may be asked regarding journey, purchases and purpose of the goods, particularly if the amounts exceed: 1) tobacco products: 3,200 cigarettes; or 400 cigarillos (maximum 3 grams each); or 200 cigars; or 3 kilogram of pipe or cigarette tobacco; 2) alcoholic beverages, for passengers 16 years of age and older: 10 liters of spirits over 22%; or 20 liters of alcoholic beverages less than 22%; or 90 liters of wine (though no more than 60 liters of sparkling wine); or 110 liters of beer.

Prohibited:

Products of animal origin, not originating from an EU member state, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino or Switzerland, are not permitted to be imported into an EU Member state, with the exception of limited amounts from Andorra, Croatia, the Faeroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and small amounts of specific products from other countries.

Arms and Ammunition regulations:

Import of firearms (incl. sporting guns and shotguns) and ammunition must be supported by an appropriate license/certificate plus a permit. This permit can be obtained at the relevant police authority by a sponsor who is resident in the UK. The sponsor may be an individual or a representative of a club, shooting syndicate, country estate or national shooting organization. If a visitor has no permit, then the weapon will be detained by H.M. Customs until a permit is produced. Weapons taken from passengers prior to embarkation for safe stowage in the aircraft must be returned to the passenger by a responsible officer of the airline or handling agent in the presence of an officer of H.M. Customs in the red channel of the arrival customs hall. Furthermore such items must be clearly “identified” so that they can be presented to H.M. Customs for clearance in accordance with the prevailing instructions.

The use of a sticker/label will ensure that all firearms and ammunition therefore are quickly and easily identified on arrival, thus obviating difficulties with customs clearance.

Additional Information on regulations:

Prohibited: indecent or obscene books, films or videos.

Foodstuffs (for personal consumption): the following may be brought into the U.K. if arriving from: 1) an EU country, Andorra, the Canary Islands, the Isle of Man, Norway and San Marino: meat and meat products, milk and dairy products (not applicable to unpasteurized milk and its products) and other animal products (e.g. fish, shellfish, honey, eggs) provided obtained in the EU and free from disease; 2) all other countries: generally 1kg (rules vary per product/country) of other animal products (e.g. fish, shellfish, honey, eggs) provided free from disease. No meat and meat products, milk and dairy products are permitted.

All travelers may carry a limited quantity of powdered infant milk, infant food and special foods required for medical reasons, provided items do not require refrigeration prior to opening and must be in commercially branded packaging, unopened unless in current use.

Fruit, vegetables, plants and plant products (all for personal use and must be free from signs of pests and diseases), the following may be brought into the U.K. if arriving from: 1) an EU country, Andorra, the Canary Islands, the Isle of Man and San Marino: all plants or plant products provided they were grown in these countries; 2) other specific European countries and other countries in the Euro-Mediterranean area and all other countries: a limited amount of certain fruits, vegetables, plants and plant products, with restrictions on many others.

Pets: cats and dogs are subject to special regulations. In all other cases, cats and dogs (including Seeing Eye dogs) and other mammals are subject to rabies control measures. They must not be shipped as baggage. Animals must be carried in the hold of the aircraft in a “nose and paw proof crate or container” as manifested cargo. Cats and dogs must be accompanied by a health certificate and a “boarding document” as an indication that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has issued an import license.

Exercise 9. Choose the right answer.

1. Passengers arriving with goods purchased within the EU which are for personal use only have …

a) free export; b) duty; c) free import; d) tax.

2. What do unlimited goods provided for personal use and gifts for family obtain?

a) duty and tax; b) free import; c) permission; d) license.

3. What products not originating from an EU member state are not permitted to be imported into a EU Member state?

a) firearms and ammunition; b) foodstuffs;

c) plants products; d) products of animal origin.

4. What must import of firearms be supported by?

a) license/certificate; b) health certificate;

c) license/certificate plus a permit; d) permit.

5. What will H.M. Customs do with weapon if a visitor has no permit?

a) obtain; b) limit; c) ban; d) detain.

6. What must be clearly “identified” to be presented to H.M. Customs for clearance?

a) weapons; b) films; c) vegetables; d) animal products.

7. What will ensure that all firearms are quickly and easily identified on arrival?

a) sign; b) license; c) sticker/label; d) certificate.

8. What foodstuffs are not permitted from all countries except the UK?

a) fruits; b) vegetables; c) plants; d) meat and milk products.

9. In what case may all travelers carry a limited quantity of powdered infant milk and food?

a) for personal use; b) for medical reasons;

c) for professional use; d) for commercial activity.

10. Who is subject to rabies control measures?

a) cats and dogs; b) mammals; c) animals; d) Seeing Eye dogs.

Exercise 10. Translate the following terms into Russian. Give your own definition to them (in English) and learn these terms by heart.

1. to purchase; 2. a license; 3. a weapon; 4. a label; 5. foodstuff; 6. decease; 7. a health certificate; 8. an embarkation; 9. a stowage; 10. a brand.

Exercise 11. Write an outline of the text.

COMPREHENSION

Exercise 12. Fill in the table. Add two more categories for comparison.

