Bringing your beloved car to Russia/Temporary (max 1 year) Import of a Foreign Car

[MatWin]

Temporary Import of a Foreign Car
I have 2 cars from Germany here in Moscow. One car I imported, paid a huge amount of custom tax (11.000Euros) and am driving it with Russian plates. Since it is registered on my name the documents are only valid till end of my registration(visa).
The other (summer) car I drive with German plates, already for 6 years.
As some of you have written in this forum it is quite a headache but lately it got a bit better.
In short words, you drive your car over the boarder with the normal foreign number plates(not the export plates as i did once with my other car! They did not let me cross the boarder and I had to go by train to Moscow and pay the custom deposit first!). At the boarder you get a pink paper called "Vremnie Voz". Its valid for 2 weeks (you can also get it for 2 months and I heard even for 6 months if you motivate the officers a little.
In Moscow you then go to the office of the Custom in charge of foreign cars in Ryabino (Moscow West next to MKAD) Here is the link to the location: Яндек�.Карты (It is right behind METRO CASH&CARRY, an unnamed side street of Ochakovskoye Chaussee with a "Shlagbaum" at the beginning). You should be there early! Opening hours 09.00-18.00 (lunch 13.00-13.45) except Thur 11.00-18.00 and Friday 09.00-16.45. If you come in the afternoon there might be a line of 40 cars. Cars with expiring Vremnie Voz on the next day might be attended a bit faster. If they cannot attend you that day you have to come on the next day again.
The procedure to prolong the Vremnie Voz is quite fast (approx 20min). You need to fill out only one sheet of paper with your car data. Note that you need an official registration (square stamp not the post stamp ones that you can get at many visa registration services!).
And now the good news: It is free! You just have to pay about 300rur for the parking. If you like you can also give your papers to the young lady at the first parking (2nd green metal door, 50m before the white guard house). Alina is kind of a broker (Dont know if she likes it that her number is in here, anyhow:89264583433). She charges 3000rur for her services and you can go and have a long breakfast or lunch at the nearby METRO restaurant!
Note that you have to cross a boarder after one year. Germans have to go back to Germany anyhow every 2 years for technical inspection. I normally drive in direction to Bialarus. Smolensk/Briansk is a 440km ride on a new big road that even my oldtimer likes. You cross the Russian boarder and turn back to Russia...not even your right wheels have to touch Bialarus territory
Watch out that your Vremnie Voz does not expire!! Big headache!! Principally you can fix it here in Moscow but it is a hassle and afterwards you have to anyhow cross the boarder. Its also quite an expensive procedure. If it expired its better to somehow (without too many GAI controls)make it to the boarder and to pay a 2500rur "straf".
I heard that there are also ways to prolong the Vremnie Voz without crossing the boarder. If anybody of you knows how, I (and my Bella) would be more than happy about a PM! Briansk is not my favourite touristic destination anymore (although you can pass by the Katyn Memorial, quite an impressive place. Over 12.000 Polish officers, professors, scientists, lawyers, etc lost their lifes in that area in WW2).
Well, hope i could give you some helpful hints...I wrote these lines because I went myself through so many beaurocratic troubles with my beloved cars that I hope that I can keep some of you out of that!
And always remember, do not fall into despair, everything is possible: Custom is called Tamoshna because "tam moshna"

[vaaltone]

> One car I imported, paid a huge amount of custom tax (11.000Euros)
> and am driving it with Russian plates.

No need to pay taxes => register your as a tax-free car.

> Since it is registered on my name the documents are only valid till end
> of my registration(visa).

Yes, and then you do the paper work again. And then you have new papers for next one year.

> At the boarder you get a pink paper called "Vremnie Voz". Its valid for 2
> weeks (you can also get it for 2 months and I heard even for 6 months
> if you motivate the officers a little

Two weeks is enough to get papers done for car.

> Note that you have to cross a boarder after one year.

That is not true. We have here tax-free car and renew our car paper here in Moscow this year, without "cross-boardering"

> Germans have to go back to Germany anyhow every 2 years for
> technical inspection.

If you have Russian plates then you do the inspection/MOT here in Russia under russian laws as we did it for our car.

[MatWin]

Thanks, I heard about it...you have to give them your foreign plates and they exchange them for Russian ones. I will seriously think about this option at the end of this year! Thanks again for the advice
MAtWin

[vaaltone]

> you have to give them your foreign plates and they exchange them
> for Russian ones.

Yes.

