Verbal Inquiry

In the process of customs registration formalities with the goods and means of transport conveyed across the customs border, customs officers have the right to perform verbal inquiry of natural persons and the person representing the organisations endowed with powers with regard to said goods and means of transport without formalising the explanations provided by said persons in writing.

Acquirement of Explanations

Acquirement of explanations is defined as an act of obtaining by a customs officer of the information pertaining to the circumstances, which have special significance for effecting customs control measures including goods declarants and the other persons involved in the conveyance of goods and means of transport across the customs border who possess such information.

Customs Monitoring

Customs monitoring constitutes open, purposeful, systematic or occasional, direct or indirect visual surveillance (with the use of technical facilities) exercised by the authorised customs authorities for monitoring the haulage of goods and means of transport under customs control, as well as various cargo-handling and other operations with such goods and means of transport.

Customs Inspection of Goods and Means of transport

1. Customs inspection of goods and means of transport constitutes an external visual inspection goods, hand luggage and baggage carries by natural persons, means of transport, cargo compartments, customs seals, stamps and other goods identification facilities for customs control purposes performed by the customs officers provided such inspection does not involve unsealing of means of transport or their cargo compartments and damage of the goods packaging.

2. In the territory of customs control zones, the customs inspection of goods and means of transport may be conducted in the absence of the goods declarants or the other persons in charge of said goods and means of transport and/or their representatives, except those instances when said persons have expressed their wish to attend the inspection.

3. In case a customs inspection of goods and means of transport reveals that the actual quantity of goods does not tally with the goods quantity as stated in the customs declaration, the customs authorities shall determined the quantity of goods on their own for customs clearance purposes.

4. Based on the results of a customs inspection of goods and means of transport, the customs authorities may draw up a customs inspection report compiled in accordance with the form approved by the Federal customs Authority provided the results of said customs inspection may be required in the future. Upon a request by a person responsible for said goods and/or means of transport, the customs authorities shall be obliged either to draw up a customs inspection report or affix a requisite stamp on the goods waybill thereby certifying the fact of said customs inspection. The duplicate copy of the customs inspection report shall be given to the person responsible for said goods and/or means of transport.

Customs Examination of Goods and Means of transport

1. The customs examination constitutes examination of the goods and means of transport by customs officers involving removal of customs seals, stamps and other goods identification facilities, opening of the goods packaging or unsealing of the cargo compartments or reservoirs, containers and other places in the means of transport applicable for stowing goods.

The goods customs examination is normally performed following the acceptance by the customs authorities of the customs declaration pertaining to said goods. The customs examination can be conducted prior to the submission of a customs declaration pertaining to the goods imported to the customs territory of the Russian Federation with the view to identifying said goods for customs clearance purposes, or in the instance when the customs authorities have received information suggesting a breach of the customs legislation of the Russian Federation, with a view to verifying such information, as well as for effecting customs control measures based on a spot-checking principle.

2. Upon making a decision to conduct goods customs examination, a customs officer shall state said decision to the declarant or another person responsible for said goods and/or means of transport provided he (or she) has been identified. The declarants, the persons in charge of said goods and/or means of transport or their proxies may attend, and, upon the customs authorities’ demand, shall be obliged to attend the customs examination of said goods and/or means of transport. In the absence of any proxy specially authorised by the carrier, the customs examination shall be attended by a natural person driving the means of transport’s driver.