In the west of Russia there is an administrative center, which is considered a transshipment base for used cars imported from the USA and Europe. This center is the city of Kaliningrad. Many people buy cars in this city, since you can choose almost any model at an affordable price. But in order to drive a car from Kaliningrad, you need to take into account some of the subtleties of this issue.
- How to import a car from Kaliningrad
- Possible subtleties
- Transfer from Kaliningrad
- Transfer by ferry
How to import a car from Kaliningrad
Before importing a car from Kaliningrad, you need to go through the customs clearance procedure. To do this, there are 2 ways to prepare documents. Which one to choose depends on the time of import of the car into the city of Kaliningrad:
- The car was imported before 2000 and registered under a preferential program. In this case, the buyer must pay all customs costs. A simplified scheme is available to individuals, but only the full program is available to entrepreneurs.
- The car was imported to Kaliningrad after 2000, but excise duty and tax were paid during customs clearance. At the same time, individuals must also pay duties according to a simplified program, taking into account the year of manufacture of the car. Entrepreneurs and company managers pay the full amount of customs costs.
Changes in legislation regarding customs clearance of cars
- On April 1, 2021, recycling collection rates were increased. The new coefficients are shown in the table.
- From January 1, 2021, new excise tax rates will apply. The new rates are shown in the table.
- From September 1, 2021, zero duties on the import of electric vehicles have been abolished.
So, what duties and taxes do you need to pay when clearing a car through customs? We are talking about cars with gasoline, diesel and hybrid engines. There are separate rules for customs clearance of electric vehicles, which are described below.
- Customs clearance fee. The fee amounts are shown below.
- Customs duty.
- Recycling collection. Both individuals and legal entities pay. The calculation is described below.
- VAT. Only legal entities pay. VAT (18%) is calculated from the amount: cost of the car, customs duty, excise tax.
- Excise tax Only legal entities pay. Excise tax rates are given below.
Starting from 2014, the import of cars with only EURO-5 environmental class is allowed.
Customs duty rates are calculated differently depending on the engine type, engine size, and cost of the vehicle.
Customs rates for individuals for cars less than 3 years old.
| Car cost | up to 8500 euros | up to 16,700 euros | up to 42300 euros | up to 84500 euros | up to 169,000 euros | over 169,000 euros |
| Customs duty | 54%, but not less than 2.5 euro/cm 3 | 48%, but not less than 3.5 euro/cm3 | 48%, but not less than 5.5 euro/cm 3 | 48%, but not less than 7.5 euro/cm3 | 48%, but not less than 15 euro/cm 3 | 48%, but not less than 20 euro/cm 3 |
Customs rates for individuals for cars over 3 years old.
| up to 1000 cm 3 | from 1001 to 1500 cm 3 | from 1501 to 1800 cm 3 | from 1801 to 2300 cm 3 | from 2301 to 3000 cm 3 | over 3001 cm 3 | |
| from 3 to 5 years | 1.5 euro/cm 3 | 1.7 euro/cm 3 | 2.5 euro/cm 3 | 2.7 euro/cm 3 | 3 euro/cm 3 | 3.6 euro/cm 3 |
| over 5 years old | 3 euro/cm 3 | 3.2 euro/cm 3 | 3.5 euro/cm 3 | 4.8 euro/cm 3 | 5 euro/cm 3 | 5.7 euro/cm 3 |
Customs rates for legal entities for cars with gasoline engines.
