Customs and foreign trade regulation

Pepeliaev Group's Customs and Foreign Trade Regulation Practice is one of Russia's leading practice groups in this area. This is due to a number of factors: a strong team of professionals, the variety of services we offer, and an individual approach to every client.

The practice is represented by experts who have considerable experience of working in customs authorities and well-known international companies, and in taking part in litigation relating to customs disputes (in both the state commercial courts and courts of general jurisdiction). They are capable of providing support both in the context of integrated projects and on current projects in Russia and abroad.

The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), state authorities, Russia's highest courts and federal executive bodies all engage our lawyers as experts to work through and improve customs legislation and to draw up unified approaches for applying it.

Our lawyers are involved in nationwide associations (the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, the Chamber of Commerce, Business Russia, and the Agency for Strategic Initiatives), groupings and expert organisations that work together with representatives of the EEC, deputies from the State Duma, and officials from core ministries and authorities.

The practice group's services are:

• Advising on the application of customs legislation and the regulation of foreign trade activity, including the rules of the WTO, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Russia
• Providing support for projects relating to the amendment and application of rates of import customs duty, protective measures in foreign trade (including antidumping and countervailing duties), non-tariff measures and technical barriers to trade
• Structuring transactions having regard to Russian customs and currency legislation
• Legal support for the import of property contributions to the issued capital of companies and in the context of international finance leasing
• Offering qualified legal assistance in settling conflicts and difficult situations that arise when dealing with Russia's customs authorities, including in relation to matters of customs value, classification under the Commodity Classification for Foreign Trade, the application of customs procedures, and administrative and criminal liability
• Representing clients in state commercial courts and courts of general jurisdiction during appeals against decisions and acts or omissions of the customs authorities, against resolutions during administrative offence cases in the area of customs, and also against regulatory legal acts of Russia's Federal Customs Service
• Representing clients when they appeal decisions of the Eurasian Economic Commission to the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union