How and who will have to pay duty on foreign parcels? Direct line with the State Customs Committee on new limits. How to bypass postal limits correctly, and how much can you save by doing so? Paid parcel storage

International parcels in Belarus are now limited to 22 euros and 10 kg. This decree No. 40 was signed on February 11, 2016. KV have prepared five possible options for how Belarusians can circumvent this restriction.

Ask sellers to indicate a lower price for the product

You can try to negotiate with the seller. And by agreement with the buyer, the sender indicates a reduced cost of the goods. Let's say $20 for a camera.

However, it is worth knowing that customs officers conduct their own assessment of the parcel. They study the average cost of the product in the country from which it came, and set a much more plausible price tag. Mail processing in Minsk employs specialists who have the skills to quickly calculate the true price of an item. In some cases, they may request assistance from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where they will appoint an examination.

Order goods for relatives

It is quite possible to involve friends and relatives in ordering via the Internet. This requires people who do not very often buy something for themselves on foreign sites or do not purchase anything at all. The number of people you need depends on the frequency of your orders from abroad. E it will look like four parcels to Belarus for four different people.

Order from friends from other countries

If you need to place an order for an amount significantly exceeding 22 euros, consider ordering from a resident of the customs union country (Russia, Kazakhstan), who will forward the parcel to you. Postage costs will be lower than possible duty.

Or Belarusians can order parcels to Russian post offices "on demand" and thus bypass the Belarusian limit of 22 euros.

However the consequences of using this delivery scheme are unknown.

Ask sellers to indicate a different type of product

Another method that may be useful is to negotiate with the seller so that he lists your product not as a purchase, but as a personal parcel. True, here everything will depend on the seller.

Mail Forwarding

Mail Forwarding (or “Your address abroad”, hereinafter abbreviated as MF) is a service in which you make purchases yourself and use the addresses of intermediary company warehouses abroad. The service, of course, is paid, but its cost is significantly less than the duty. It is worth noting that the address must be chosen in the countries of the Customs Union in order to avoid being subject to tax.

The scheme is as follows: you pay for goods to sellers yourself using your credit card. The company's warehouse is used as an address accessible to the seller, as well as a point for consolidation and further shipment of goods to Belarus.

However, before you try any of these tips, it's worth remembering a simple rule: any attempts to circumvent the law can end in trouble.

From April 14, 2016, the norms for duty-free receipt of goods by post have changed in the Republic of Belarus. Without paying customs duties, one person is allowed to receive property worth no more than 22 euros and weighing up to 10 kilograms. Parcels that do not fit within the established limit are not prohibited, however, the amount exceeding the permissible norms is subject to customs duty, in addition, payment of a fixed customs fee becomes mandatory.

The above restrictions are established in Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 40 dated February 11, 2016.

Payments for parcels to individuals exceeding the established standards are paid in the same way as commercial consignments of goods. Currently, the customs duty is (in most cases) 30% of the cost, but not less than 4 euros per 1 kg of weight in excess of the cost and (or) weight standards. The amount of customs duty depends on the type of product, for example, for a telephone you will have to pay 5 euros.

The calculation mechanism can be visualized as a simple arithmetic problem:

• Parcel cost: 100 euros;
• Amount exceeding the limit: 100 - 22 = 78 euros;
• 30% of 78 euros = 23.4 euros;
• Customs duty - 5 euros;
• Total: 23.4 + 5 = 28.4 euros.

In case of exceeding the limit in weight, but not in cost, the calculation is even simpler: 4 euros for each kilogram in excess of 10 allowed.

The recipient of the parcel will be able to learn about accrued customs duties from the telecom operator. You can also pay them at the post office upon receipt of the goods.

Limits and duties on parcels are usually considered as a kind of protective measures to protect the domestic market from cheaper imported goods, as well as a way of taxing citizens who purchase commercial quantities of goods under the guise of things for personal use. All imposed restrictions are aimed mainly against online stores in non-CIS countries. However, officially all parcels from abroad are in the same position, i.e. even gifts from foreign relatives may be subject to duties and fees.

