Customs Card
The customs card is a microchip card designed to promptly pay customs duties, taxes, dues, license fees, excise taxes, penalties, fines and other charges as set out by the Russian customs authorities.
The customs card is a payment tool giving access to the bank account of the exporter/importer and enabling customs payments directly at the customs terminal during clearance.
Customs card payment procedures are set out in Orders No.757 of August 03, 2001 and No.51 of January 18, 2001 issued by the State Customs Committee.
Customs Card Advantages:
- Immediate payment at the customs terminal during clearance; card acceptance means direct crediting to the customs account
- No advance payments required, no overpaid amounts and refunds
- 24-hour customs payments and advances
- Efficient tool of in-house record-keeping and control of expenses
- All customs payments are made in rubles, thus reducing financial documents and saving on foreign exchange
- Extended terminal network; over 100 Russia's customs offices accept customs cards
The customs card is issued by credit institutions (issuing banks) to enable payment of customs charges imposed by the customs authorities, and to identify exporters/importers.
The card holder is an owner of a bank card account and the authorized card user whose name appears on the card face and/or written in its memory, and whose specimen signature is placed on the reverse.
Without replacing conventional payment methods, the customs card speeds up customs payments to avoid annoying routine for both the card holders and customs officers.
Types of Customs Card
Customs cards are divided by holder:
- cards of legal entities
- cards of individuals
by function:
- cards for customs payments, including customs duties, taxes, dues, license fees and other charges imposed by the Russian customs authorities
- cards for customs and excise payments containing additional payment details for excise taxes in their memory.
The customs office accepting customs cards has a specialized payment terminal (POS terminal) or a PC-based terminal with a card reader and a modem for data collection and authorization messages.
Customs cards are used:
- in processing the customs freight declaration
- to make customs payments with customs cash-in orders
- by the importers to receive excise labels
To make payment with the customs card, the person filing a declaration (card holder) submits all customs documents and the customs card to the officer.
The officer reads information in the card with the POS terminal. After such information appears on the screen, the officer compares it with identification details on the customs card and passport of the card holder.
If any mismatch is found, the officer returns the documents and refuses to make the relevant payment.
If the data match, the officer sends an authorization request to the processing center on whether the card balance is sufficient to make the customs payment and fee.
If the processing center refuses to authorize the customs card, the officer returns the documents and refuses to make the relevant payment.
If all the operations are successful, then a POS printout confirming the transaction and a copy of the invoice signed by the customs card holder is submitted to the settlements department of the customs office.
Please do not hesitate to contact Corporate Banking International Division of Absolut Bank should you have any questions:
Tel. +7 (495) 228 69 66
Fax + 7 (495) 777 71 60
| 
