Sending parcels in Russia is a particularly painful problem, as there are often all kinds of delays in delivery, loss of the item sent, and a number of other problems.
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In this regard, before using mail services, most citizens try to get as much information as possible in advance about how many different parcels go and how this process can be tracked.
In particular, many are looking for information about how long to wait for a parcel released by customs 102976 Sharapovo.
How shipments are tracked
For example, you go to Aliexpress, after which you order the product you like, choosing the appropriate delivery service after making the required amount.
To do this, just go to the "Delivery" section, which is located to the right of the image of the product you have chosen, and then select the "Delivery of your country" item, which will open a menu containing a complete list of available delivery services. In this section, you can track the status of the parcel and its delivery to the desired point.
In addition, you can use the official website of the company that has been chosen as the parcel deliverer. Most often, such services provide the maximum detailed information about the state of the shipment and at what stage at the time of the appeal the delivery of the goods to the final addressee is.
Sorting center in Sharapovo
The sorting center in Sharapovo is located near Podolsk and operates quite simply. For example, a person sends a certain product to Vladivostok.
Initially, this parcel enters the Podolsk sorting center, and only after that it goes to the regional post office.
After entering the territory of this institution, the parcels are distributed to several stream lines:
- privates;
- parcels and boxes that will be sent outside of Russia;
- ordinary parcels.
During processing, parcels are automatically distributed into several compartments corresponding to a specific post office or area to which they should be delivered.
Why are parcels delayed?
Today, cases of delays in shipments coming from abroad are quite common, and according to statistics, approximately every third parcel is delayed.
In the vast majority of cases, this happens because the received goods exceed the allowable value of the parcel, and also if the person has some problems with the documents for this cargo.
If the parcel was delayed in the process of passing through customs, waiting for the receipt of this cargo can be delayed for quite a long period of time, and in the end, the person runs the risk of being left without a long-awaited purchase or parcel.
What problems may arise
Today, without any difficulty, you can find a complete list of goods that cannot be imported into Russia in accordance with applicable law. This list includes a fairly large number of positions ranging from all kinds of spy gadgets designed for covert recording or obtaining any information, and ending with natural diamonds and weapons.
It is worth noting the fact that the list often includes those products that at first glance seem absolutely harmless.
The forums are constantly full of active discussion of the reasons why, for example, customs refuse to accept Xiaomi phones purchased on the Aliexpress portal.
A previously little-known village that handles parcels from abroad has been dubbed a "black hole" for the reason that parcels from China are delayed for a long period of time or disappear altogether. Similar situations are quite common at the customs of Orenburg, as well as in a number of other similar points.
The common features of this situation are due to the presence of similar reasons. The vast majority of the problems have arisen due to the enforcement of Article 328 of the Customs Code, which provides for the protection of intellectual property rights.
Many buyers, discovering a delay in their package and seeing where it happened, submit appropriate requests to the customs service, but receive a response that the package will be sent back.
The most common causes of this problem include the following:
- the phone is counterfeit and produced by an unknown manufacturer;
- the company may interfere with the delivery of commercial products purchased on the AliExpress portal;
- the manufacturer's representative did not go into the details of the shipment and simply recognized the phone as "pirated".
How long to wait if the parcel left the customs
If the official website says that the parcel has already left customs, there were no problems with clearance and it will soon be delivered to the addressee. After passing through customs, the goods are immediately sent to the territorial division of the Russian Post, which is located near the recipient.
The time in this case will directly depend on how far the office is from the customs office and how busy the representatives of the Russian Post are. In most cases, delivery is carried out within 3 to 14 days.
When to Open a Dispute
Some sellers even advise their buyers to open a dispute on their own, while others, on the contrary, ask them to wait for a delivery deadline.
In fact, it is not always possible to determine what exactly the seller wants to receive, who asks to open a dispute early.
Some consumers open them, after which the sellers immediately approve the return, but some, on the contrary, ask to open disputes in the hope that the buyer will be automatically blocked, that is, it is quite difficult to determine the purity of the seller's intentions.
Delivery to the addressee
Delivery to the recipient
Means the actual receipt of the mail item by the recipient specified in the mail item.
Flew to destination country
The postal item will be transferred to the post office of the country of destination, for delivery to one of the places of international mail exchange, and subsequent import / export operations.
Departed from the airport
The following status will not be displayed immediately upon arrival at the airport of the destination country, but after the mail item arrives and is accepted (unloaded, processed and scanned) by the postal service.
This may take from 3 to 10 days.
The postal item departed from the airport of the sender's country and is sent to the country of destination.
After the parcel leaves the territory of the sender's country and arrives at the destination country, such shipments are re-marked with untraceable track codes and are no longer tracked.
When the parcel arrives at your post office, you will receive a paper notice with which you must come to the post office and receive the parcel.
Issued by customs
The customs clearance procedure has been completed, in the near future the postal item will be transferred to the post office of the country of destination for further delivery to the recipient.