It is worth warning here that deliberately underestimating the cost of a parcel becomes, at the very least, a thankless task. Customs authorities have sufficient information about the price range of most common goods

The opinion that mail from abroad harms the domestic economy and contributes to illegal enrichment was expressed by Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich, several months before the signing of Decree No. 40. Such statements have met with much criticism. In particular, it was stated that 80 - 90% of Belarusians do not receive parcels from abroad. That a significant portion of imported goods arriving by mail are not produced in the Republic. And finally, they reminded us of the “transparency” of the internal borders of the Customs Union. Thanks to this, recipients of commercial consignments of goods or simply expensive parcels can order them to an address in Russia or another country of the Customs Union (where the cost limits are hundreds of times higher) and pay for shipping services to Belarus. No increase in revenue due to the new rules has yet been reported. According to online surveys, the majority of respondents intend to refuse expensive parcels from abroad. This does not guarantee a commensurate increase in budget revenues, but it is certainly unpleasant for domestic buyers.

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The reason for tightening the limits on duty-free import of goods was a significant increase in the volume of import of goods on a commercial scale to individuals without paying customs duties. Deputy Chairman of the State Customs Committee of Belarus Vladimir Orlovsky spoke about this in the “Contours” program on the ONT TV channel, TUT.BY reports. The representative of the State Customs Committee provided statistics on the volume of international postal items imported into Belarus.

“90% of Belarusians do not receive parcels. More than 250 thousand Belarusians received about 10 parcels a year, and 2.5 thousand Belarusians received more than 100,” he noted.

“This is an established practice in the European Union. Most EU countries have established standards of 22 euros for duty-free import of goods transported by international postal mail. These are countries such as Germany, Italy, Czech Republic. Moreover, there are stricter standards - in China only 7 euros. In some countries - France, Sweden - there is no duty-free import at all; any parcel implies payment of tax,” he emphasized.

“This will happen on April 14 this year,” he said. He noted that the two-month period between the publication of the decree and its entry into force was made so that Belarusians could receive the ordered goods without paying duties.

The cost of delivery from Moscow to Minsk depends on weight: delivery of a parcel weighing 0-7.5 kg will cost 4-20 dollars, up to 15 kg - 21-32 dollars, up to 22.5 kg - 33-43 dollars, 22.5- 30 kg – 43-50 dollars. The limit on the cost/weight of parcels is 1000 euros/31 kilograms.

• 26 July 2016, 21:29
• 12545

Belarusians have been purchasing goods abroad under the new rules for the fourth month. Due to reduced limits, the number of international parcels in June decreased by half compared to January - from 1.7 million to 800 thousand, according to the latest statistics from the State Customs Committee.

FINANCE.TUT.BY looked at what limits on foreign shopping apply in other countries.

In Russia and Kazakhstan, parcel limits are almost 50 times higher than in Belarus

Announcing new limits on duty-free receipt of parcels, the State Customs Committee explained that “a similar rule is applied in a number of member states of the European Union.” “So, for example, in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Italy, Finland, Slovakia, Germany and others, the rate for duty-free import of goods into MPO is 22 euros. In Sweden and France, all MPOs, regardless of cost, are subject to VAT,” noted the State Customs Committee.

Our two partners in the EAEU - in Russia and Kazakhstan - have some of the highest limits on foreign parcels. Residents of these countries can receive duty-free parcels from abroad worth up to 1,000 euros and weighing up to 31 kilograms per calendar month. But if Russians are not limited in the number of parcels ordered, then Kazakhs can only accept one parcel per month. In this case, the parcel may contain a certain number of goods. For example, you are allowed to order no more than two phones, tablets, and laptops per month.

In both Russia and Kazakhstan, for exceeding the limits, a duty of 30% of the cost is charged, but not less than 4 euros per 1 kilogram of weight (levied on the amount exceeding the threshold).

