Strictly speaking, legislation of the Russian Federation and the Customs Union does not contain such a concept as “customs clearance of goods”, replacing it with the expression “customs clearance”. In practice, speaking of customs clearance, they mean performing a number of actions aimed at legalizing a specific batch of goods. In other words, specific objects of material assets after passing this procedure can be freely moved, sold or used for any legal purposes in the territory of the country of their import.
Exists two types of foreign trade operations, each of which differs in certain nuances of the customs procedure:
- export - export outside the country of origin (current owner);
- import - the import of goods into the territory of a state for the purpose of use or further resale.
Thus, customs clearance of goods is required in any case: whether a specific object is imported into the territory of the state or leaves its borders. It is worth noting that any product usually undergoes customs clearance twice: in the country of disposal and in the country of the recipient.
Customs clearance upon export
At sales of goods outside the state, where the manufacturing company is located, customs clearance of the goods for export is required. This procedure includes the preparation of a package of documents confirming the safety and grounds for exporting material assets outside the country, as well as payment of all necessary fees, charges and taxes.
In many countries (including the Russian Federation), export goods exempt from taxation, with the exception of payment of relevant customs duties and excise taxes.
Besides the actual export for the purpose of sale, the export regime can be the logical conclusion of other customs regimes: temporary export or processing outside the customs territory. In both cases, customs clearance of goods takes place according to the general scheme established for all export operations.
Customs clearance when importing goods
In its turn, import operations (import) are usually much more strictly regulated by the receiving state. This is due, first of all, to factors supporting our own manufacturer. Imported goods can be released into the Russian Federation according to several schemes:
- Free circulation (domestic consumption) - provides for the possibility of storage, sale and movement across the territory of the state, requires the provision of a number of key documents and payment of customs duties.
- Conditional release. In this case, customs clearance of the goods is usually not yet completed (all necessary documents have not been provided, all fees and taxes have not been paid in full). In this option, the recipient company stores the goods in its warehouse, but is not entirely free to dispose of it (sell, donate, use, etc.)
From a document flow point of view, applying import mode differs in such features.
What is customs clearance? In the legislative acts of the Russian Federation or the Customs Union, this procedure is called “customs clearance”, and in colloquial speech it is most often called “customs clearance”. However, since the name customs clearance has successfully taken root and is used in everyday communication, this phrase will be used further. The answer to the question of what customs clearance means implies a sequence of actions performed with the aim of legalizing a consignment of goods on the territory of the state after crossing the state border.
As a result of the actions described below, the goods legally cross the border and can subsequently be freely used, moved or sold. Customs legislation is distinguished by a large number of subtleties and nuances, so cargo owners often resort to the help of specialized companies called customs representatives, agents or brokers.
Stages of customs clearance
A full customs clearance procedure involves providing the Customs Service with all the documents necessary to confirm the value, origin and characteristics of the cargo crossing the border. This procedure is divided into a number of stages.
First stage
At the first stage, goods are declared - filling out a customs declaration by the legal representative of the owner of the cargo or directly by the owner. At this stage, service employees check whether all fields of the document are filled out correctly and whether the electronic version of the declaration corresponds to the paper one. An electronic declaration can be submitted via the Internet. At this stage, the cargo is placed in a temporary storage warehouse.
Second phase
At the second stage, the submitted package of documents undergoes a thorough check. The compliance of all signatures and seals, the availability and authenticity of the necessary certificates, permits, and licenses are monitored. If any document is missing, customs officers have the right to request it from the owner. If errors and inaccuracies are detected, the declaration is corrected by the Customs Service. At the same stage, the correctness of the indication of product codes from the unified product nomenclature directory is determined and an invoice is issued for advance payment.
The last stage consists of calculating and writing off duties, fees and taxes from the advance payment, which are calculated according to the tariffs currently in effect. In the absence of an advance payment, cargo clearance is suspended and penalties may be applied to the cargo owner. Once the payment has been received and all necessary financial transactions have been completed, the last action remains. After the final verification of documents, the consignment of goods is removed from the temporary storage warehouse beyond the customs control line for further transportation. At this point, the last stage of customs clearance is considered completed.
When importing and exporting
All foreign trade operations are divided into two main types. Export or removal of goods outside the country of origin and import or entry of goods into the country for sale, use, etc. Customs clearance is required in both cases, but there are certain differences depending on the type of foreign trade transaction.
Export
Export customs clearance involves the preparation of documents that certify the legality, safety and existence of grounds for the export of inventory items, confirm the fact of payment of all taxes and fees. Most countries (including Russia) exempt export goods from taxation; the exporter pays only customs duties and excise taxes if necessary. Information and documents that must be provided to the customs authority are determined by Articles 159 and 163 of the Customs Code. The export of goods to countries that are members of the Customs Union is not limited, unless this is established by other legislative acts of the Russian Federation.