Ready for shipment
Ready to ship
Means that the postal item is packed, marked and will be sent in the near future.
Detained by customs
This operation means that the postal item was detained by the Federal Customs Service in order to take measures to determine the destination of the postal item. Upon receipt of goods in international postal items within a calendar month, the customs value of which exceeds 1000 euros, and (or) the total weight of which exceeds 31 kilograms, in part of such an excess, it is necessary to pay customs duties, taxes at a single rate of 30% of the customs value of goods, but not less than 4 euros per 1 kilogram of their weight. If information about the goods sent to the IGO is missing or does not correspond to the actual, this significantly increases the time spent on clearance of shipments, since it becomes necessary to carry out customs inspection and document its results.
Sending
The parcel was sent to the wrong index or address, an error was found and the parcel was redirected to the correct address.
Import international mail
The operation of receiving a shipment in the country of the recipient.
All mail entering the territory Russian Federation from flights, starts the journey at the aviation mail transportation department (AOPP) - a special postal warehouse at the airport. From the aircraft, within 4-6 hours, the shipments arrive at the AOPP, the containers are registered, their integrity and weight are checked. Mail is registered in an electronic database. When registering, a barcode is scanned, data is entered about where the container is addressed (for example, MMPO "Moscow"), from which flight it arrived, about the country and date of formation of the container, etc. The time of these operations can be increased from 1 to 7x days due to the limited capacity of AOPP.
The next operation after exporting from the country of origin, which is reflected on the site when tracking the shipment, is import to the country of destination. Import information appears after the shipment has been handed over by the carrier to the postal operator of the country of destination. The operation "Import" means that the shipment arrived on the territory of Russia and was registered. International shipments arrive in Russia through the place of international postal exchange (IMPO). There are several MMPOs in Russia: in Moscow, Novosibirsk, Orenburg, Samara, Petrozavodsk, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Bryansk. The choice of the city where the international shipment will go depends on the country of the sender. The choice depends on the availability of regular flights and free carrying capacity in a particular direction.
Unsuccessful attempt of delivery
Assigned if the postal operator reported that an attempt was made to deliver the item to the recipient, but for some reason the delivery did not take place. This status does not reflect the specific reason for non-delivery.
Options for further action:
- New Delivery Attempt
- The parcel will be deposited until demand or until the circumstances are clarified.
- Return to sender
- It is necessary to contact the post office delivering the item and find out the reason for the non-delivery.
- You must independently contact the post office to receive the shipment without waiting for a notification.
Treatment
Processing at an intermediate point
The parcel arrived at one of the sorting centers for processing and further shipment towards the recipient.
Processing in the sorting center
Status Processing in the sorting center - is assigned during the delivery of the item through the intermediate sorting nodes of the postal service. In sorting centers, mail is distributed along trunk routes. Parcels are reloaded from one transport to another, for further shipment to the recipient.
Processing completed
A generalized status that means the completion of the processing of the mail item before sending it to the recipient.
Awaiting delivery to the post office
Means that the postal item is packed, marked and will be sent in the near future.
Awaiting shipment
Means that the postal item is packed, marked and will be sent in the near future.
Awaiting quality check
Indicates that the package is not yet complete and is in the seller's warehouse, waiting for the contents to be checked before shipment.
Loading operation completed
Generalized status, meaning that the parcel has left the warehouse / intermediate sorting center and is heading to the next sorting center towards the recipient.
Export operation completed
The customs clearance procedure has been completed, the postal item has been transferred to the post office of the country of destination for further shipment to the recipient.
Shipment from the seller's warehouse
The parcel has left the seller's warehouse and is moving to the side logistics company or post office.
Shipment Cancellation
Generalized status, meaning that the parcel (order) for some reason cannot be sent (continue further movement).
Sending to the terminal
The parcel is sent to the postal terminal at the airport to be loaded onto the aircraft and sent to the country of destination.
Shipment ready to ship
Means that the postal item is packed, marked and will be sent in the near future.
Sent
Generalized status, meaning the sending of a postal item from an intermediate point towards the recipient.
Sent to Russia
The postal item will be transferred to the Russian Post for delivery to one of the places of international mail exchange, and subsequent import / export operations.
Sent to destination country
A postal item in the process of being transferred to the mail of the country of destination, for delivery to one of the places of international mail exchange, and subsequent import / export operations.
Note!
The following status will not be displayed immediately as soon as the parcel is in the country, but after the postal item is accepted (unloaded, processed and scanned) by the postal service.
This may take from 3 to 14 days, depending on the workload of the place of international mail exchange.
Sent from warehouse to sorting center
As a rule, this status means that the foreign sender (seller) brought your parcel to the local post office.
Transferred to storage
It means the arrival of the item at the recipient's post office (OPS), and transfer to storage until it is delivered to the recipient.
