Transportation of Belarusian roubles

A natural person can import and export as much as 500 basic amounts in Belarusian roubles without written declaration.

Restricted import and export of certain personal-use goods

The law restricts duty-free import (per one person) of certain personal-use goods. The duty-free import is applicable to:

• personal-use goods (except for alcohol beverages, cigarettes, tobacco, other tobacco goods, jewellery, food, transport vehicles and spare parts as well as personal-use goods listed by Annex 2), which customs value does not exceed an equivalent of EUR 1,000 and the total weight is under 35 kg;
• 2 litres of alcohol beverages (can be imported only by people over 18);
• 200 cigarettes or 200 grams of tobacco or other tobacco products (can be imported only by people over 18);
• 5 pieces of jewellery;
• second-hand personal-use goods according to Annex 3 regardless of their customs value or weight, domestic animals, including those used for hunting, sports, tourism, which are temporarily imported by non-residents of the Republic of Belarus;

Jewellery in excess of 5 pieces is subject to customs duties and taxes:

• silver jewellery – EUR 10 per piece;
• gold, platinum jewellery – EUR 50 per piece;
• jewellery with gems regardless of the metal they contain – EUR 200 per piece;
• For alcohol beverages in excess of 2 litres but under 5 litres importers have to pay customs duties and taxes equal to EUR 20 per litre. 

Beer is treated as an alcohol beverage if the beer’s alcohol content makes 7% and more. Otherwise, beer is imported according to usual regulations (without duties if the customs value does not exceed EUR 1,000 and the total weight is less than 35 kg)

Personal-use goods subject to import and export restrictions:

• - military issue fire arms, hunting and sport arms and ammunition, gas spray guns and ammunition, cold steel arms of all types, fire arms replicas, which use blank charges, special devices for infliction of bodily injuries or paralysing impact, aerosol packages with irritating, neuroparalytic or poisonous effect gases require permission of the Interior Ministry of the Republic of Belarus;
• - narcotics and psychopharmaceuticals require permission of the Healthcare Ministry of the Republic of Belarus;
• - sources of ionizing radiation, toxic substances require permission of the Ministry for Emergency Situations
• (department for safety control in industry and nuclear power engineering);
• - animals and plants, their parts or derivatives which fall under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora signed in Washington on March 3, 1973 require permission of the CITES administrative body in the country from which territory the goods are exported

Import:

Electronic means require permission of the state inspectorate for telecommunications of the Ministry of Communications of the Republic of Belarus. No permit is required to import a cell phone.

Export:

cultural values require permission of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus;

especially valuable botanical collections or their parts require permission of the Ministry of Nature and Environmental Protection;

zoological collections or their parts require permission of the Ministry of Nature and Environmental Protection;

paleontological collections or their parts require permission of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus

Plants and animals of the species included into the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus, their parts and derivatives require permission of the Ministry of Nature and Environmental Protection

Prohibited export:

Wild crude drugs;

Scrap and waste of ferrous, non-ferrous and precious metals for technical application including semi-finished and unfinished products;

Prohibited import:

More than 4 previously used pneumatic rubber tyres;

More than 5 litres of alcohol beverages, more than 200 cigarettes or 200 grams of tobacco or other tobacco goods;

More than 5 litres of non-food spirit-containing products, non-food ethyl alcohol and athyl alcohol attributed to alcohol products;

Prohibited import/export:

Printed and audiovisual materials, other data mediums containing the information which can bring damage to the political or economic interests of the country, national security, health and good morals of citizens; 

Explosives, explosive devices, firing agents;

Opportunistic and pathogenic genetically-engineered organisms

Import of Foodstuffs

Import of Transport Vehicles

Import of Transport Vehicles and Trailers

1. By Non-Residents of the Republic of Belarus

Transport vehicles and trailers registered in the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation and also transport vehicles and trailers registered in foreign states and imported by non-residents are not charged customs duties, taxes and can be imported for any period without customs clearance.

The import of the aforementioned transport vehicles through the checkpoints equipped by “green” and “red” channels are allowed though the “green” channel given that a car insurance is available.

Transport vehicles and trailers registered in a foreign state and free to enter Belarus without customs clearance can only be used in the Republic of Belarus by natural persons, who are not residents of the Republic of Belarus and their families that use the vehicles to cross the customs border. Such vehicles can be handed over to resident persons only after customs clearance. Customs duties and taxes are paid, when transport vehicles and trailers, which are registered in a foreign state (except for the Russian Federation) and free to enter Belarus without customs clearance, are handed over to residents of the Republic of Belarus without customs clearance, by the person, who transported the vehicle across the customs border and the residents of the Republic of Belarus, who own (owned) the vehicle.

2. By Residents of the Republic of Belarus

Resident persons, who temporarily live, work, study abroad and import transport vehicles and trailers registered in a foreign state (apart from the Russian Federation) and subject to customs duties, taxes, have to pay customs duties, taxes. Other residents have to pay customs duties and taxes in full. Except for the vehicle use fee, the money is reimbursed once the vehicle leaves the Republic of Belarus.

If transport vehicles are imported to the Republic of Belarus for permanent accommodation customs duties and taxes are paid depending on the engine’s production date and volume.

Transport Vehicles:

Importing more than one transport vehicles on the request of a person who has not left the Republic of Belarus is viewed as an entrepreneurial activity.

Transportation of household and office equipment, sanitary ware and construction materials

The legislation defines a list of commodities for personal use, which are subject to flat rate customs duties and taxes (Annex 2 of the privileged transportation of personal-use goods via the customs border and their customs clearance regulation).

Transportation of goods by international mail

Personal-use goods can be transported by international mail. The following duties are applied to personal-use goods sent within one month to one recipient, except for transport vehicles and commodities listed by Annex 2 of the privileged transportation of personal-use goods via the customs border and their customs clearance regulation:

According to Annex 2 personal-use goods posted by international mail are subject to customs duties specified by the annex and their customs value is not included in the total customs value of other posted commodities.

Transportation of foreign currency

Individuals, who leave Belarus’ customs territory, can export foreign currency worth an equivalent of $3,000 without written declaration. Foreign currency in excess of an equivalent of $10,000 can be exported with a written declaration and permission papers, which are papers issued by customs bodies to certify the import of the currency to Belarus by the individual, or permission by an authorized forex bank.

Natural persons can import foreign currency to the Republic of Belarus without limitations. An equivalent of $10,000 can be imported without written declaration except for money imported as gratuitous foreign aid or if the person chooses to declare the sum. Money in excess of $10,000 per person is subject to written declaration.