Currently, the parcel taxation system has been honed to perfection. Citizens can receive items without paying customs duty only if their value is less than 22 euros and their weight does not exceed 10 kg. Other parcels are not prohibited, but are subject to customs tax. It is also necessary to pay customs duty in the established amount. All standards are established by Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 40 dated 11.02.2016.
Now online shopping enthusiasts are concerned about the question - what is the maximum order limit from AliExpress and other foreign services? Parcels that exceed the established limit acquire the status of commercial, therefore they are subject to taxation. Currently, the amount is equal to 30% of its value. And do not confuse! In addition, customs duty is subject to payment. Its size depends on the type of item. For example, for a smartphone, you must pay 5 euros. In principle, this is the amount set for the bulk of goods.
You can calculate the amount of customs duty yourself, even without using a calculator:
- Parcel cost: 120 euros;
- Exceeding the limit: 120 - 22 = 98 euros;
- 30% of the resulting value - 29.4 euros;
- Customs duty - 5 euros;
- The total amount that the recipient must pay is 34.4 euros.
If the limit is exceeded by the weight of the goods, and not by their price, the calculation will be even easier: 4 euros per 1 extra kg. All of the listed fees apply to any foreign Internet sites - Aliexpress, Amazon, ASOS, EBay, etc.
Where and how to pay tax on parcels in Belarus?
To find out the exact amount of customs duty, you need to contact the postal operator. Money is deposited directly at the branch of RUE "Belpochta".
The established restrictions are protective measures that protect the country's domestic market from cheap goods from China, the USA and other countries. In addition, this is an additional method of taxing individuals who purchase things for profit. This innovation is aimed against foreign sites. As a result, ordering foreign goods becomes unprofitable. All parcels without exception fall under the law. Even if they were sent by a close friend or relative living abroad, you will still have to pay the specified duties.
It should be noted that it is impossible to falsify information about the cost of the parcel. Customs authorities are well aware of the cost of the most common goods.
The government of the Republic of Belarus expressed the opinion that foreign parcels harm the domestic economy of the state and are an illegal means of enrichment. But this statement was harshly criticized by the population. People say that they do not receive most of such mail, and many foreign products are not manufactured in the Republic of Belarus.
Even the "transparency" of the internal borders of the Customs Union (CU) was mentioned. Merchants who purchase expensive and large-sized goods can order delivery to the Russian Federation or another CU state, and then send them to the Republic of Belarus. According to the results of sociological surveys, many people will specifically stop buying things sold abroad.
How to track a parcel on the Belpochta website?
Many people are interested in the question of how to track postal items to the Republic of Belarus from other countries? The official Belpochta website allows you to do this. Tracking of any parcels is carried out by the track numbers assigned to them.
There are special designations:
- R-BY (Rx012345675BY) - simple and registered letters, postcards, small packages and small packages;
- E-BY (Ex012345675BY) - international express parcel or EMS letter;
- C-BY (Cx012345675BY) - regular parcel;
- A-BY (Ax012345675BY) - domestic mail.
It is very easy to use this function on the Belpochta website. You need to go to the specified address: https://webservices.belpost.by/searchRu.aspx, or find the line “Tracking postal items” in the menu on the left and click on it. A special form will appear in the window that opens, in which you should indicate the tracking number of the parcel. After that, you need to click “Search”.
The user will see all stages of the parcel's journey in chronological order. On the same page, there is an option to obtain additional information when the postal item leaves for customs control.
Do I need to pay a fee?
When a note appears in the parcel status about the need to clarify information for transfer to customs authorities, you need to enter the required data in the “Form to fill out” line. If this is not done, the order will be sent back. Using this data, customsnicks keep records of parcels received by individuals from abroad during the month within the established limit of 22 euros.
Paid storage of parcels
Currently, Belposhta stores international parcels for a fee. This rule was introduced on February 1, 2018. This information is provided on the official website of the organization. If the postal item is not picked up within a week, then for each subsequent day a fee of 0.36 BYN will be charged. rubles.