| up to 1000 cm 3 | from 1001 to 1500 cm 3 | from 1501 to 1800 cm 3 | from 1801 to 2300 cm 3 | from 2301 to 3000 cm 3 | over 3001 cm 3 | |
| up to 3 years | 23%, but not less than 0.67 euro/cm3 | 23%, but not less than 0.73 euro/cm3 | 23%, but not less than 0.83 euro/cm3 | 23%, but not less than 1.2 euro/cm 3 | 23%, but not less than 1.2 euro/cm 3 | 23%, but not less than 1.57 euro/cm3 |
| from 3 to 5 years | 25%, but not less than 0.45 euro/cm3 | 25%, but not less than 0.5 euro/cm 3 | 25%, but not less than 0.45 euro/cm3 | 25%, but not less than 0.55 euro/cm3 | 25%, but not less than 0.55 euro/cm3 | 25%, but not less than 1 euro/cm 3 |
| from 5 to 7 years | 25%, but not less than 0.45 euro/cm3 | 25%, but not less than 0.5 euro/cm 3 | 25%, but not less than 0.45 euro/cm3 | 25%, but not less than 0.55 euro/cm3 | 25%, but not less than 0.55 euro/cm3 | 25%, but not less than 1 euro/cm 3 |
| over 7 years old | 1.4 euro/cm 3 | 1.5 euro/cm 3 | 1.6 euro/cm 3 | 2.2 euro/cm 3 | 2.2 euro/cm 3 | 3.2 euro/cm 3 |
Customs rates for legal entities for cars with diesel engines.
Let's briefly consider the advantages of customs clearance of cars in the Kaliningrad region. Let us highlight three groups of people who would be interested in customs clearance in this region due to geographical location or other reasons. This is physical. persons (residents of the Kaliningrad region or the Russian Federation), SEZ residents (companies registered in the territory of the Kaliningrad Special Economic Zone) and SEZ non-residents (companies registered and doing business in other regions of the Russian Federation)
Possible subtleties
If you are going to buy a car on your own in Kaliningrad, then you need to be extremely careful and careful. Quite often, sunken cars and cars involved in accidents are sold there. This can be determined by malfunctions of electronic systems, as well as by a specific smell in the car interior.
Before the transaction, be sure to carefully check all documents. If the car was brought from the Baltic republics, then it is better to look for another option.
In many cases, such vehicles are restored after major accidents. If the car says: “Brought from Germany,” then this is not always true. The low price also hides possible problems associated with registration, interrupted numbers and other nuances. Be sure to consider all possible options for buying a car in Kaliningrad.
Transfer from Kaliningrad
If you have never transported transport from Kaliningrad on your own, then be sure to think through an action plan in advance. Before driving a purchased car to Russia, buy a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit , otherwise you will be issued a decree and punished by traffic police inspectors.
When leaving Kaliningrad, it is recommended to fill a full tank of gasoline, since it is cheaper there. You can travel to Russia through the Baltic republics or Belarus. In the first option, the road will be shorter, but a transit visa will be required. It is inexpensive, and for 5 Euro the Lithuanian Embassy will give it to you.
If you contact the Latvian Embassy to obtain a visa, then expect problems. You may receive a refusal if there is insufficient evidence that the trip is needed only to transport transport.
If you do not want to obtain a visa, you can go through the Polish Republic. In this case, you will have to spend more, since the road will be longer - the distance to Moscow is at least 1500 km.
At the customs point you need to get a “green card”, which is an insurance policy of international importance. If you buy it for 15 days, the price is 30 Euro. You will need to wait at least 3 hours for customs checks.
If you drive a car through Belarus, you will have to strictly follow the traffic rules. Local police officers immediately punish minor violations with a fine, and no amount of persuasion or repentance helps.
To buy a car in Kaliningrad you will need a driver's license and an identity passport. Plan in advance how to transport a car from Kaliningrad so as not to overpay.
Preferential customs clearance
— Motorcycles whose power does not exceed 150 hp;— Truck tractors;— Pick-ups;— Special equipment (including special cargo transport);— Buses with a total number of passenger seats of more than 9 seats, including the driver’s;— Trailers and semi-trailers.
The so-called “regional customs clearance”, applicable to passenger cars, is now a thing of the past. Cars moving around the region with such marks in the PTS can be found very often, but all of them were imported before 2008, in which, in fact, the ban was introduced. Today, customs clearance of cars through Kaliningrad is mainly of interest to companies whose activities include cargo transportation and construction.
These companies conduct their business both in the territory of the 39th region and in the rest of the Russian Federation. If the interest of Kaliningrad businessmen is clear - preferential “regional” customs clearance allows them to save enormous amounts of money and allows unhindered movement on customs-cleared transport throughout the Russian Federation and European countries - then the interest of non-residents of the SEZ should be examined separately.
