FexEx, DHL halt some Russian shipments

   Russian regulators have changed the customs clearance process for goods shipped to private parties, clearing the shipments not under express processes but under the “Individual Passenger Customs Declaration Process,” according to FedEx Express.
   As a result, FedEx has stopped shipments to individuals in Russia temporarily; business-to-business shipments have not been affected, the company said. According to Reuters, DHL has ceased personal shipments into the country as well.
   “We intend to resume shipping for express shipments destined to private individuals in Russia as soon as the necessary operational changes can be implemented to comply with the required customs process changes,” according to a statement on the company’s website. 
   The Moscow Times reported that having to formally register these express shipments with Russian customs requires additional paperwork and the buyer’s passport number.
   “These heightened requirements are just the first of new customs policies set to tighten regulation and increase taxation of Russia’s burgeoning e-commerce market,” the paper reported. “Customs authorities will soon begin levying a 30-percent duty on all purchases from foreign e-commerce companies valued at more than 150 euros ($205).”