Customs Clearance
 

Does anyone have any information about getting a bike through customs once if arrives in Vladivostok? Planning to ship bike to Vladivostock in May 2015.

I'm not familiar with the process of temporarily importing a motorcycle into Russia, but I am very familiar with the process for temporarily importing an aircraft into Russia (temporarily meaning for a week or two).

Basically, when you arrive, the customs folks will document the machine, and give you a paper that you need to surrender when you leave the country. It is essential that you do not lose this paper, because the folks at your exit point will want it.

It's pretty easy to temporarily import an aircraft (takes about 1 hour). I suspect that the process for importing a motorcycle is similar, although it is possible that a carnet might be required for the motorcycle. No carnet is required for an aircraft.

I wrote a post on an aviation forum about the whole process of getting an aircraft in and out of Russia - it is possible that some of the information in that post might be of use to you. Here is the link: Twin Otter Ferry Flight. The Russia-specific information is on the second page.

Michael

Contact Yuri Melnikov (ymelnik at links-ltd.com) . He'll sort you out.

Hi Again Robert:

If the person that Chris recommended in his post directly above is an 'agent' (basically, a person who facilitates the paperwork, organization, etc. for border crossings, importations, etc.), then I do recommend you use such an agent.

I have no idea who the person Chris recommended is, and for that reason I can't offer any opinion of him, but for what it's worth, I always had a 'handler' (the aviation term for a facilitator) / agent) waiting for me every time I landed in Russia.

Handlers know how the process works, and they justify their fee by minimizing the headaches and time delays that would otherwise be encountered by someone entering an unfamiliar country.

Michael

A search of the hubb will highlight who Yuri is. I and many other hubbers have had very positive experiences shipping into and out of Vladivostok using his services. Yes, he is an agent.