[OlivierPeter]

Hi All,
I am somehow living in SPB but not permanently because I have other business in Europe and Kazakhstan (I also like to go back to my Home country and have some vacations).
I do not hold a TRP, because I do not live 6 months/year in Russia (But not that far).
So I use a standard one year visa.
I would like to import my own car from Europe, with EU plates and adequate documentation (Insurance,...)
Do you know if I can get the Voz for 1 year, knowing that I will not get a registration for 1 year?

[drwho]

Originally Posted by OlivierPeter Hi All, I am somehow living in SPB but not permanently because I have other business in Europe and Kazakhstan (I also like to go back to my Home country and have some vacations). I do not hold a TRP, because I do not live 6 months/year in Russia (But not that far). So I use a standard one year visa. I would like to import my own car from Europe, with EU plates and adequate documentation (Insurance,...) Do you know if I can get the Voz for 1 year, knowing that I will not get a registration for 1 year?

If you bringing your car I wish luck and strength. As for me they did not stamp my paperwork at the Russian customs and we had to wait 3 weeks and lots of extra paperwork to get it back and drive it here. Good luck.

[vaaltone]

If you have ALL papers with you - it is quite easy process to get your car registered. ALL I mean: ALL car papers, Visa, Passport, work permit, etc.

I have done this paperwork twice...

[MatWin]

Does anybody know somebody that can do/get the Tehosmotr (technical inspection) for a car registered (temporarily) on a foreigners name? The only tehosmotr that does that is in Warschawskoye Chaussee and last time it was a real headache!!!

[ozzzzzy]

how do you manage to register your car as tax-free?
I will start working in Moscow soon and will get a work permit in April.
I would like to bring my car in June. What exactly I need to take with?

I appreciate any help really!

[MatWin]

Hi Ozzy, I see you are from Switzerland. When you cross the Russian (or Bialarussian) border the custom officers will give you a pink paper called Vremnie Voz. Do not come with export plates. Do your technical inspection before you leave (so you have additional Swiss insurance coverage next 2 years). You need to have your "Fahrzeugschein" but not your "Fahrzeugbrief". Possibly also a Russian insurance (not sure but anyhow you will be able to get it at the border, if possible get it in advance in Moscow, approx 3500RUR for the whole year depending on the horsepower). NOTE, that the border between Bialarus and Russia near Smolensk/Briansk/Katyn does not exist anymore (I heard this at the Customs 3 weeks ago) THIS IS ALSO IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF YOU THAT NEED TO CROSS THE BORDER ONCE A YEAR !!! NOW THE NEAREST BORDER IS THE UKRAINIAN!
...with that paper you go not later than 2 weeks after crossing the border to the new Customs Office near Domodedevskaya Metro behind the shopping centre! BRING: Passport, Registration(with square stamp from Pasportne Stol, not post stamp!!), the white paper you got in the plane (in Vnukovo the border guard prints it for you now!!!), pink vremnie voz, insurance, car documents AND a copy of everything (you can make copies in the shopping centre between rynek and customs in 3rd floor at electronic shop or in gift shop on 1st floor) Address: http://maps.yandex.ru/-/CBSUj9A улица Генерала Белова, 16, Coordinates yandex: 37.720088,55.614202
&the good thing: all that is free of charge!
Good Luck and have a good trip!

[ozzzzzy]

Hi Matwin,

Thanks a lot for your helpful mail!

So you are driving your summer car with German plates and the other one you imported with Russian plates right? Would it be possible to get russian plates for the Summer car too or do you need to keep German plates cos it is not imported and no taxes are paid???

Cheers
Ozzy

[MatWin]

its actually possible to give them my German plates and they give me in exchange Russian ones...they keep them and give them back when needed...but I like my German ones and dont know any advantage of the Russian ones, do you? If I was in Spain it would have the advantage to have your car less often broken open...

[Northman]

MatWin, if my understanding is correct, one of your cars is registered in Germany, with german plates ... do you have a german insurance valid in Russia, or were you able to insure it here? That is, both for the mandatory and the kasko one.
Many thanks!

[MatWin]

I actually have two valid insurances. The German Teilkasko and the Russian one. Since I have an oldtimer my German one is quite cheap and I have a registration which is valid in summer only so I do not pay it the whole year. For the Russian one I always take the cheapest coverage here in Russia which covers only damages to the other party. Need any more info?

[MSchaffer]

anyone know about motorcycles? I'm trying to ship my Harley over from the United States. Any insight for best ways would be helpful.