As soon as the shipment has arrived at the office, employees issue a notice (notice) that the shipment is in the office. The notice is given to the postman for delivery. Delivery is carried out on the day the item arrives at the office or the next day (for example, if the items arrived at the office in the evening).
This status indicates that the recipient can independently contact the post office to receive the item without waiting for notification.
Handed over to customs
In the sender's country
In the country of the recipient
Loading on the plane
Loading on the plane before departure to the country of destination.
Loading into transport
Shipment preparation completed
Means that the postal item is packed, marked and will be sent in the near future.
Preparing for shipping
It means that the postal item is packed, marked for further dispatch.
Preparing for export
Packing, labeling, loading into a container and other procedures necessary for shipment to the country of destination.
Left the airport
In the sender's country
The postal item departed from the airport of the sender's country and is sent to the country of destination.
The following status will not be displayed immediately upon arrival at the airport of the destination country, but after the mail item arrives and is accepted (unloaded, processed and scanned) by the postal service. This may take from 3 to 14 days.
In the country of the recipient
The postal item is delivered to one of the places of international mail exchange for subsequent import operations.
Left the international sorting center
The postal item has been sent to the country of destination, for delivery to one of the places of international mail exchange, and subsequent import / export operations.
Left the place of international exchange
The shipment left the place of international mail exchange and then goes to the sorting center. From the moment the shipment left the MMPO, the delivery times for shipments in Russia begin to operate.
According to the information received from the Russian Post, the status "Left the place of international exchange" can last no more than 10 days. If after 10 days the status has not changed - this is a violation of the delivery time, which can be reported to the Russian post office by phone 8 800 2005 888 (free call), and they begin to respond to this application.
Left the mail terminal
The postal item has left the intermediate point of its route and is heading towards the recipient.
Left the warehouse
The parcel has left the warehouse and is moving towards the post office or sorting center.
Left sorting center
The postal item has left the sorting postal center and is heading towards the recipient.
Left ShenZhen Yanwen Sort Facility
The mail has left the sorting center of Yanwen Logistics and is heading towards the recipient.
Left the country of transit
The postal item has left the country of transit and is sent towards the country of destination, for delivery to one of the places of international mail exchange, and subsequent import / export operations.
left transit country
The postal item left the sorting center in the transit (intermediate) country, sent to the country of destination, for delivery to one of the places of international mail exchange, and subsequent import / export operations.
Mailing information received
Received mailing information in electronic format
It means that the seller has registered the postal item (track code) on the website of the postal (courier service), but in fact, the postal item has not yet been transferred to the postal service. As a rule, it can take from 1 to 7 days from the moment of registration to the moment of the actual transfer of the parcel. After sending the parcel, the status will change to "Receiving" or similar.
Received for further processing
The parcel arrived at one of the sorting centers for processing and further shipment towards the recipient.
Postage registered.
It means that the seller has registered the postal item (track code) on the website of the postal (courier service), but in fact, the postal item has not yet been transferred to the postal service. As a rule, it can take from 1 to 7 days from the moment of registration to the moment of the actual transfer of the parcel. After sending the parcel, the status will change to "Receiving" or similar.
Arrived
Generalized status, meaning arrival at one of the intermediate points, such as: sorting centers, postal terminals, airports, ports, etc.
Arrived at the airport
The parcel arrived at the airport for unloading, loading, processing and further shipment to the destination.
Arrived at International Sort Facility
Came to the place of delivery
Means the arrival of the item at the post office (OPS) of the recipient, which must deliver the item to the recipient. As soon as the shipment has arrived at the office, employees issue a notice (notice) that the shipment is in the office. The notice is given to the postman for delivery. Delivery is carried out on the day the item arrives at the office or the next day (for example, if the items arrived at the office in the evening).
This status indicates that the recipient can independently contact the post office to receive the item without waiting for notification.
If the parcel was repackaged in a package with other parcels, then in order to be able to receive it, you need to find out the track code of the common parcel.
Arrived at the international exchange point
It means the arrival of a postal item at an intermediate postal node for sorting, route selection and sending towards the recipient.
Arrived at the post office
Means the arrival of the postal item at the recipient's post office, which must deliver the item to the recipient. This status indicates that the recipient needs to contact the post office to receive the shipment.
Arrived in Russia
Arrived at the sorting center
It means the arrival of a postal item at an intermediate postal node for sorting, route selection and sending towards the recipient.
Arrived at ShenZhen Yanwen Sort Facility
It means the arrival of the mail item at the intermediate sorting center of the logistics company Yanwen Logistics, for sorting, route selection and sending to the recipient.
Arrived at Destination Sort Facility
The postal item has arrived at the sorting center of the country of destination for subsequent import / export operations.
Arrived in destination country
The postal item arrived in the country of destination at the place of international postal exchange for subsequent import / export operations.
Arrived in transit country
The parcel arrived at one of the sorting centers of the transit (intermediate) country for processing (sorting) and further shipment towards the recipient.
