Russian Customs further extend illegal TIR restrictions to other customs regions Further to the information provided by the IRU over the past two months, the IRU was recently informed that the Federal Customs Service of Russia (FCS of Russia) has extended the scope of its illegal restrictions on TIR guarantees to the North Caucasian and Southern Customs Regions as well as to 3 airport customs offices (Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo), thus defying the UN’s TIR Executive Board’s (TIRExB) and TIR Administrative Committee’s (AC.2) conclusions that this measure is in breach of the TIR Convention, as well as the Decision of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation of 14 October 2013, which rendered invalid the FCS’s letters of 4 July. In addition to the regions previously affected, i.e. the Far Eastern, Siberian, Ural and Volga customs regions, these unilateral restrictions may notably impact the following customs offices:
North Caucasian Customs Region· Dagestan· Mineralvody· Severo-Osetinskaya· Severo-Kavkazskaya Operativnaya Southern Customs Region· Astrakhan· Krasnodar· Millerovskaya· Novorosiysk· Rostov· Sochi· Taganrog· Yuzhnaya Operativnaya along with the above mentioned· Sheremetyevo· Domodedovo· Vnukovo Although the potential application of these measures is not known, customs offices concerned may illegally refuse to open the TIR procedure in the absence of additional guarantees. The IRU is therefore strongly advises all transport operators driving to, from and across Russia, to use the IRU Recommendations for TIR Carnet holders, in case TIR Carnets are illegally refused by some Russian customs officers. The IRU Hotline is also available to respond to enquiries. This new extension of illegal actions by the FCS of Russia makes it even more urgent and important for all Members to intensify their actions at the highest governmental level so that the Russian Government finally and completely cancels the illegal measures of the FCS of Russia.
