In 2026, Russia’s customs clearance supervision has entered a refined stage. The Federal Customs Service has strengthened the review of agent qualifications, fully eliminating unregistered agents, and the cargo detention rate caused by irregular operations has increased by 40% year-on-year. When selecting a customs clearance agent, enterprises often fall into low-price traps due to neglecting core qualification verification, facing risks such as cargo seizure and fines. The professionalism of a customs clearance agent depends primarily on the strength of its qualifications. With 20 years of in-depth experience in Russia-bound customs clearance, Shanghai SBTG, based on the latest supervision policies and practical experience from thousands of shipments, reveals the core criteria for selecting an agent—focusing on verifying two key qualifications can help avoid most customs clearance risks.
I. Core Qualification 1: Registration Qualification with the Russian Federal Customs Service
This qualification is the basic threshold for agents to legally carry out customs clearance business. Unregistered agents are equivalent to engaging in illegal operations, and the cargo they undertake will be directly confiscated if inspected.
Core Value of Qualification: Agents who complete registration will obtain an exclusive customs registration number, which can be verified through the “Registry of Customs Representatives” section on the official Russian Customs website. Having registration qualifications means that the agent’s operation processes comply with the requirements of the “Customs Code of the Customs Union”, enabling them to legally submit customs clearance documents and handle declaration procedures, avoiding policy risks caused by illegal agents from the source.
Key Verification Points: Request the agent to provide the original registration certificate and registration number, and log in to the official Russian Customs website to verify the authenticity of the information by entering the agent’s Russian name. It is necessary to confirm that the registration scope covers the enterprise’s own cargo categories to avoid customs clearance obstacles due to registration category restrictions. SBTG has completed the full registration process, with a verifiable registration number covering all categories of general goods and sensitive goods.
Supporting Capability Requirements: A legally registered agent must have a complete document processing team capable of accurately preparing Russian documents and organizing certification materials. SBTG has a team of native Russian copywriters to ensure that customs declarations, invoices and other documents comply with Russian customs standards, and simultaneously implements a three-document review system to avoid information mismatch risks.
II. Core Qualification 2: China-Russia AEO Advanced Certification
As a “gold standard” recognized by both Chinese and Russian customs, AEO certification directly determines customs clearance efficiency and inspection rate, and is a core indicator distinguishing agent professionalism.
Core Value of Qualification: According to the China-Russia AEO mutual recognition arrangement, goods of certified enterprises can enjoy preferential treatment such as priority handling of customs procedures and lower inspection rates. Data in 2026 shows that the customs clearance inspection rate of AEO-certified enterprises is 60% lower than that of ordinary enterprises, which can significantly shorten the customs clearance cycle and reduce additional costs such as port detention fees and warehousing fees. At the same time, this certification has high requirements for enterprise credit and operational standardization, and agents with certification qualifications can provide more stable and compliant services.
Key Verification Points: Request the agent to provide the China-Russia AEO Advanced Certification certificate, and verify the list of certified enterprises on the official website of the General Administration of Customs of China. It is necessary to confirm that the certification is within the validity period and that the certification scope covers Russia-bound customs clearance business. SBTG has obtained China-Russia AEO Advanced Certification, and the relevant information can be cross-verified on the official customs websites of both countries, enjoying full-chain customs clearance benefits.
Supporting Capability Requirements: AEO-certified agents must have a sound risk control system and digital capabilities. SBTG has built an exclusive digital declaration system that seamlessly connects with the Russian customs system, supporting pre-declaration 72 hours before goods arrive at the port, which meets the priority declaration requirements for AEO enterprises; it has also established a full-process risk control mechanism to ensure compliant operation of each shipment.
III. Key Supplement Beyond the Two Qualifications: Verification of Practical Capabilities
Policy Adaptation Capability: Agents with the two core qualifications must be able to track policy changes in real time. SBTG has set up a special policy team to accurately adapt to the 2026 TIR transportation new rules, ensuring that all transport vehicles have obtained the “Vehicle Approval Certificate”, and expanding the operation modes of “TIR + bonded” and “TIR + cross-border e-commerce” to meet the latest supervision requirements.
Local Emergency Capability: Agents are required to set up a directly affiliated team in core cities such as Moscow. SBTG’s Moscow team has professional Russian proficiency and practical experience. In case of inspection, they will arrive at the scene within 1 hour to provide supplementary materials, cooperate with the Russian digital inspection process, and shorten the problem handling cycle.
Choosing a Russia customs clearance agent essentially means choosing dual guarantees of compliance and efficiency. The two core qualifications are hard indicators of an agent’s professionalism and the key for enterprises to avoid customs clearance risks. SBTG not only fully possesses the above two qualifications but also converts qualification advantages into practical service capabilities, providing enterprises with stable and compliant customs clearance services through professional teams, digital systems and localized layout.