Ukrainians today can order goods worth 150 euros per month and weighing up to 50 kilograms duty-free from abroad for a month. The monthly number of parcels is not limited, but no more than one “parcel” per day. For amounts exceeding the norm, a duty of 10% is charged, as well as VAT of 20%. The cost of delivery of goods is not included in the limits.

In many European countries, as well as in Belarus, there are limits for duty-free import of parcels of 22 euros. According to AKIT, restrictions of 22 euros on duty-free receipt of parcels from abroad have been introduced in Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Luxembourg. In Argentina and Brazil, all parcels are subject to tax duty, experts say.

Restrictions of 22 euros were also introduced in the Czech Republic and Finland. For parcels worth from 22 to 150 euros you need to pay VAT - 20% and 24% respectively. Some products have lower taxes. Thus, VAT on books in Finland is 10%.

For goods over 150 euros, Finns need to pay not only VAT, but also customs duties. At the same time, in Finland different groups of goods have their own customs duty rates. For example, some of the highest rates are for clothing (12%), body parts (4.5%), and DVDs (3.5%). These tariffs apply to parcels from countries outside the EU that do not have a preferential tariff agreement.

In addition, in Finland the delivery price is taken into account when calculating the cost of the parcel. For example, if a Finn orders his wife a blouse from the USA for 200 euros (plus 35 euros delivery), he will have to pay 28.20 euros of customs duty.

Expert: “It’s unlikely we’ll ever see a Chinese person wearing a Belarusian-made watch”

Director of the Association of Internet Trade Companies of Russia Artem Sokolov cites China as an example.

- In April, China lowered the bar for duty-free import of goods to zero. Any package that is sent to this country is subject to tax,- notes Artem Sokolov. - And it is clear that we are unlikely to ever see a Chinese person wearing a Belarusian-made watch. This will never happen, because the product will be uncompetitive in the Chinese market.

The expert cites the example of Great Britain, which protects the national market from foreign goods.

- The experience of Great Britain is indicative. They have a threshold of 18 pounds. But in addition to this, they have a VAT registration system. In order to sell something in the UK, a foreign online store must register with the tax system of this country. And you need to register for taxes, get an identification number and make monthly payments to the country’s budget,- says the specialist.

Let us recall that earlier in Russia it was proposed to impose taxes on foreign online trading platforms - AliExpress, JD, eBay and others. To achieve this, they wanted to oblige foreign sellers to become tax residents of Russia.

Limits on the import of goods across the border

Russians can import goods worth up to 1,500 euros and weighing up to 50 kilograms duty-free by any type of transport (except air). It is allowed to import goods worth up to 10 thousand euros into Russia by plane, but not less than 4 euros per 1 kilogram of weight.

Ukrainians can now import goods worth 1,000 euros by air and sea, and up to 500 euros by land. Weight limit - up to 50 kilograms. But previously the question was raised to reduce these limits to 430 and 300 euros, respectively. These are the rules that apply in the European Union countries.

Meanwhile, individual EU countries can reduce this limit to 150 euros for children under 15 years of age. In the European Union, the limits do not include the cost of medicines that the traveler needs, as well as personal belongings.

Help FINANCE.TUT.BY. From 2013 to 2015, the number of international parcels received by Belarusians increased 6 times. Thus, in 2013, 1.9 million parcels arrived in Belarus, in 2014 - 6.3 million, and last year - 11.8 million

Previously, within a month, it was possible to receive parcels from abroad worth 200 euros and weighing 31 kg without paying customs duties. After the entry into force of Decree No. 40, the total value of goods must not exceed 22 euros and the total weight must not exceed 10 kg.

How much will you have to pay if this limit is exceeded?

If the cost is exceeded, customs duty is paid in the amount of 30% of the excess amount. For example, you received a product worth 50 euros, you met 10 kilograms, which means you need to pay:

(50 - 22) * 0.3 = 8.4 euros

If the weight is exceeded, a fee of 4 euros is paid for each kilogram over the limit.

Two duties at the same time (for the “extra” cost and weight) are not paid - only the larger amount.