How to avoid the parcel limits in Belarus?
As already mentioned, postal items that cost less than 22 euros and weigh up to 10 kg are not subject to duty.
This restriction can be circumvented in 4 ways.
- Agree with the online store to lower the cost when sending.
This is the simplest method - an agreement with the seller to lower the price. For example, $ 15 for a smartphone from China.
But you should know that customs authorities have the right to conduct an assessment. They calculate the average cost of the product of the country from which it came and set the price. In some cases, an examination is appointed. If it confirms a deliberate understatement of this indicator, the recipient will be forced to make a payment. But for these measures to work, customs officers will have to carefully inspect each postal item, which will lead to significant delays. Therefore, they will not act this way!
- Register the parcel to a loved one.
You can involve relatives and friends. For example, divide a large order into 4 parts, each of which will be registered to different people. Then you will be able to avoid state duties.
- Place orders with the help of people from other countries.
The parcel can be registered to a citizen living in a Customs Union country, which includes the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan. The person will receive it in his country, and then forward it to a resident of the Republic of Belarus. In this case, you will have to spend much less.
You can do it differently - order a postal item to the border branch of the Russian Post “on demand”. For example, to the Smolensk region. As a result, the imposed restrictions will be circumvented. This approach is popular among people who live near the border with the Russian Federation.
- Mail Forwarding has come to Belarus.
Mail Forwarding (translated as “Your address abroad”, abbreviated as – MF) is a service in which the consumer buys goods themselves and uses the warehouse addresses of intermediary firms. It is a paid service, but costs much less than customs duties. In this case, in order to avoid paying the fee, you should select addresses in the CU countries.
Top 5 online stores with delivery to Belarus
We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the list of popular and trusted foreign Internet resources that deliver orders to the Republic of Belarus. These are the best sites, the reliability of which is beyond doubt. The postal item will definitely reach the recipient. The owners of these services will not start any scams with bank cards or unexpected surcharges when registering.
- Aliexpress.com is the leader among residents of the Republic of Belarus. They sell clothes, shoes, accessories, creams, perfumes, toys, dishes and many other things. The site includes a large number of sellers from China and other countries. Due to high competition, they sell goods at the lowest possible prices. They can be delivered to the Republic of Belarus either for a fee or absolutely free of charge in 14-30 days.
- iHerb.com is a favorite online platform from the USA, which specializes in the sale of environmentally friendly products, dietary supplements and natural cosmetics of excellent quality. If you track current promotions and special offers, then the goods can be bought much cheaper than in local stores. In addition, there are no intermediaries, so the cost of products remains low. Delivery is carried out to all countries, including the Republic of Belarus.
- eBay.com is an international company operating on the auction principle. A huge number of lots appear there every hour. There are about 30 eBay branches in the world. The advantage of this platform is a high degree of buyer protection and payment for goods via PayPal. The consumer will be refunded the full amount, including delivery, if the order was damaged during transportation or has a factory defect.
- Amazon.com is a global online platform where you can buy almost anything. Products come from the USA. They sell a huge number of things here – from food to factory machines. Residents of the Republic of Belarus often buy e-books, household goods, home appliances, toys for children, sports equipment, etc. here.
- Asos.com is the largest clothing and footwear store. It has many honorstitles from leading publications, for example, “Internet Phenomenon” (Grazia magazine). And this is not a coincidence. The site has been operating for only 13 years. During this time, it has transformed from a small store into a global hypermarket, with a range of more than 5,000 products. In addition, its own brand of things was developed - Asos. More than 16 million people become customers of the site every month. They are attracted by the budget cost of goods, constant promotions and discounts. The online store has been awarded more than 50 awards.
In parallel with the opening of branded stores of famous brands in Belarus, the popularity of foreign online stores is growing, pleasing the eye of customers with lower prices, promotions and sales. Therefore, users will not stop ordering goods from foreign sites. People will optimize delivery options and continue to use their favorite things, using the services of (intermediaries - mail forwarders) https://shopbyshop.by/
