What to do if your items were seized at the airport in Russia?

What do you do if you were stopped at the airport in Russia when entering the country and your belongings, like jewelry, phones, laptops or branded items, or large sum of cash money were seized?

We must warn you, so as not to scare tourists, that if you're carrying ordinary inexpensive things (clothes for yourself, gadgets in a single copy (especially not new), toiletries for yourself, etc.), then, of course, no one will take them from you.

MONEY

You can bring less than 10,000 USD in cash per person without filing a declaration, i. e., through the green corridor at customs. If you are bringing another currency, it is converted into dollars at the current exchange rate. More than 10,000 dollars must be declared. In this case, choose the red corridor to cross the border. If you have 100,000 USD or more in your hands, you will need to not only fill out a declaration, but also document the origin of this money. But this regards only cash – customs officers do not care about money stored on a bank card. By the way, securities must ALWAYS be disclosed.

JEWELRY

Without a declaration, you can import jewelry within the following limits:

When traveling by plane, all purchases together must be worth no more than 10,000 EUR or no more than 50 kg in weight.
By train, car or bus, no more than 1,000 EUR or 31 kg.

When you exceeded the limits, then you need to fill out a declaration and pay a duty of 30% of the cost or 4 euros for each kg.

GADGETS

The same rules as for jewelry – if you are traveling by plane, no more than 10,000 EUR or no more than 50 kg, if not by plane, no more than 1,000 euros or 31 kg.

WHAT CAN YOU DO IN ADVANCE TO AVOID LEGAL ISSUES?

The main principle is, if you have any doubt, it's the best idea to disclose the goods and pay a customs duty – solving the problem if you already ran into it will be more expensive, troublesome and longer.

Better keep receipts or certificates for your jewelry and electronics – it's often the case that the airport appraisal shows the cost that exceeds, sometimes significantly, the real cost of the merchandise seized. Further, you can seek an independent appraisal to challenge that by the airport, but it costs money.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE STOPPED?

Don't hide things in your suitcase or pocket if you were demanded to show what you are carrying - hiding items from customs control constitutes smuggling; in the future, it may be extremely hard to prove that you did not intend to bring valuables across the border secretly.

It may seem obvious, but never say that the items you are bringing are for sale – they must either be your personal belongings or gifts for your relatives or friends.

WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOUR ITEMS HAVE BEEN SEIZED?

The best idea in this case is to reach out to a lawyer, since smuggling is considered a criminal offence, and it's in your best interest to resolve this problem peacefully.



Need legal help? Feel free to contact us:
Tel: +7 909 961-19-09
Email: legalsolutions@inbox.ru
Visit us: Moscow, Zubovskiy bulvar, building 4/1, office 308

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