Import from China to Russia: Step-by-Step Guide · Контракт.Онлайн
EN
RU 中文 EN
Create contract
Home › Import from China
Import step by step

Importing goods from China: from contract to VAT deduction

Contract, bank registration, payment, delivery, customs declaration and payments to customs, import VAT deduction. For each step — the rule under which it is done and the document it requires

Import of goods from China DOCX
КОНТРАКТCONTRACTMoscow
1. Предмет Контракта 2. Стоимость Контракта 3. Условия поставки 4. Условия оплаты 5. Гарантии и качество 6. Ответственность сторон 7. Арбитраж
1. Subject of the Contract 2. Cost of Contract 3. Terms of the Delivery 4. Terms of the Payment 5. Guarantee and Quality 6. Liability of the Parties 7. Arbitration
ПРОДАВЕЦ / THE SELLERПОКУПАТЕЛЬ / THE BUYER
ПРИЛОЖЕНИЕ № 1 к КОНТРАКТУANNEX No. 1 to CONTRACTСПЕЦИФИКАЦИЯ · SPECIFICATION
На поставку Товаров, на общую сумму
# Описание / Description ТН ВЭД / HS CODE Ед. изм. / Unit of meas. Кол-во / Q-ty Цена / Price Сумма / Total 1 2
Прочие условия / Other terms Гарантия / Warranty Документация / Documentation Условия поставки / Delivery terms Порядок оплаты / Terms of payment Период оказания услуг / Period of provision of services Срок возврата оплаты / Period of refund of payment
ПРОДАВЕЦ / THE SELLERПОКУПАТЕЛЬ / THE BUYER
Ready in 15 minutes · DOCX · 2 990 ₽
Fill in the contract →
3 million ₽
from this amount the contract is registered with the bank
EAEU CCT
duty on Chinese goods, no preferences
03011
contract code in box 44 of the declaration
3 years
to deduct VAT paid on import
2 990 ₽
import contract
Deal scheme

What the draft already fills

Parties, documents and specifics for every deal scheme

Import of goods from China

PartiesImporter — Russia, supplier — China
Delivery termFOB / CIF / FCA — your choice
DocumentsInvoice, packing list, transport document, declaration
SpecificsHS code · Advance refund deadline
Step by step

Import from China: six steps

From signing the contract to the accountant's VAT deduction

1
1. Contract and specification

A bilingual contract with the supplier. Annex No. 1 contains the goods with HS codes, the price, the Incoterms rule, the deadline for importing into Russia and the deadline for refunding the advance.

2
2. Bank registration

From 3 million ₽ at the exchange rate on the contract date, the contract is registered with the bank — no later than the first payment or the filing of the declaration, whichever comes first. The bank assigns the contract a number.

3
3. Payment

By transfer in the contract currency: there is one currency for the price and the payment. Scheme — prepayment, 50/50, 30/70 or after receipt; settlements through agents are either allowed or prohibited.

4
4. Delivery term and transport

The Incoterms rule decides who pays the freight: under FOB and FCA — the buyer, under CIF — the supplier. The declaration will need the invoice, the packing list and the transport document.

5
5. Declaration and payments

The customs declaration (DT) is filed by the Russian party — itself or through a customs representative. Duty and VAT are paid to customs before the goods are released.

6
6. Accounting

The goods are recognised at cost, excluding deductible VAT. Import VAT is deducted on the basis of payment documents, within three years. With an advance under a registered contract — a certificate for the bank.

Step one

Contract for importing from China

The English column is for the supplier, the Russian one for the bank and customs

Import of goods

A Russian company buys goods from a Chinese supplier. Specification, delivery term, payment, deadlines for import and advance refund.