Arrived at processing center small packages
Means the arrival of the parcel at the distribution center postal items, for sorting, route selection and sending towards the recipient.
Arrived at warehouse
Arrived at carrier's warehouse
The parcel arrived at the warehouse for unloading, marking, processing, loading and further shipment to the destination.
Arrived at the terminal
Means arrival at an intermediate terminal for unloading, loading, processing and further shipment to the destination.
Arrived in Russia
The postal item arrived on the territory of Russia for further import and shipment towards the recipient.
Reception
Reception
Means that a foreign sender (seller) has brought your parcel to the local post office. At the same time, he filled out all Required documents, including the customs declaration (forms CN 22 or CN 23). At this time, the shipment is assigned a unique postal identifier - a special bar code (Track number, Track code). It is in the check (or receipt) issued upon receipt of the postal item. The "Receive" operation shows the place, date and country of receipt of the shipment. After acceptance, the parcel moves on its way to the place of international exchange.
Admission to the customs service of the country of destination
Status means that the shipment has been handed over to the Federal Customs Service (FCS) for clearance. In MMPO, departures pass full cycle processing, customs control and clearance functions. Postal containers arrive under the customs transit procedure. Then they are sorted by type and transferred to different sites. Shipments with a commodity investment undergo X-ray control. By decision of the customs officer, the postal item can be opened for personal control, the reason for personal control may be a violation of property rights, a commercial batch, orientation to the batch, where substances prohibited for shipment may possibly be. The postal item is opened by the operator in the presence of a customs officer, after which a customs inspection report is drawn up and attached to the item.
Reception at customs
In the sender's country
The postal item was handed over to the customs service of the sending state for inspection and other customs procedures. If the parcel passes the customs check successfully, then it will be sent to the country of destination.
In the country of the recipient
Status means that the shipment has been handed over to the Federal Customs Service (FCS) for clearance. In MMPO, shipments go through a full cycle of processing, customs control and clearance functions. Postal containers arrive under the customs transit procedure. Then they are sorted by type and transferred to different sites. Shipments with a commodity investment undergo X-ray control. By decision of the customs officer, the postal item can be opened for personal control, the reason for personal control may be a violation of property rights, a commercial batch, orientation to the batch, where substances prohibited for shipment may possibly be. The postal item is opened by the operator in the presence of a customs officer, after which a customs inspection report is drawn up and attached to the item.
Reception at customs
In the sender's country
The postal item was transferred to the customs service of the sending state for inspection and other customs procedures. If the parcel passes the customs check successfully, then it will be sent to the country of destination.
In the country of the recipient
Status means that the shipment has been handed over to the Federal Customs Service (FCS) for clearance. In MMPO, shipments go through a full cycle of processing, customs control and clearance functions. Postal containers arrive under the customs transit procedure. Then they are sorted by type and transferred to different sites. Shipments with a commodity investment undergo X-ray control. By decision of the customs officer, the postal item can be opened for personal control, the reason for personal control may be a violation of property rights, a commercial batch, orientation to the batch, where substances prohibited for shipment may possibly be. The postal item is opened by the operator in the presence of a customs officer, after which a customs inspection report is drawn up and attached to the item.
The parcel has arrived at one of the sorting centers and is being processed. After some time, the parcel will leave the sorting center for further shipment towards the recipient.
Customs clearance
In the sender's country
The postal item was transferred to the customs service of the sending state for inspection and other customs procedures. If the parcel passes the customs check successfully, then it will be sent to the country of destination.
In the country of the recipient
Status means that the shipment has been handed over to the Federal Customs Service (FCS) for clearance. In MMPO, shipments go through a full cycle of processing, customs control and clearance functions. Postal containers arrive under the customs transit procedure. Then they are sorted by type and transferred to different sites. Shipments with a commodity investment undergo X-ray control. By decision of the customs officer, the postal item can be opened for personal control, the reason for personal control may be a violation of property rights, a commercial batch, orientation to the batch, where substances prohibited for shipment may possibly be. The postal item is opened by the operator in the presence of a customs officer, after which a customs inspection report is drawn up and attached to the item.
Transportation of a postal item from one sorting center to another, in the direction of the recipient. On average, the export operation takes from 7 to 14 days, but sometimes this operation can take up to 60 days.
Export (content check)
The postal item was transferred to the customs service of the sending state for inspection and other customs procedures. If the parcel passes the customs check successfully, then it will be sent to the country of destination.
On average, the export operation takes from 7 to 14 days, but sometimes this operation can take up to 60 days.
If the shipment is in the "Export" status, then it is impossible to track it (find out what exactly is happening with it), only at the import stage you will be able to see your parcel and monitor its further movement. The use of transit traffic and certain restrictions often delay departures. However, if your parcel was sent more than 3 months ago, but has not received the status of "Import", then the sender needs to contact the post office and apply for a search.
Export, processing
Means the actual sending of the postal item to the country of destination.