Import
The import of goods into the country is regulated much more strictly, which is primarily due to the need to support domestic producers. Let's look at what customs clearance of goods during import is and how it is carried out. You can import goods into the Russian Federation following one of two schemes. Import for free circulation involves the complete execution of all documents, payment of fees and charges, and then the transfer of goods from a temporary warehouse to the owner for further movement, storage, sale or consumption.
Conditional release is used if a preliminary package of documents is provided and the customs clearance procedure is not completed. In this case, the goods can be stored in the recipient’s warehouse, but until all the required documents are fully completed and the customs service confirms that all financial payments have been received, the owner does not have the right to dispose of this consignment at his own discretion. Documents and information that must be submitted to the customs service are specified in Articles 210 and 211 of the Customs Code. Import payments include excise taxes, import customs duties and fees, and value added tax.
Customs legislation
Export procedures and duties are regulated by the Government of the Russian Federation. The work of customs authorities is determined by the Customs Code of the Customs Union, the laws “On customs regulation in the Russian Federation” and “On the customs tariff”. The amount of duties for export operations is approved by the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC).
It is worth considering that when carrying out customs clearance, in addition to the main legislative acts, a large amount of regulatory documentation, internal instructions, methodological recommendations, etc. is used, which leads to the emergence of various conflicts, the resolution of which requires experience in this field. Enterprises that carry out import-export operations irregularly and do not have lawyers with experience in interacting with customs on staff most often resort to the help of experienced customs brokers. Qualified customs brokers can act as guarantors for a consignment of goods to pass all customs procedures without delays and delays, provided that the goods have all the required documents.
Customs clearance timeframes
Companies that do not have experience working with customs most often do not know how long customs clearance takes and how to influence the timing of this operation. If the owner of the goods or his legal representative correctly filled out the customs declaration, provided the entire package of necessary documents, and made the payments required by law on time and in full, then the average time for customs clearance is 3-5 working days.
However, the following points may influence the change in terms towards their increase:
- financial disagreements that exist between enterprises participating in the procedure
- lack of mandatory permits from any authorities
- presence of errors in documents submitted to the customs authority
If one or more of the problems listed above exist, the time required for customs clearance may increase significantly. Lack of experience in processing paperwork or interacting with customs officials can also lead to additional delays.
Features of customs clearance in neighboring countries
Details of customs clearance in the Republic of Belarus from the company Belpostavka.
More details about customs clearance in the DPR in the video:
Reducing risks during customs clearance of goods
In order to reduce the risks arising in the process of formalizing customs operations, an enterprise can hire an experienced employee who has all the necessary knowledge, or outsource this area of work and select a specialized broker company with the appropriate license. In the case of a constant flow of goods requiring customs clearance, it would be logical for the company to have its own legal department involved in interaction with customs authorities. If customs operations occur infrequently in the activities of an enterprise, the best way to reduce risks at the customs clearance stage is to contact a licensed customs broker.
Unprofessional communication with customs can lead to significant losses in the form of fines or additional duties, increased clearance times, and even confiscation of goods. Thorough knowledge of current legislation and extensive experience in successfully passing customs procedures for various goods imported from different countries allow qualified brokers to provide significant assistance in carrying out all necessary customs actions in the shortest possible time, and provide guarantees of legal minimization of payments. Customs clearance of goods is rightfully considered a complex and responsible operation, containing many pitfalls that can lead to temporary and financial losses. Therefore, in order to successfully overcome all possible difficulties, it is worth choosing a reliable broker company with the proper reputation and experience in working with the required categories and groups of goods. The best option would be to provide a full turnkey service, which would include both transportation and customs clearance itself. It is also recommended, when choosing a company, to give preference to one that has experience in successfully working with customs, in whose coverage area the proposed import or export of goods will be carried out.
Customs clearance of cargo is formal actions in connection with the crossing of the customs border by vehicles and goods, for example, cargo from China, during which documents are drawn up and appropriate payments are made. It is necessary to understand in detail what customs clearance means in terms of the procedures carried out in order to fend off (prevent) possible surprises.
Procedure for customs clearance of imported goods
One of the most powerful cargo traffic is freight from China. Products that are manufactured in this country:
- brings profit;
- relatively cheap;
- in some cases high quality.
Customs clearance of imports from China, when, for example, shoes (men's ugg boots) are purchased, begins at the stage of export clearance of customs documents. They are trained in accordance with the laws of the Middle Kingdom. Customs clearance also includes the procedure for accepting the vehicle. All nuances of export from China and import of cargo into Russia should be coordinated with the requirements of the customs legislation of both countries in force at the time of border crossing.
Customs clearance of cargo (goods) from China begins as soon as the issue of collecting a full set of accompanying documents is resolved, for example:
- packing list;
- invoice;
- transaction passports;
- application contract;
- specifications;
- bill of lading.
These are fundamental documents. The customs clearance procedure for goods or cargo may require additional paperwork depending on its characteristics. For example, you may need:
- phytocertificates (for plants);
- sanitary and epidemiological conclusions (for animals), etc.