HS code in the specification
Price and payment currency
Advance refund deadline
Create →
Comparison

Prepayment or payment after receipt

What changes for the bank, the accountant and under the contract

What
With prepayment
Payment after receipt
Payment scheme in the form
✗ 100% prepayment, 50/50 or 30/70
✓ 100% after receipt of the goods
Bank registration from 3 million ₽
✗ No later than the order for the first payment
✓ No later than filing the customs declaration
Advance refund deadline
✗ In Annex No. 1 — under Article 19 of Federal Law No. 173-FZ
✓ Not needed: there is no advance
Certificate of supporting documents (SPD)
✗ If the contract is registered — 15 business days after the month of release (clause 8.8 of Instruction 181-I)
✓ Not submitted if the declaration is electronic (clause 8.10 of Instruction 181-I)
Exchange rate in the accounts
✗ The prepaid part of the goods — at the rate on the advance date
✓ The debt to the supplier is remeasured at the payment date and the reporting date
Contractual penalty
✗ Supplier — 0.1% per week for late refund of the advance (clause 6.3), buyer — for late payment (clause 6.2)
✓ Buyer — 0.1% per week for late payment, up to 5% of the payment (clause 6.2)
Documents

What the customs declaration requires

The list follows Article 108 of the EAEU Customs Code, the codes come from the classifier of document types for box 44

✓Contract — code 03011, amendments and supplements to it — 03012
✓Supplier's invoice — code 04021
✓Packing list — code 04131
✓Transport document: bill of lading 02011, railway consignment note 02013, CMR 02015, air waybill 02017
✓Certificate or declaration of conformity with an EAEU technical regulation — codes 01401 and 01402, if the goods fall under one
✓Documents on the origin of the goods
✓Customs value documents; under FOB and FCA — also on the cost of carriage to the place of arrival in the Union
✓Documents on the characteristics of the goods on which the HS code is based
✓Documents confirming payment of customs duties and taxes
✓Document confirming the authority of the person filing the declaration
✓Preliminary classification ruling — if there is one
✓Other commercial documents of the deal
FAQ

Questions about importing from China

Payments, declaration, VAT, bank, accounting

Sign a contract with a specification, register it with the bank if the amount is 3 million ₽ or more, pay the supplier, arrange delivery under the chosen Incoterms rule, file the customs declaration and pay the customs payments, then recognise the goods in the accounts and claim the deduction of import VAT. What exactly to check in the contract itself is covered on the supply contract from China page.
Import customs duty, VAT, excise — for excisable goods — and customs fees (Article 46 of the EAEU Customs Code). For certain goods, special, anti-dumping or countervailing duties are added (subparagraph 2 of paragraph 1 of Article 135 of the EAEU Customs Code). Duty and taxes are paid before release: this is a condition of release for domestic consumption (Article 135 of the EAEU Customs Code). The payer is the declarant (Article 50 of the EAEU Customs Code).
The duty rate is determined by the HS code under the Common Customs Tariff of the EAEU; the base is the customs value or the quantity, weight or volume of the goods, depending on the type of rate (paragraph 2 of Article 51 of the EAEU Customs Code). The customs value includes carriage to the place of arrival in the territory of the Union, and loading and insurance on that leg, if they are not included in the price (subparagraphs 4–6 of paragraph 1 of Article 40 of the EAEU Customs Code). The VAT base is the customs value plus duty plus excise (paragraph 1 of Article 160 of the Russian Tax Code); the rate is set by the Russian Tax Code. The types and rates of fees are established by Russian legislation (paragraph 2 of Article 47 of the EAEU Customs Code).
No. The 2018 agreement between the EAEU and China, which entered into force on 25 October 2019, is not a free trade agreement according to the Eurasian Economic Commission: it does not provide for lower duties. China is also not on the list of developing countries that use the EAEU unified system of tariff preferences. Duty is calculated at the Common Customs Tariff rate for the HS code.
The declarant is the Russian company that is a party to the deal with the foreign person (subparagraph 1 of paragraph 1 of Article 83 of the EAEU Customs Code). It may entrust customs operations to a customs representative, who acts on its behalf and on its instructions (paragraph 1 of Article 401 of the EAEU Customs Code). The declaration is filed in electronic form (paragraph 3 of Article 104 of the EAEU Customs Code).
VAT paid to customs on release for domestic consumption is deductible for goods intended for VAT-taxable operations (paragraph 2 of Article 171 of the Russian Tax Code). The conditions are that the goods have been recognised in the accounts and there are documents confirming actual payment of the tax (paragraph 1 of Article 172 of the Russian Tax Code). The deduction may be claimed within three years after the goods are recognised (paragraph 1.1 of Article 172 of the Russian Tax Code).
The cost of the goods is the amount paid to the supplier, delivery and other acquisition costs (paragraph 11 of Russian accounting standard FSBU 5/2019), excluding recoverable taxes (subparagraph “a” of paragraph 12): deductible import VAT is not included in it. Foreign currency amounts are translated at the Bank of Russia rate on the transaction date (paragraphs 5–6 of Russian accounting standard PBU 3/2006); the goods, to the extent paid by an advance, at the rate on the advance date (paragraph 9), and the advance itself is not remeasured (paragraph 10). Our contract links the moment of transfer of title to the Incoterms rule (clause 3.6).
Only if the contract is registered with the bank and the goods are imported after prepayment: it is submitted to the bank no later than 15 business days after the month in which the goods are released, with information on the declarations; the declarations themselves are not attached (clause 8.8 of Bank of Russia Instruction No. 181-I). The same clause says that where the repatriation requirement does not apply, the certificate need not be submitted. With payment after receipt of the goods, the certificate is not needed if the declaration was filed electronically; if the bank has received a notice of declaration from customs in paper form, the certificate is submitted (clause 8.10).