The "Export" status includes the transfer of the parcel to a foreign carrier, which, by land or air transportation, transports it to the MMPO of the country of destination. As a rule, this status is the longest and the transition to "Import" may take some time. This is due to the peculiarities of the routes of flights and the formation of the optimal weight for transporting it by plane. For example, shipments from China may be delayed due to the fact that cargo planes can carry at least 50 - 100 tons.
On average, the export operation takes from 7 to 14 days, but sometimes this operation can take up to 60 days.
If the shipment is in the "Export" status, then it is impossible to track it (find out what exactly is happening with it), only at the import stage you will be able to see your parcel and monitor its further movement. The use of transit traffic and certain restrictions often delay departures. However, if your parcel was sent more than 3 months ago, but has not received the status of "Import", then the sender needs to contact the post office and apply for a search.
Electronic mail registration
It means that the seller has registered the postal item (track code) on the website of the postal (courier service), but in fact, the postal item has not yet been transferred to the postal service. As a rule, it can take from 1 to 7 days from the moment of registration to the moment of the actual transfer of the parcel. After sending the parcel, the status will change to "Receiving" or similar.
All international postal items (IGOs) on arrival in the country of destination are customs control. Addressees who are looking forward to receiving the parcel and regularly check its tracking status are always interested in how long does the parcel lie in customs, in other words - what are the terms for passing customs control.
Customs officers perform checking the contents of the MGO for the absence of categories of goods that are prohibited for import. They also check the conformity of the contents of the parcel with the customs declaration and collect customs duties if such a need arises (for example, if the value of the contents of a parcel from an online store exceeds the established customs limit).
Fine customs clearance parcels must be carried out in three days from the moment it arrives at the place of international postal exchange (IMPO). In practice, this period can be longer in two main cases: a heavy workload of MMPO or problems with the parcel (an incorrectly completed declaration, the presence of prohibited goods, suspicion of goods, etc.).
In Russia, for example, there are several MMPOs, but the bulk of international mail goes through Moscow. Due to the large flow of parcels, they may be observed in the passage of customs control - customs physically unable to cope with so many entries.
Most often, delays occur after holidays as parcels accumulate over the weekend. Sometimes, with a heavy workload, parcels are redirected from Moscow to other MMPOs, but this also takes certain time and lengthens the time for the parcel to pass through customs.
Problems with customs clearance are more common with parcels sent by courier services(TNT, DHL, UPS, FedEx, etc.). Firstly, for these services, the customs limit is lower, i.e. maximum cost goods for which the parcel is not subject to duty. Secondly, these services do not have the right to take over. Therefore, when a parcel is detained at customs, you will need to personally come to process the parcel or pay for the services of an intermediary - a customs broker.
What can be done to so that the parcel clears customs faster? Naturally, it is not in your power to “unload” IMPO, but it is in your power to choose the best delivery method and take care of the correct processing of the parcel, which will reduce the likelihood of problems at customs.
First, it's better use regular mail rather than courier services. The national postal services of the countries of the world are members of the Universal Postal Union and are authorized to take over the customs clearance procedure. This means that if you need to pay a fee, you will not need to personally go to customs or pay a broker: the parcel will calmly leave the MMPO, and you will pay the fee at the post office upon receipt.
Secondly, you need to make sure that the customs declaration is filled out correctly: the list of goods corresponds to the contents of the parcel, and the declared value corresponds to the real one. Otherwise, the package may take a long time to be re-evaluated.
So, in parcels sent postal service United States (USPS), the role of the customs declaration is mail label(shipping label). If you are shopping in US online stores, it is important to make sure that the seller correctly declares all goods shipped and does not underestimate their value.
If for some reason you doubt the sender, you can generate an electronic mail label and send it to the seller, who will print it out and stick it on the package. You can do this using the service postage maker, which allows you to generate mail labels in semi-automatic mode.
After a simple registration in the system and replenishment of your personal account, you will need to enter information about the recipient, sender and contents of the parcel in the appropriate fields of the online form and click the "Generate Label" button. Ready label can be immediately printed or saved in .pdf format.
If you follow simple rules above, the likelihood of problems at customs will be minimal and your package pass the customs control for the declared three days, unless the MMPO is overloaded at that moment.
06.09.18 112 614 25
Instruction from a person who goes to customs how to work
In July, I spent 12 hours at the Moscow customs, scratching my parcels from them from abroad.
Maxim Ilyakhov
former editor-in-chief T-Zh
I already know the local inspectors by sight, I come well-prepared and I can resolve issues, if not quickly, then at least the first time. Here's what I learned about receiving parcels via Russian customs: read if you order something from abroad.
What will you learn
How are parcel and customs related
To get to Russia, parcels from abroad must overcome customs: this is a special service that monitors the import and export of goods across the border. There are customs offices at airports, seaports, at post offices. When you arrive in Russia and walk along the "green corridor" at the airport, this is also customs.