Customs clearance of a truck from Kaliningrad - when exported to the Russian Federation, a truck cleared under the Iiport-78 regime will have to be cleared through customs according to the general regime for Russia. If more than 5 years have passed since its production, there is no point in doing it. This is not economically viable.
Importing countries
According to statistics, most of the commercial cargo transport and special equipment (mixers, excavators, bulldozers, etc.) enter our country from Europe. And the Kaliningrad region is not only not an exception, but it is a vivid example of the fact that trust in the German and European automobile industry is higher here than in the domestic one.
No offense, these are just bare facts. You rarely see a Russian passenger car on the roads of the region, and there is no point in talking about trucks at all. Sales leaders as b. u. and new truck tractors (the most popular commercial type of transport) to Russia are countries such as Germany, Holland, Sweden, Poland and France. Delivery, as a rule, is carried out “at its own pace” - the services of transporters are offered by both companies and individuals.
| Calculation of customs clearance of cars and special equipment |
The so-called “regional customs clearance”, applicable to passenger cars, is now a thing of the past. Cars moving around the region with such marks in the PTS can be found very often, but all of them were imported before 2008, in which, in fact, the ban was introduced. Today, customs clearance of cars through Kaliningrad is mainly of interest to companies whose activities include cargo transportation and construction.
These companies conduct their business both in the territory of the 39th region and in the rest of the Russian Federation. If the interest of Kaliningrad businessmen is clear - preferential “regional” customs clearance allows them to save enormous amounts of money and allows unhindered movement on customs-cleared transport throughout the Russian Federation and European countries - then the interest of non-residents of the SEZ should be examined separately.
Importing countries
According to statistics, most of the commercial cargo transport and special equipment (mixers, excavators, bulldozers, etc.) enter our country from Europe. And the Kaliningrad region is not only not an exception, but it is a vivid example of the fact that trust in the German and European automobile industry is higher here than in the domestic one.
No offense, these are just bare facts. You rarely see a Russian passenger car on the roads of the region, and there is no point in talking about trucks at all. Sales leaders as b. u. and new truck tractors (the most popular commercial type of transport) to Russia are countries such as Germany, Holland, Sweden, Poland and France. Delivery, as a rule, is carried out “at its own pace” - the services of transporters are offered by both companies and individuals.
Transfer by ferry
Many people ask how much they will have to pay when transporting a car by ferry from Kaliningrad. But it’s impossible to say for sure, since some nuances need to be taken into account. Please note that transportation by ferry is only possible in summer . And you will have to pay not only for a place for a car, but also for a cabin.
Some people ask if it is possible to travel by train so as not to pay extra. This is not possible, as the car must be accompanied. The approximate cost of ferry transportation is 16.5 thousand rubles per place for a car and 8 thousand per cabin.
Driving a car from Kaliningrad will not be difficult. You can do this yourself, or order the service of a specialized company. But, you need to know that you run the risk of getting a restored, sunk or accident-era car. Plan possible expenses in advance and decide whether it is beneficial to buy a car in Kaliningrad. Sometimes it turns out that in Russia you can buy a vehicle cheaper than going to Europe for it, and even risk it.
Customs clearance of cars from the Kaliningrad region to Russia, features in 2021
However, this type of preferential registration ceased to apply in 2006. Now you can buy a car “for Russia”. In this case, the rules for passing customs control are no different from the generally accepted ones, which are described in detail in the article “”.
But it is worth taking into account that a deal with customs brokers in this region will be more profitable than, for example, with Moscow ones.
The former offer rates much lower than in the capital. Car transportation is also provided at a reasonable price. The difference in tariffs is due to differences in income levels between regions.
The way to clear a car from Kaliningrad to Russia through customs is simple: Find the desired car model. It is most convenient to search on special European portals; We contact the customs broker and provide the necessary package of documents for the purchase; The specialist independently negotiates with European dealers, concludes a contract with them for the transportation of the vehicle and performs the necessary customs clearance actions;
