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Belarus. Pieces of Advice
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Customs
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.
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
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.
