Travelling abroad from Estonia: Russia

By implementing full checks on goods, we can make it harder to evade sanctions and for Russia to supply its war machine. The implementation of sanctions is the number one priority for customs, and the entry of any prohibited goods into the Russian Federation is under particular scrutiny by customs.

The grounds for carrying out the customs control are laid down in the EU Customs Code(Article 46). The scope of the customs control is determined by the Estonian Tax and Customs Board as the supervisory authority for the import and export of goods.

These checks are carried out in accordance with the risk analysis. If there is reason to suspect that the goods cannot be brought into Estonia or are undeclared, customs officials will choose the appropriate checking measure (screening, scanning, etc.) according to the risks.

If a person is travelling with sanctioned goods, crossing the border with them is prohibited. If the person is unable to return with the goods to Estonia (or to Russia when entering Estonia), it is possible to voluntarily transfer the prohibited goods into state ownership at the border crossing. If criminal proceedings are opened, customs can also confiscate the goods.

Carrying out a full control is time consuming and could reduce the throughput capacity towards the Russian Federation to a half. For this reason we ask that you reserve some time for crossing the border.

Priority customs control takes place only in case of time sensitive goods. Time sensitive goods are regulated by an order of the Minister of Finance (in Estonian).

Yes, all vehicles crossing the border are inspected -- trucks, passenger vehicles, as well as buses.

In that case, the Tax and Customs Board will use direct coercion based on how it is prescribed in the Law Enforcement Act. According to §279 of the Penal Code, this amounts to obstruction of supervision and is punishable by a fine.

The Customs and Tax Board (MTA) has gathered the general information on the web page https://emta.ee/en/private-client/consignments-travel-settlement/travel/estonia-third-country.

For further questions you can contact the customer support of MTA by phone, e-mail, or chatbot.

It is forbidden to export bank notes denominated in Euros or other official currencies of the member states to Russia and Belarus.

As an exception the prohibition is not applied to the export of Euros that are meant for:

• the personal use of the natural persons traveling to Russia or Belarus, or their close relatives who are traveling with them, or
• the professional activities of a diplomatic or consular representation or an international organisation that is operating in Russia or Belarus and is inviolable according to international law.

The amount that is considered to be for personal use, is the amount that is meant for covering the needs of the traveller and family members traveling with him during the course of the trip. No threshold has been enacted for the amount that is considered to be for personal use. For that reason, any amount that does not meet the requirements prescribed in the exception could be subject to sanctions regardless of whether it is obligatory to present a cash declaration or not. Export of bank notes for other recipients, for instance friends, acquaintances, parents, is not considered to be for personal use. A person traveling to Russia or Belarus has to be prepared to substantiate the circumstances of why it is necessary to export the bank notes. For instance, the fact that the currency exchange rate is more favourable in Russia or Belarus is not a sufficient reason.

As a passenger, it is necessary to determine the tariff classification and submit a written declaration of the goods if there is a commercial amount of the goods brought along. In other cases, the passenger makes an oral declaration of the goods that he has with him.

The Estonian Master Tariff System which also allows for text searches can help in determining the commodity code. Additionally, you can find further information on the web page of the Tax and Customs Board: Customs clearance in the context of the war in Ukraine.

If goods are classified incorrectly, a natural person is punished with a fine of up to 300 fine units or by detention, and a legal person with a fine of up to €3200. An attempted misdemeanour is punishable. See also §69 of the Customs Act, Illegal conveyance of goods to Estonia or out of Estonia.

If the goods are declared with an incorrect commodity code with the objective of circumventing the sanctions, then the deed will be punished in the course of criminal proceedings.

Good to know! As a passenger, it is necessary to determine the tariff classification and submit a written declaration of the goods only if they have a commercial amount of goods with them. In other cases the passenger declares the goods he has with him orally.