On March 15, Minsk /Anna Kot - BELTA/. From April 1, 2011, Russian customs authorities will cease to require individuals to present customs documents confirming the release of vehicles for free circulation in Belarus, in order to verify their status upon entry into Russia. This was announced today in Minsk to journalists by the Chairman of the State Customs Committee of Belarus, Alexander Shpilevsky, as reported by a BELTA correspondent. The State Customs Committee of Belarus has provided the Federal Customs Service of Russia with information from databases on vehicles imported into Belarus and released for free circulation before January 1, 2010, for the purpose of determining the status of vehicles deregistered in Belarus and imported into Russia. The Federal Customs Service of Russia has already analysed this data concerning vehicles imported by individuals. However, the database for vehicles imported by legal entities for free circulation in Belarus still requires further adjustment. The Federal Customs Service of Russia will complete this work by March 31 of the current year and will begin practical use of the database from April 1, 2011, after which it will stop requiring individuals to present certificates confirming the status of passenger vehicles when importing them from Belarus into Russia. During a trilateral meeting of the heads of the customs services of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia in Minsk today, a proposal was also made to provide citizens with the opportunity to independently check the date of vehicle import via the Internet resources of the Customs Union's customs authorities. This will help reduce the number of inquiries and allow individuals to independently ascertain whether it is worth purchasing a particular vehicle. The issue is planned to be addressed by April 15, 2011. -0-

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