Trips abroad for shopping are a common thing, and even from an ordinary vacation you want to bring gifts for yourself and your loved ones, preferably ones that you can’t buy at home. Outlandish alcohol, exotic fruits and even simple shells from the beach – some souvenirs can lead to problems at customs. Today we will talk about how to load a suitcase so that there is nothing to complain about at the border.
According to the rules of Russian customs, items worth up to 1,500 euros and by air up to 10,000 euros can be transported without paying duties by land, while the total weight should not exceed 50 kilograms. However, some product categories have stricter restrictions that you need to be aware of.
Alcohol
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French wines, Portuguese port, real Mexican tequila or the famous rum from Jamaica – no matter where you are on vacation in the world, there will probably be an authentic strong drink that you will want to flavor your juicy travel stories with at home. According to the rules, you can import no more than 5 liters of alcohol per person into Russia, including Duty Free drinks, and only 3 of them without declaring. If you are carrying more than three, you need to fill out a declaration and pay $10 for each liter of excess. Please note that these rules apply only to adult citizens, so it won’t work to say that your five-year-old son is bringing this liter of Porto to his friends.
Tobacco
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Few people bring cigarettes back from vacation, but, for example, if you were on vacation in Cuba, you will probably want to grab some cigars for your friends. There are also restrictions on the import of tobacco products: no more than 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars, or 250 grams of tobacco per person. Enough to feed the entire office. Only persons over 18 years of age may transport cigarettes.
Fruits
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One of the main pleasures of a tropical vacation is the abundance of fruit. Ripe mangoes, sweet papaya, dragonfruits and One of the main pleasures of a tropical holiday is the abundance of fruits. Ripe mangoes, sweet papayas, dragonfruits and passion fruits cost pennies, so you really want to take them with you to prolong the pleasure a little. According to the rules, this is possible, and you can transport fruit either in a suitcase, in hand luggage, or in a separate box, the main thing is that the total weight does not exceed 5 kilograms per person. Since ripe fruits wrinkle easily, it is, of course, better to take them on board the plane with you, in which case they can also brighten up a long layover.
From time to time, fruits and vegetables from some countries are quarantined and cannot be imported. At the moment, the import of any plant products from Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan is prohibited, but the lists are regularly updated. Information can be clarified on the website of the airport of arrival in the “Phytosanitary control” section.
Food
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When returning from Europe, you want to fill your suitcase with cheeses and jamon. The law does not prohibit the import of sanctioned products if the general rules for “edible” luggage are met: the total weight must not exceed 5 kilograms, and each product must be in its original packaging. It is better to pack food products in luggage, especially cheeses, since in many European countries they cannot be taken in hand luggage due to their specific smell. In France, cheese is generally classified as a liquid product, which imposes additional restrictions on transportation.
Cultural values
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The chance that you will accidentally buy an expensive masterpiece is, of course, not great, but for general educational purposes you should know the rules. Objects of art that are included in the international register and recognized by the countries of the Customs Union must be declared. Cultural objects are not subject to state duties, but in Russia they must be registered with the regional Ministry of Culture.
Medicines
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Pills are a dubious souvenir, but you might want to bring back some miracle drug that saved you abroad. If this is not a traditional medicine, it is better to clarify the active substance and search on the Internet to see if it is prohibited in Russia. Medicines containing potent and toxic substances, as well as psychotropic and narcotic drugs, are theoretically possible to transport, but for this you need a translated into Russian and notarized prescription from a doctor (if the prescription was written by a foreign doctor),
as well as an extract from the medical history. If the drug is not prohibited, you can carry it as much as you like within the baggage allowance, but if you take several kilograms of identical tablets, be prepared to prove to the customs officer that it is all for personal use.
What you definitely can’t carry
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It is prohibited to import seeds and plant bulbs into Russia, so you will have to give up the idea of growing Dutch tulips in your dacha. Surprisingly, potatoes are also not allowed to be imported from abroad. In addition, private individuals should under no circumstances transport representatives of flora and fauna that are on the verge of extinction. This, by the way, imposes restrictions on souvenirs from some countries; for example, in Tanzania, tourists who purchased products made from valuable wood from other than licensed stores, that is, essentially from poachers, can be arrested. It is prohibited to export corals from many tropical countries. This rule was introduced to prevent tourists from damaging the living reef, because a three-centimeter branch is several years of coral life. As a rule, the ban does not apply to shells, so it is better to look for them on the beach. When going to a particular country, search the Internet for information about what you cannot take out, pay attention to announcements at airports, and, if in doubt, just take a photo for memory.
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