Beginning from March 6, 2007, a new customs declaration will have to be used for cars imported by natural persons for their own use. Experts of the Federal Customs Service say this new declaration was needed to make sure all the automobiles, including those containing unattended luggage, are properly examined by the customs officers.

The car owner will now have to provide answers to 17 questions such as place of residence, passport details, car details and documents and its customs value as well as documents that prove this value. The forms used earlier did not have any requirements as to the papers that prove the customs value of an automobile.

Another page is filled in by the customs officer and covers data on possible discounts on customs duties, the kind and amount of payments, details of the customs check and of the vehicle passport.

The declaration must be completed in two copies, one of which is kept by the car owner, another one by the customs. The forms may be completed in Russian or English; they may be hand-written or typed. According to the Federal Customs Service, they have enough forms available at the customs.

Should a vehicle be imported for commercial purposes, one will have to fill in a single administrative document introduced on January 1, 2007, says InterFax.