Suppose you ordered a cabinet from a foreign online store that costs 80 euros and weighs 18 kilograms. Let's do the math:

(80 - 22) * 0.3 = 17.4 euros - customs duty based on the amount
(18 - 10) * 4 = 32 euros - customs duty based on weight
17.4 euros< 32 евро

It turns out that you will be charged a fee of 32 euros for the cabinet. It's time to think, do you really need this closet?

In addition to the duty, in both cases you must pay customs fee of 10 rubles.

And that's not all, postal items subject to customs duties are charged postage 5.88 rubles. This fee is charged by Belposhta “for presentation to customs and customs clearance of items that are subject to customs duties, for one item”. In other words, this is a fee for filling out documents and various forms, entering information into a computer program at customs.

Belposhta can also charge you one more commission - 3.54 rubles “for providing missing information in the customs declaration”. This amount is paid for clarification of data, for example, if the recipient's address is incorrectly indicated in the shipment.

The total fee for exceeding the limit includes:

• Customs duty (calculated based on value or weight)
• customs duty
• Postage

Customs duties are paid at the post office where the international mail is issued.

Decree No. 40 affects all foreign parcels, however, parcels from the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union are considered intra-Union postal items and are not subject to customs control. In addition to our country, the EAEU currently includes:

• Armenia,
• Kazakhstan,
• Kyrgyzstan
• Russia

Thus, the limit of 22 euros and 10 kilograms does not apply to parcels received from there.

What else is worth paying attention to:

• The customs value of goods does not include transportation costs, in other words, if the goods cost 20 euros and delivery costs 10 euros, you will not have to pay duty.
• You have the right to challenge the accuracy of the information indicated on the shipment. Let's say you bought a product at a discount. In fact, we paid 15 euros for it, and the seller indicated the full cost on delivery, for example 40 euros. In this case, you have the right to prove your case by providing the customs authorities with an agreement, invoice, sales receipt, payment receipt and other documents you have. And it’s better to do everything at once.

Also, Internet catalogs with publicly posted information on the cost of goods and printouts of bank transfer pages can be accepted as additional documents.

• There are situations when the sender, for some reason, indicates an inflated price in the shipment. For example, you paid 20 euros for a product, but 30 is indicated, in this case you have the right not to receive it and inform the post office to have the parcel sent back. Well, or try to prove the true cost, as discussed above.

How to bypass the limit?

There are several options here.

Firstly, if you order several goods, and the price of each of them does not exceed 22 euros, you can ask relatives for help and indicate the details of your mother, grandmother, or brother as the recipient.

Secondly, you can contact the seller and ask him to indicate a cost that is less than the real one. But this is of course a slippery slope; at customs they may not believe that a bulky parcel with a fur coat inside costs 3 euros.

Third, there are organizations that deliver parcels to Belarus through Russia. This is not secret information, it is available to everyone; when asking “how to bypass the 22 euro limit 2018”, Google displays such a company in the very first position.

How does this service work? Russia has its own limits on international shipments, currently it is 1 thousand euros and 31 kilograms per month - it is within these limits that you can order something and not be afraid of duties.

Step 1. By registering on the company's website, you receive a postal address in Russia for delivery of purchases.

Step 2. When making purchases on foreign trading platforms, enter your data, and indicate as the address the one that the company gave you.

Step 3. After the trading platform provides you with a track code to track your purchase, you send it to the email you received when registering on the site.

Step 4. When the parcel arrives in Minsk, you will receive a notification to your email address with payment details. After payment, the parcels will be delivered directly to your home if you live in Minsk, or sent by mail throughout Belarus.

The cost of this service depends on the weight of the goods being sent. For example, for a parcel weighing 1 kilogram you will pay 14 rubles, for 30 kilograms - 95 rubles. Courier delivery in Minsk is free. Shipping within the Republic of Belarus is carried out according to the tariffs of RUE Belpochta.

Now let's calculate the practical benefits of such cooperation. Let's say you ordered a new smartphone that costs 300 euros.

If he comes directly to Belarus, you will pay customs duty.