	Russian Federation	United Kingdom
Money
Alcohol
Foodstuffs

Exercise 13. Fill in the gaps using the words given below, and translate the sentences into Russian.

commercial use search through passengers

declare dangerous goods permission

veterinarian health subject to tax

prohibitions and restrictions

1. The aim of … is the protection of society and the perpetuation of a safe environment. 2. The following are lists of prohibitions and restrictions, which … may carry with them. 3. If you have more than $ 3000, you need to … it, so when you leave the country you can prove you’re not taking the money out of Russia. 4. If you bring in the items that you can prove are for your personal use and you are going to take them back with you when you leave Russia, you don’t need to pay any … . 5. If you bring in more than one item the customs officers may consider that these items are for …, they may oblige you to pay a tax. 6. The Russian customs is generally quite relaxed, so it is very unlikely somebody will … your bags or try to tax everything you have. 7. The … are listed in nine hazard classes. 8. Cats, dogs and birds must be accompanied by: … bearing seal of local Board of Health. 9. You can take home only US $ 3000 (or equivalent in other countries) without any … . 10. Almost any product … tax and duties being sent to a private individual in Russia will be held and inspected by customs.

Exercise 14. Replace the underlined words with the synonymous terms from the texts.

1. He had gone out before the formal ceremonies begun. 2. We would like also to pay tribute to the worthy efforts of the former Chairman of the Committee. 3. If competition is restricted, high growth and surplus revenue can last for much longer. 4. Don’t forget to sign the circular letter of credit/circular cheque when you get home. 5. Securing Business model is in force for 10 years. 6. He avoided the real issues in his report. 7. Since 1996, NATO forces have taken in custody/seized and transferred to the jurisdiction of the ICTY in Hague some 40 people indicted for war crimes. 8. While Nazi industry produced immense amount of arms, Fuehrer’s agents in other countries campaigned against rearmament. 9. Contracts to sell foreign exchange to nonresidents continued to dominate in the structure of Russian banks’ currency forward contracts with non-residents. 10. All high value goods/baggage will be kept in containers.

Exercise 15. a) Match the verbs on the left with the nouns on the right.

1. to pass	a) customs tax;
2. to deal	b) the weapon;
3. to incur	c) for clearance;
4. to obtain	d) through red channel;
5. to get	e) as a baggage;
6. to detain	f) with unnecessary paper work;
7. to carry	g) a limited quantity;
8. to be accompanied	h) an official paper;
9. to be presented	i) by boarding documents;
10. to ship	j) the special permission.

b) In the sentences below replace the Russian expressions with the phrases you have got. Use these expressions in the necessary form.

1. To avoid (работы с ненужными документами) always learn the items for the declaration before the trip. 2. If you want to import weapons or ammunition you must do so through a licensed importer or dealer otherwise the customs officer (возьмет под стражу оружие) and agencies. 3. A buyer from a country inside the EU (понесет таможенные пошлины и налог на импорт) when importing an item purchased in a country that lies outside the EU. 4. Passenger with dutiable goods should (пройти через красный коридор). 5. The sealed declaration must (быть представлена во время оформления) of unaccompanied goods. 6. Many airlines require a veterinarian’s certificate before they accept a dog to (для перевозки в качестве багажа). 7. Restricted means that you must (получить специальное разрешение) from a federal agency. 8. Now you may (провозить ограниченное количество) of liquid on aircraft. 9. You may import an object made of ivory if it is an antique (at least 100 years old) but you will need to (получить официальный документ) about the age of ivory. 10. All animals must (сопровождаться документами на посадку).

WRITING AND COMMUNICATION

Exercise 16. Write an essay on one of the given topics and discuss it with your partner.

1. Prohibitions and Restrictions in the USA.

2. The Reasons for Prohibitions and Restrictions (general).

Exercise 17. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English.

1. Не существует ограничений на количество вещей, которые вы можете привезти с собой, при условии, что они предназначены для личного пользования. 2. Собаки без сопровождающего свидетельства о прививке против бешенства могут перевозиться, если импортер заключит соглашение об изоляции животного. 3. В США импорт, экспорт, рассылка, транспортировка или продажа продуктов, содержащих мех кошек и собак незаконна. 4. Многие страны не позволят ввезти огнестрельное оружие, даже если вы находитесь в стране проездом на пути к пункту назначения. 5. Почти все автомобили, фургоны, спортивные автомобили, которые были приобретены в зарубежных странах, должны быть модернизированы в соответствии с американскими стандартами. 6. Целью запретов и ограничений является защита общества и сохранение безопасности окружающей среды. 7. Ему было отказано во въезде в страну, так как у него в сумке нашли наркотики. 8. Вывоз предметов культурного значения ограничен постановлением Европейского Совета. 9. Во избежание террористических актов провоз острых предметов на борту самолета запрещен. 10. Все огнестрельное оружие должно быть упаковано отдельно от боеприпасов.

PROJECT WORK

Everyone knows about road traffic signs like street signs, safety signs and federal regulations. So as a customs officer you are going to create customs signs to illustrate import/export prohibitions and restrictions. Create your own customs sign for everyone to understand and obey it.