Russia to restore border with Belarus

• 14.04.2008, 16:08

Russian customs office has temporarily suspended the necessity to draw up documents on temporary importation of passenger cars for citizens of Belarus when entering the territory of Russia.

It has been told to journalists in Minsk on Saturday by the deputy chairman of the State Customs Committee Syarhei Barysyuk.

“Talks of the heads of customs services of Belarus and Russia have taken place. A compromise was reached: since April 10 processing of temporary importation of passenger cars when crossing Belarusian-Russian border was suspended on the busiest part of the road, Brest-Moscow road,’ S. Barysyuk said.

As said by him, at other highways in connection with an insignificant number of cars, documents for temporarily importation of cars would be issued by customs service of Russia. He reminded that the payment for that procedure was cancel back in 2007.

Meanwhile, as said by him, the fact of resuming mandatory processing of temporary importation of passenger cars for citizens of Belarus by the Russian side since March 28 “was not fully well-considered, and it does not comply with the decisions of the board of the customs committee of the “union state”.

However, that decision was adopted not by the Federal Customs Service of Russia, but “at the level of the government and Russia’s legislation”.

S. Barysyuk noted that the possibility not to draw up documents for temporary importation of passenger cars would take place for an uncertain term, until the sides would not find an acceptable salvation of the problem. In particular, as said by him, a possibility of preliminary notification via internet by a Belarusian citizen about his intention to enter the territory of Russia in a passenger car is considered. It would allow reducing the time for drawing up documents for temporary importation.

S. Barysyuk has also advised Belarusian citizens to draw up documents for temporary importation of passenger cars if they take the highway Brest-Moscow, in case they are going to return via other highways.