Contract for importing from China — 2 990 ₽

Every next step starts with the contract: bank registration, declaration, VAT deduction. The preview is free — you see the contract and Annex No. 1 in full before paying. No subscription, no registration.

✓ DOCX · Word / LibreOffice
✓ Bilingual EN/RU
✓ Specification with HS codes
2 990 ₽
per document
Create contract →

Importing goods from China to Russia

Step 1. Contract

Everything that follows rests on the contract: the bank registers it, customs takes data for the declaration from it, the accountant takes the moment title passes. In our contract the governing law is Russian, disputes are heard by the ICAC at the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the contract does not exclude the Vienna Convention, so it applies to the sale: China has been a party since 1 January 1988, Russia since 1 September 1991. The specifics of deals with Chinese companies are on the contract with China page.

Step 2. When the contract is registered

The threshold is 3 million ₽ at the exchange rate on the date the contract is concluded. The deadline is no later than the day the order for the first payment to the supplier is submitted to the bank, or, if the goods are imported before payment, no later than the filing of the customs declaration (subclauses 5.7.1 and 5.7.5 of Bank of Russia Instruction No. 181-I). The bank registers the contract no later than the next business day (clause 5.8) and assigns it a unique contract number (UNK).

Steps 3–4. Payment, delivery term and customs value

The deadline for refunding the advance for undelivered goods is in Annex No. 1 for a reason: a resident must ensure the return of money for goods not imported within the time limits set by the contract (item 2 of part 1 of Article 19 of Federal Law No. 173-FZ). The Incoterms rule changes who pays the carrier, but not the fact that carriage to the place of arrival in the territory of the Union is included in the customs value: under CIF with a port of destination in Russia it is already in the price, under FOB and FCA it is added to the price (Article 40 of the EAEU Customs Code). Be careful with DDP: under the rule, import clearance is the supplier's obligation, but the declarant is the Russian party.

Step 5. Declaration, duty and conformity documents

The HS code is declared by the declarant (paragraph 1 of Article 20 of the EAEU Customs Code), and the duty rate depends on it. If the goods fall under an EAEU technical regulation, the declaration requires a conformity assessment document — a certificate or declaration of conformity (subparagraph 4 of paragraph 1 of Article 108 of the EAEU Customs Code). The invoice and packing list can be made for free with the site's invoice and packing list generators.

Step 6. What is left for the accountant

On release for domestic consumption, VAT is paid to customs in full (subparagraph 1 of paragraph 1 of Article 151 of the Russian Tax Code) and then deducted — on the basis of payment documents, after the goods are recognised in the accounts. Exchange differences depend on the payment scheme: an advance fixes the rate for the prepaid part, while the debt to the supplier under payment after receipt is remeasured. If the contract is registered and there was an advance, a certificate of supporting documents is submitted to the bank.

See also: supply contract from China, contract with China, foreign trade contract registration.