Of course, there will be no need for them when, for example, ugg boots are imported wholesale from China. Full customs clearance of imported goods involves several stages. First, the products are registered with the customs authority and placed in its warehouse. Including provided and executed:
- declaration of customs value;
- transport and shipping documents;
- licenses;
- certificates of conformity and origin for cargo;
- foreign trade participant certificate;
- cargo declaration, etc.
From the moment the shipment arrives at the customs clearance zone, all provided documentation and the data entered into it are checked. At the next stage, the following is written off from the advance payment, taking into account current customs tariffs:
- taxes;
- fees;
- duties.
The customs clearance zone assumes that the cargo remains there until officials complete verification of the completed documentation. The cost of passing the customs border is also determined:
- weight and dimensional characteristics of the batch;
- commodity group of cargo;
- delivery terms Incoterms.
The shipment has passed customs clearance, which means the following:
- products leave temporary storage facilities;
- follows to the destination.
Features of customs clearance of cargo
The most important condition for the successful release of a consignment of goods into the territory of the state is the correct execution of all documentation at the time of registration at the customs border. To do this, you will need to use a lot of Russian and Chinese regulatory and reference materials, classifiers and other documents. The key is correct and complete information about the cargo.
If inaccuracies are made regarding the technical characteristics of the products, this may cause a delay in delivery, including confiscation of the lot. What is customs clearance of goods is well known to brokers who, having a license, on their own behalf carry out in the interests of clients the entire cycle of operations to ensure the smooth passage of cargo through the border. Their experience allows us to solve the problem regardless of whether the client in China decided to buy women's uggs (uggs) or a product from another group.
Legislation often changes requirements, and customs brokers are aware of all innovations. This allows them to timely correct the accompanying documents of the cargo and help its owners avoid problems at the border.
Monitoring the status of a shipment does not always mean understanding what is happening with the parcel right now. This is all due to complex definitions in the tracking mode that are incomprehensible to ordinary recipients. This material will tell you about the status “Customs clearance for import has begun” - what does this status of sending to Aliexpress mean?
What does this status mean?
“Customs clearance for import has begun” is an important status when tracking the track number, which indicates that the parcel is undergoing customs control and verification of document compliance with all shipping standards.
Customs clearance is often called a word more familiar to the mass consumer - customs clearance. Every shipment goes through this process, be it goods from AliExpress, Pandao, Joom, or a large number of materials purchased in bulk. Naturally, companies do not carry out the procedure on their own - this only delays customs clearance, and hence the delivery time to the recipient.
How does customs clearance during import take place, how long does it take?
Due to the limited delivery time and the complexity of the “Customs Legislation of the Russian Federation,” intermediaries are involved in the customs clearance procedure. They are called brokers or agents.
Such representatives, by written agreement, receive a power of attorney to manipulate documentation and permission to fill out forms on behalf of the customer. The sender (in the case of Ali, a regular seller) pays for the procedure in advance.
Customs clearance includes the following stages:
- Direct arrival of the parcel at the inspection point.
- Calculation of required duties, preparation of necessary certificates, documents for goods imported into Russia (most often, this is done in advance to save time).
- Filling out the necessary documents by agents, checking the accuracy of the previously specified information in accordance with the technical specifications.
- Payment of fees, duties and taxes (can also be made before the cargo arrives).
- Successful continuation of the parcel's journey to its destination.
It is worth understanding that this procedure is fundamental in international shipments, so it may take some time. In the tracking status, all manipulations are displayed in abbreviated form, without clarification:
- Import customs clearance started/finished.
- Handed over to a transport company for transportation.
Where does the package go next?
After successful completion of the operation, the parcel continues its movement within the recipient’s country (with the exception of transit through the state).
The next stage is the passage of one/several ASC (Automated Sorting Center). This organization of the Russian Post is engaged in sorting, additional verification and logistics redirection of shipments for speedy arrival.
The last point includes competent route planning, including side factors - overload of departments, delays. After processing by several departments of postal services, the parcel is delivered to the regional, and then to the district Post Office. This stage is considered final - after its implementation, the recipient is sent a ZK notification about the arrival of the parcel/parcel/registered letter.
How long do we have to wait?
On average, the stage under consideration takes from several days to a week - provided there are no problems with documentation and timely payment of mandatory payments.
Further movement of the parcel (without delays) - on average 1-2 weeks, depending on the distance of the region from the checkpoint, the number of intermediate ACCs, and other sorting organizations. As a result, you only have to wait about 2-3 weeks, of course, if you successfully complete each of the verification/redirection stages.
Conclusion
The time spent on customs clearance during import also depends on the reliability of the broker - we recommend purchasing goods from trusted online stores, from highly rated sellers.
In this case, there is a high chance of a verified and streamlined shipment, the availability of document templates, and the competent implementation of each stage of the parcel’s movement to the recipient. We hope this material has helped you understand the concept of this shipment status and related issues.