When an international parcel arrives in Russia, it also goes through customs. This applies to all parcels without exception, even those sent by courier services. The customs officer checks the contents of the parcel (on an X-ray, according to documents, and sometimes even personally) and if everything is in order, he lets the parcel go further into the country. In most cases, this happens unnoticed by us: we simply receive the package in the form in which it was sent. We don't even know she went through customs.
Why customs hold up parcels
Customs has many reasons to delay the package, but in our case, most likely, it will be one of four:
- the customs officer has a suspicion that the product is commercial, although it is declared as a private purchase;
- the recipient has spent the monthly limit on duty-free purchases abroad - in 2019 it is 500 € per month or 31 kg;
- the customs officer did not understand what was in the parcel, he needs an explanation;
- The customs officer decided that there was something forbidden in the parcel.
In these cases, the recipient will be invited to the local customs office to provide clarification and pay duties.
If you suspect that you have exceeded the limit, check if the store or courier knows your TIN. At the time of this writing, customs considers purchase limits only for those parcels for which it requests the recipient's TIN: usually these are parcels of courier services. If the courier service does not know your TIN, you will receive a letter from them: "Specify TIN". Courier services know these features Russian legislation and they don’t even send parcels anymore without knowing the recipient’s TIN.
If you are ordering something that comes by regular mail and does not require your TIN, it is likely that customs will not count this item as a limit. But it is now. Here they will introduce some kind of control system, and then they will count everything.
How to understand that the parcel was detained at customs
If customs holds your package, two things will happen:
- By the track number of your parcel, it will be clear that it is ready for delivery, but not where you usually receive it, but in some unfamiliar place. In Moscow, this is a branch of the international post office on Varshavskoye shosse, 37. But for now, you don’t need to go there, it will be a waste of time. Alternatively, the tracking package will say "Sent with customs notification."
- Customs will send you a registered letter at the place of delivery of the parcel. In the envelope there will be a template letter from customs, they say, come, my dear. The reasons for the delay, most likely, will not be indicated - the letter is template and vague, but it can be different in different customs departments. A notification of receipt of the parcel with its track, weight and shelf life will be attached to the letter.
If you receive a registered letter, collect the documents and get ready to take time off from work.
It's a bad thing: the track shows that the customs in St. Petersburg sent my package to Moscow with a notification. One of these days I will receive a letter... 
Pay attention to the shelf life of the parcel: if it is about to expire, you need to come as soon as possible. There is a danger that between the first arrival at customs and the actual release parcels will pass 2-3 days - will have to collect some additional documents or you will not be accepted on the first day. During this time, the storage period may expire, and the parcel will be sent back.
Do not receive a letter if you are not going to customs
By notification in your mailbox, you will understand that the letter came from the main post office.
If you understand that you will not go to customs for economic reasons (read about this below), you can simply ignore the letter. Then the parcel will go back in two weeks, and you will be able to order this product again after a while, for example, when the limit on duty-free import is reset.
What to take with you to customs
Since we don't yet know why customs delayed the package, we need to prepare for the worst. Here's what to take with you from the documents.
Letter and notice sent to you. This is the basis for the customs officer to talk to you. The letter will need to be given, and upon notification you will be given a package if everything is fine.
Passport copies: first page and registration. You'll need one copy, but it doesn't hurt to have a few on hand. When you order goods from the Internet, it can be difficult to stop. In Varshavka, there is a photocopier directly at the post office, 15 R per copy.
Copies of documents of relatives. If the parcel contains a lot of goods that you ordered for family members, copies of their passports will be required to prove that you ordered the goods not for sale, but for relatives. It should be clear from the copies that these are your relatives. If it is not clear - copies of documents that establish kinship: marriage certificates, birth certificates.
Purchase confirmation- an invoice from the online store and confirmation of payment. The invoice is usually downloaded on the store's website, and the check - in the Internet bank. According to the invoice and receipt, it should be clear that it was you who paid for the goods.
Descriptions of what is in the package. You need to be ready to explain to the customs officer what is in the parcel, with pictures. Photos of the goods from the site, printouts of the pages of the online store will do. If there are a lot of different things in the parcel, documents are needed for everything: the customs officer may have questions about a particular thing. Last time, when I went to customs, I had a dozen photos of the goods in the parcel, the customs officer studied them with great interest, asking, “What is this? But here? And how does it work?" The photos helped a lot.
14 days
period of storage of the parcel at customs
Cash to pay the fee: if you have exceeded the limit in value - 30% of the value exceeding the limit; if exceeded by weight - 4 € for each kilogram of overweight. All in terms of rubles. In Moscow, Varshavka does not accept cards, but there is one Post-Bank ATM. Whether it will work and whether there will be money in it is unknown.
From household items it is worth taking one more thing.
Thermos of tea and a snack. It's easy to spend 5-7 hours in line to the inspector. You can go out, at the post office you can drink coffee from the machine, but I prefer to take my own.
