Support for Customs Procedures

Carrying out foreign economic activity involving the import or export of goods or other customs regimes is always linked to moving such goods across Ukraine’s customs border. Any movement of goods across the customs border of Ukraine entails customs control, in which customs authorities, together with other supervisory bodies, perform the relevant customs formalities for these goods. Naturally, the specifics of customs control depend on the types of goods being moved across the customs border, the customs regime, and the type of transport used for transporting these goods.

It is worth noting that since 2018, Ukraine has begun implementing European principles of customs control by introducing a “single window” mechanism. The essence of the “single window” is the interaction of a foreign trade entity (declarants) with the revenue and duties authorities, as well as with other government bodies authorized to carry out permitting or supervisory functions for the movement of goods and commercial vehicles across Ukraine’s customs border. This mechanism enables the one-time submission, in electronic form through the Unified State Information Web Portal “Single Window for International Trade”, of documents and/or information in order to meet the requirements for moving such goods.

Thus, customs control involves not only interaction between the business entity and customs offices at the border crossing points but also interaction with a number of state agencies that conduct sanitary-epidemiological, phytosanitary, veterinary, ecological, and radiological controls (depending on the type of goods being moved across the customs border). Without the permissions of these agencies, customs control cannot be completed.

The “single window” format allows foreign trade entities (or their authorized bodies) to minimize the time needed for customs control and completion of customs formalities regarding goods/commercial vehicles to four (4) working hours from the moment when the customs declaration and the required scanned documents are received from the foreign trade entity until a decision is made regarding further actions for the customs cargo.

The “First Legal” Law Firm, having extensive experience cooperating with business entities that engage in foreign economic activity, has in-house lawyers who will be pleased to advise you on any legal nuances of conducting foreign economic activity. Our Firm also collaborates with customs brokers and clearance agents, who can advise you on the nuances of passing customs control and customs clearance (declaration) of goods, depending on the type of goods, the customs regime, and the form of transport by which such goods are carried, and so on.