After having found somebody who could help me with this, they asked me 1, 8 million Rubles for the car, which is almost half the original purchase price, and quite frankly an absurd amount

Question

I am living in Russia as a foreigner with a business visa. I own said business. Now, I am trying to import my Audi Q3 150cc 4 year old car. After having found somebody who could help me with this, they asked me 1,8 million Rubles for the car, which is almost half the original purchase price, and quite frankly an absurd amount. I have a Russian friend who imported a similarly aged car with more cc and more horse power, and he paid far less. What can I do? Why are foreigners punished?

Карен Макарян · Answer

Hello! The issue of importing a car when staying on a business visa has its own nuances. In short, the most profitable and easiest way for you now is temporary importation, but it does not give you the right to sell the car. Legalizing a car on a permanent basis directly for yourself as a foreigner is difficult and expensive. Here are the main options and their conditions. 1. Temporary importation (for the duration of your stay). This option is most logical if you are in Russia temporarily and do not plan to sell a car. ·Main advantage: Full exemption from customs duties and VAT. ·The car must be in your personal use. It is forbidden to transfer it to anyone (even close ones) without customs permission. ·The car can be imported for the duration of your temporary stay, but not more than 1 year. ·If you do not take out the car on time or transfer it to another person, you will be charged all customs duties (duties, taxes) in full. 2. Permanent import (customs clearance) If you decide to leave your car in Russia forever, sell it, or transfer it, it will need to be cleared. This is where the difficulties begin. · Customs clearance for personal use is usually available to individuals with permanent registration in the Russian Federation or citizenship. This can be problematic for a foreigner with a business visa, as you do not have a resident status. · How much will it cost: To understand the order of the numbers, payments depend on the status of the machine. Your Audi Q3 is a 4—year-old, which means it falls into the «over 3 years old» category. · Duty for individuals: calculated at a single rate per 1 cubic cm of engine volume (for vehicles older than 3 years). · Recycling fee: for cars older than 3 years imported for personal use, the base rate is 5,200 rubles, but a coefficient is applied to it. For cars with an engine capacity of up to 3,000 cc, the coefficient is 0.17. · You will also need to pay excise tax (depending on engine power), VAT (20%) and customs clearance fee. · A separate story: ERA-GLONASS. According to the law, in order to put a car into circulation, you need to obtain an SBCTS (vehicle design safety certificate) and install the ERA-GLONASS system, which requires additional costs and time. If you are here temporarily, arrange temporary importation. It is legal, free of charge in terms of fees, and fully consistent with your status. Drive with your license plates and take the car out after the expiration date (or the end of the visa). If you want to leave your car in the Russian Federation — directly as an individual (non-resident) you are unlikely to be able to clear it. Here, you may have to look for a citizen of the Russian Federation who is ready to arrange a car for himself, but these are gray schemes that I would not recommend (you lose ownership). Customs legislation changes frequently, and you can get free advice from the legal department of any customs authority. This is the best way to clarify exactly your business visa situation. I hope this information helped clarify the situation. If there are any other details that need to be clarified, you can contact my personal chat. I will be grateful for the positive feedback + Sincerely, Lawyer Karen Levonovich Makaryan