A set of bright Post-its stickers and an unusual marker. You will be surprised why they are useful. For now, just toss it in your bag.
On Varshavka, according to my observations, Mobile Internet catches badly. If you planned to watch TV shows via the Internet, it is better to download them to your tablet in advance. If you are working with google docs, install the extension for "Chrome"to work without the Internet.
Pay attention to customs days and opening hours. In Moscow, on Varshavka, individuals are not accepted on Monday, and on Saturday there is a short day. It is better to come from Tuesday to Friday right at nine in the morning, or even at half past seven.
What to do in line
Different customs work differently: somewhere it's a complete hell, somewhere it's a civilized place. I'll tell you about the customs at 37 Varshavskoye Shosse, where parcels are received by those who ordered them to Moscow. It was my best years.
Customs on Varshavka is a dozen windows, of which at best two worked with me - they say there are not enough staff. The queue moves slowly. The electronic queue boards hang but don't work, so every time I was there, I had to stand in a live queue.
The peculiarity of the live queue at this customs office is that it moves terribly slowly (with me, 3-4 people per hour passed through two windows), and people often leave without waiting. Decent people leave, having previously introduced those who are behind them to those who are in front of them. But it happens that 2-3 people from the middle of the line silently give up, and then you can’t find the ends, who was behind whom. Start screaming, tantrums and waving hands.
500 €
limit on duty-free purchases abroad per month
Advice. Bring along a set of colorful Post-its and a bright marker. If there is a live queue at your customs office, write the numbers on these brightly colored pieces of paper and distribute to everyone as if it were an electronic queue.
You are not obliged to do this, but with this gesture you will greatly simplify life for everyone, first of all for yourself. When a person has a bright piece of paper with a number in his hands, he calmly feels in line, no one asks: “Girl, who are you after?”, There is no problem that “A young man was following me, but he left, but you hold on here are the women in red. Be the person who put things in order in the queue. You will not be thanked, but you will spend the next 3-4 hours in peace. If not you, then who?
If stuffy. If you are in Varshavka and you feel stuffy - find an air conditioner panel near the information stand. She works. Press the button - it will be easier for everyone.
What to do with the inspector
When it's your turn, give the inspector a notice. He finds your case and starts working with you. He will ask questions and ask for clarification about the things in the package. Show him all the documents that you have prepared in advance.
The inspector has no parcels; he has never seen them and never will. He only looks at documents. Therefore, to offer the inspector to open the package and make sure of something for yourself will not work. The parcel itself is somewhere in the warehouse two floors below, completely different people will give it to you.
All the inspectors I came across were calm, methodical and friendly. They worked slowly but carefully. If there was something I did not understand, everything was explained to me. When they were rude and snapped because of the long wait, they doomedly shrugged their hands. I did not meet any hellish scoop and rudeness, although people in the queue constantly complained about changes in the rules and inaccurate instructions.
Here you need to understand that we are dealing with people who, in turn, deal with papers and regulations. They must comply with all the formalities and rules, this is their task. If the inspector violates something or makes a mistake with the papers, he will be sent for it. However, he is human and can make mistakes. But in the end, we do not need him to do everything right - we need to understand what specific actions this particular inspector expects from us in order to release our specific package.
Advice. Try to do everything to the maximum on the spot, without transferring work to the next day. For example, the inspector may ask you to write some kind of explanation. Agree that you will come back without a queue in 10 minutes.
If you postpone the case until tomorrow, then you may come across another inspector, and instead of an explanation, he may ask for another document or even send you to some mysterious department that no one has ever heard of. All the people who returned with me the next day always started the proceedings from the beginning and were very annoyed that each new inspector demanded some new things from them.
What not to do at customs
Don't mention the words "for sale". The inspector will decide that this is a commercial shipment, and you do not pay duties.
You should not say the words "surveillance", "tracker", "hidden audio recording", "encryption". All encryption tools must undergo a special check in the authorities. If, for example, you ordered a computer or microcontroller from abroad, keep quiet that you can encrypt something on it or monitor something.
Don't joke about guns and drugs. Imagine how many times the inspector has heard this joke.
Do not freak out and hysteria. The inspector works according to the regulations and sits behind the glass. He is all our psychos to the bulb. But if your proceedings with the inspector drag on, your colleagues will see in turn that you are slowing down the whole process - they can arrange a people's court.
Payment of duty
The likely course of events is if you ordered something expensive from the Internet and exceeded the limit on duty-free import, which is now 31 kg and 500 € per month. In case of excess, you will have to pay an additional duty of 30% of the value exceeding the limit, or 4 € for each kilogram of excess. Most likely, even with this surcharge, the purchase will be cheaper than in Russia.
The fee is paid by postal money order, which can be issued right there at the post office. They take a commission.
For payment, you will need a passport and an invoice for the fee, which will be issued by the inspector. The post office operator will accept the money and issue a check, with the check you need to return to the inspector and get his blessing to release the parcel.
