Sending Parcels From the UK to Russia

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As the world's largest country, Russia is a formidable force in trade and politics, making it a vital partner in the success of British businesses.

Main Country Facts

Russia has travelled all across the spectrum when it comes to politics and leadership. The country maintained imperial rule for quite a long time. By the early twentieth century, however, socialism had taken a firm hold, and this situation remained for decades, with the country designated as the United Soviet Socialist Republic. The USSR was very involved in both World Wars, which took a toll on the country's resources and economy. Russia experienced some of the most devastating losses in World War II. Even though this crippled the economy, it established the country as a military superpower rivalling only the United States. The country also focused strongly on space travel, becoming America's main antagonist in this respect.

Beginning in the summer of 1991, socialism became a thing of the past, and Russia was reborn as a more democratic society. While this transition was a bit volatile, the final result of less government control and more privatised businesses was greater economic potential in the country. However, many successful businesspeople fled Russia, removing vast resources with them, creating a snowball effect with negative results. The country continues to struggle to establish stability. Russia's main resources are natural gas, lumber, tin and oil. The economy is rated number 10 in worldwide GDP. The country's 140 million citizens are slowly realizing a better standard of living, though more than 13 per cent still live below the poverty line.

Import Restrictions

The Federal Customs Service of Russia's website is extremely cumbersome and difficult to navigate. This can make finding definitive information on importing challenging. FedEx publishes a general list of prohibited items that apply to their shipments to Russia. This list includes:

• some firearms,
• acids,
• blank cheques,
• some legal documents,
• credit cards,
• drug paraphernalia,
• batteries,
• some art,
• drugs,
• medications,
• knives
• and radioactive material.

It is unclear, however, which prohibitions are specifically designated by Russian customs.

Russia's customs department does mention some items specifically, though it's necessary to wade through extensive legalese to find even this basic information. It is logical to determine that these may be either restricted or favoured categories of products. This list includes things like:

• jewels,
• precious metals,
• pesticides,
• explosives,
• radioactive material,
• humanitarian aid,
• live animals and,
• perishable items.

The web page where this information is located can be found here.

Despite the cumbersome nature of the Federal Customs Service of Russia's site, there is contact information published for each governing office, including an email address. When shipping goods from the United Kingdom to Russia, it may be helpful to contact one of these offices and obtain clarification as to what exactly is required in order to successfully import your products. This can help clear up some of the confusion and ensure that you can send your products without incident.

Useful Information

The sheer size of Russia makes it extremely diverse in climate. This can impact shipping. Some areas experience bitterly cold conditions, while other areas of the country maintain a more moderate climate on a regular basis. It can help to know which situation applies when sending a package from the United Kingdom.

These cities are also covered: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Kazan, Omsk, Chelyabinsk, Rostov-on-Don, Ufa, Perm, Volgograd, Krasnoyarsk, Voronezh, Saratov, Tolyatti, Krasnodar, Izhevsk and Yaroslavl.

Image © DavidDennisPhotos.com