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...