What if you don't go
If you do not go to customs before the expiration date of the parcel, most likely it will be sent back to the store. Most often, stores return the cost of the goods, but withhold the cost of delivery. It may make economic sense, see.
Let's say you ordered a product for 490 €, but it so happened that this month you have already bought goods for 500 € and exceeded the duty-free threshold. You will need to pay an additional fee of 150 € and spend time at customs.
Five hours at customs costs you some money. Let's say you earn $500 an hour. A trip to customs, not counting transport and overhead costs, will cost you 2-3 thousand rubles. But the goods will be immediately.
On the other hand, you can ignore the product, wait for it to return to the store, get a refund and order it again when the limits are reset. The goods will be in 1.5-2 months, but they will immediately be at the post office near the house.
Two savings options
Go to customs, pay the fee:
- −150 € of duty;
- −2500 Р for time;
- -5 hours of life.
Total:−23 200 Р, −5 hours of life, goods immediately.
Do not go to customs, reorder the goods:
- −60 € for return shipping;
- −60 € for redelivery;
- +5 hours of life.
Total:−8600 R, goods in two months.
How to keep your mind at customs
- If you are waiting for an expensive package from abroad, add its track to your Personal Area on the Russian Post website to be aware of the fate of that parcel. So you do not miss the moment when she gets stuck at customs.
- Don't hesitate until you receive an official letter from customs. Go there without a letter only if the parcel is about to expire. Now the shelf life is 14 days.
- Take a copy of your passport, cash and all conceivable documents for the purchase, including a bank statement for the purchase. Product photos, screenshots from the site - print everything.
- Collect as many documents as possible to resolve issues with the package in one trip. Better to print ten extra pages than spend ten extra days going to the inspectors.
- Get ready for 5 hours in line. Organize a live queue yourself so that no one freaks out.
- First study what is prohibited for import into Russia, and if possible do not provoke the customs officer with these words.
- If the problem is duties, consider what is more profitable: pick up the goods at customs now or re-order it in a month or two.
- The shipment has been delivered to customs or
- into foreign custom
- Additional import documentation is required for clearance
- CARGO DATA IS PROCESSED BY THE CUSTOMS BROKER. WAITING FOR CUSTOMS CLEARANCE
- etc.
After that, you need to call the Customs Service and continue to act according to their instructions. If you know from the tracking exactly where the parcel arrived, then it’s better to go there right away by finding the phones on the Internet. For example, the tracking may indicate that the parcel is in the Sheremetyevo terminal. Contacts Customs Service can be found on their website.
Why can a parcel be delayed at customs?
1 Non-compliance with the rules of forwarding, incorrect execution of documents by the sender, finding prohibited items.
2 The value of the parcel exceeded the duty-free limits
Forwarding violations
If the shipping rules have been violated or the sender has incorrectly executed the documents, then most likely the customs will send your package back to the sender. This is a rare case and we will not dwell on it in detail, since in this case you are unlikely to be able to prove something to the customs or correct something. The main thing that needs to be done in this case is to return the money paid to the online store back. If the customs office sends the parcel back due to violations, then the online store, as a rule, returns the money back to the card. But in many stores, for this you will have to fill out a special application on the website or write a letter, since by default the online store may not do this. All decent online stores have a customer service that deals with such issues. Sometimes the refund may take some time and be accompanied by the sending of reminder letters. But in the vast majority of cases, the money will be returned sooner or later, depending on the promptness of the customer service of the online store.
The value of the parcel exceeded the duty-free limits
In which case duty-free limits can be exceeded:
1 in the parcel personal goods worth more than 1000 euros or 31 kg (if the shipment was sent by EMS or state mail)
2 Customs recognized the consignment as commercial, i.e. not intended for personal use. For example, if there are 10 pairs of jeans in a package, then most likely the batch will be recognized as commercial.
3 the package was sent via courier services DHL, UPS, etc. and exceeded the limit of 200 euros or 5000 rubles. (depending on the courier service).
More about customs rules and duty-free limits - Rules for customs clearance and duty-free import.
So, the customs decided that the parcel requires the payment of duties.
If the parcel was sent by regular Russian Post, then if the duty-free limit was exceeded or the batch was recognized as commercial, then you will receive a notification by mail instead of the parcel about the need to declare the goods.
If the shipment went through the courier services UPS, DHL, FedEx, etc., then they, as a rule, will offer you their customs clearance services, which you have the right to refuse and clear everything yourself.
You can always refuse to receive a parcel. In that case, she will go back. The store will most likely refund your money for the goods, but the money for delivery, if it was not free, will not be returned 100%.
Sometimes, when ordering goods, you expect that the amount of duty-free import could not be exceeded, but the package still gets stuck at customs. This could happen if the online store indicated the amount in the documents without taking into account the discount. In this case, it makes sense to compete at customs by printing out extracts from bank card or by requesting an invoice from the online store.
