In 2026, compliance supervision in the China-Russia freight industry continues to tighten, with full coverage of electronic freight documents, mandatory EAC certification, and in-depth implementation of new TIR regulations. As core links of Russia-bound freight, any operational error in customs clearance and transit may lead to cargo detention, damage, cost overrun, and even directly affect order delivery. Currently, many enterprises in Russia-bound freight frequently fall into various hidden pitfalls due to lack of professional understanding of the entire customs clearance and transit chain, losing both human and material resources and damaging overseas market reputation. Shanghai SBTG has completed registration with the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation and obtained China-Russia AEO Advanced Certification. It has a deep understanding of Russian customs clearance rules and domestic transit standards. Based on a large number of practical cases, it has sorted out a list of high-frequency mistakes in both customs clearance and transit links of Russia-bound freight, paired with actionable avoidance plans, and provides full-chain professional services to escort enterprises, helping them avoid freight traps and achieve smooth and direct delivery of goods.
I. Customs Clearance Link: 4 High-Frequency Mistakes That Directly Trigger Detention Risks
Mistake 1: Lack or non-compliance of documents and certification. Fail to handle the corresponding type of EAC certification in accordance with TR CU/TR EAEU technical regulations, or use fake and invalid certification documents; commercial invoices and packing lists are not annotated in Russian, cargo value and quantity are inconsistent with payment vouchers, and the importer’s INN tax number and commodity GOST code are not marked, making it impossible to pass the Russian customs document review. Avoidance Plan: SBTG’s special team guides enterprises to prepare compliant documents in advance, standardizes Russian translation and notarization processes, assists in connecting with EAEU officially authorized institutions to handle EAC certification, ensuring that the certificate contains a dynamic QR code; implements a three-document review system to identify document loopholes in advance, meeting the regulatory requirements of full electronic declaration coverage.
Mistake 2: Trusting gray customs clearance commitments. Attracted by oral commitments such as “low-cost package customs clearance” and “fast customs clearance”, choose unqualified freight forwarders to adopt gray customs clearance models such as underreporting cargo value and falsifying classification, and fail to verify the freight forwarder’s customs clearance license. Once investigated by Russian customs, the cargo is detained and the enterprise may be blacklisted and face heavy fines. Avoidance Plan: Resolutely abandon gray customs clearance, prioritize compliant freight forwarders that have obtained China-Russia AEO Advanced Certification. SBTG holds a complete “Customs Declaration Unit Registration Certificate”, adheres to white customs clearance, truthfully declares and pays taxes in a standardized manner, and retains tax payment vouchers throughout the process.
Mistake 3: HS code and declaration errors. HS code classification deviations, falsely declaring high-tax-rate commodities as low-tax-rate categories; blindly underreporting prices without providing price supporting materials, triggering Russian customs audits; declaration information inconsistent with the actual cargo, triggering key inspections and prolonging the customs clearance cycle. Avoidance Plan: SBTG’s team of senior commodity classifiers assists in completing accurate HS code classification, guides enterprises to truthfully declare, provides supporting materials such as purchase contracts and payment receipts, and reduces the inspection rate and shortens the inspection cycle relying on AEO certification advantages.
Mistake 4: Neglecting adaptation to new customs regulations. Fail to keep up with the latest regulatory policies of Russian customs, fail to submit employment notifications on the Goslog platform as required, fill in electronic freight documents irregularly, and fail to complete the declaration process in accordance with new regulations, leading to customs clearance obstacles. Avoidance Plan: SBTG arranges a special team to track changes in Russian customs new regulations in real time, guiding enterprises to adapt to requirements such as electronic declaration and Goslog platform registration throughout the process, ensuring that the entire customs clearance process complies with the latest policies.
II. Transit Link: 3 High-Frequency Mistakes That Aggravate Freight Losses
Mistake 1: Non-compliant capacity selection. Use vehicles that have not obtained the “Certificate for Road Transport Vehicles Carrying Customs Sealed Goods” for transit, failing to meet the requirements of the new TIR regulations; do not use special capacity with anti-freezing and anti-slip facilities for winter transportation, leading to cargo damage and transportation stagnation. Avoidance Plan: SBTG integrates compliant transit capacity within Russia, all vehicles have completed registration with both China and Russia, special anti-freezing models are provided in winter, strictly follows the new TIR regulations, and flexibly deploys adaptive capacity.
Mistake 2: Unreasonable transit route planning. Fail to plan routes in combination with road conditions and meteorological conditions in Russia, avoiding congestion nodes and low-load-bearing bridges; do not formulate exclusive plans for transit to remote areas in advance, relying on multi-level transit, leading to timeliness delays and cargo losses. Avoidance Plan: SBTG dynamically optimizes transit routes by real-time analyzing road conditions and meteorology in Russia relying on digital scheduling systems, building a global transit network of “port – core city – remote area”, and launching exclusive transit plans for remote areas.
Mistake 3: Lack of local nodes and emergency response. Fail to connect with directly affiliated distribution centers in Russia, rely on third-party cooperation for transit, resulting in redundant intermediate links; no local emergency team, unable to respond and handle quickly in case of sudden road conditions and cargo abnormalities, aggravating losses. Avoidance Plan: SBTG establishes directly affiliated distribution centers and emergency teams at core nodes such as Moscow and St. Petersburg, with special personnel following up throughout the transit process, and on-site coordination within 1 hour in case of abnormalities, minimizing losses to the greatest extent.
III. SBTG’s Full-Chain Escort: From Pitfall Avoidance to Implementation, Worry-Free Throughout the Process
Professional Team Empowerment: Establishes a special team of customs clearance experts, commodity classifiers, and transit planners, with 20 years of industry experience, accurately identifying various pitfalls in customs clearance and transit, and avoiding risks in advance.
Compliance Qualification Support: Obtains China-Russia AEO Advanced Certification, completes registration with the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation, and has complete compliant qualifications for all categories of customs clearance and transit. All operational processes comply with the regulatory requirements of both China and Russia.
Full-Process Control Services: Implements pre-review and real-time tracking of the entire customs clearance and transit process, with special personnel following up throughout from document preparation, certification handling, declaration filling to capacity scheduling, route planning, and emergency disposal, ensuring smooth and direct delivery of goods.
The smoothness of Russia-bound freight lies in avoiding hidden pitfalls in customs clearance and transit links, and professional guidance and full-chain escort are indispensable.
