How to check whether a car is cleared through customs by VIN code - why is this important?

Checking customs clearance of a car using the VIN code is a simple procedure that allows you to eliminate the risk of purchasing a problematic foreign car.

You can use the service online on the official website of the State Traffic Inspectorate or contact the nearest traffic police department with a written request.

Numerous paid services are also available, however, they mostly duplicate information obtained from official Internet sources.

Why is it important to check the customs clearance of the car?

Checking the VIN code allows you to find out the full history of a foreign-made car:

1. the country from which he was taken;
2. customs value;
3. mileage;
4. date of customs clearance.

Usually the information received is enough to avoid purchasing a smuggled car, because there are many ways to transport a vehicle across the border without customs clearance.

For example, every citizen of the Russian Federation has the right not to clear a car imported from Kazakhstan or Belarus through customs. Such a vehicle is considered a product of the Customs Union and is not subject to taxation when transported across the internal borders of the EurAsEC.

But not all car enthusiasts know that this only applies to cars manufactured before 2010 and equipped with Euro-4 engines. For other foreign cars you will have to pay a state duty, and a considerable one.

What else can you learn from customs data?

By ordering a car check by VIN, you will find out the date of import of the vehicle, country of export, as well as mileage, if any. A truly useful column of the VIN report is the price of the car from the declaration. With its help, you will find out the estimated value of the car at the time of import and will be able to use the data obtained to assess the adequacy of the cost of this car. Below is a fragment of the report for “Customs” for a complete check of a car by VIN number.

• Date: 12/03/2014
• CCD number: 10009193/291011/0015207
• Export country: Netherlands
• Country of import: Russia
• Owner: Last name First name Patronymic
• Organization: PORSCHE MANUFACTURING RUS LLC

• Price: 100,000
• Tax: 11,111
• Color: Silver
• Mileage: 1234
• Ecological class: Euro-5
• Specification: None

What does a person risk by not checking whether the car is cleared through customs or not?

Since 2014, traffic police officers have been able to check customs documents of drivers driving foreign cars. The absence of a mark on customs clearance of a car is equated to an administrative violation (Article 12.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation), punishable by a fine of 500 rubles and removal of license plates.

If a foreign citizen imported a car into the Russian Federation, and after a year of his stay did not extend the period of temporary import of the vehicle or did not clear it through customs, he will face a similar punishment for the lack of the necessary documents and Russian license plates on the car.

Starting in 2021, for tax evasion when importing a foreign car into the Russian Federation from the territory of another state, criminal punishment is provided - a large fine in the amount of 100-500 thousand rubles (Chapter 16 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation) or imprisonment for up to 3 years (Article 194 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

If the act was committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy and on an especially large scale, the term increases to 5 years, and the fine starts from 300 thousand rubles.

Why check the customs history of a car?

By law, all vehicles entering Russia from other countries must go through customs. Missing or counterfeit customs documents threaten owners of foreign cars with serious problems. Such vehicles can be legally operated for no more than 6 months (under temporary import conditions), after which administrative and criminal liability arises.

Illegal vehicles cannot be sold or transferred by proxy. If the state the number will be stolen or lost and will not be restored. There are fines for breaking the law. This is why it is mandatory to have your car checked at customs.

You should also check the history to make sure the seller is honest. By requesting a report on VIN or state registration. sign, you will receive objective information about the origin, age and estimated value of the foreign car.

PTS check

Carefully studying the registration certificate is the easiest way to find out whether a car has been cleared through customs. The PTS must be marked accordingly and stamped by the customs service. The exception is for cars imported into the country before 1996.

The year of issue of the registration certificate can be determined by its series:

• letter “U” – after 2008;
• letter "T" - until 2008.

It is imperative that you check the document itself. If the PTS columns are filled in by hand rather than in printed text, or if the first page is marked “duplicate,” it is better to refuse to purchase such a car.

Check the car

Buying a car is a joyful event, which, if you are not careful, can lead to negative consequences and additional waste of money and nerves.

According to official statistics, more than 30% of new owners of a personal vehicle encounter a lot of troubles during the first month.

For example, some detect a bunch of different breakdowns that require serious financial costs. Others are disappointed to discover that the car has a “bad” history. This is why it is so important to conduct a full inspection of the vehicle before purchasing.

Internet check on the FCS website

Another way to obtain information about customs clearance of a car is to contact the Federal Customs Service (FCS). Since the beginning of 2007, customs has maintained a database of cars that were imported into Russia and cleared through customs. Before sending an electronic request, you will need to register and log in to your personal account on the FCS website. Processing of the application may take 1-2 days, after which a response will be sent to the email specified by the user.

As with other specialized services, the car is checked by VIN code or body number.

Do I need to pay for a car check?

If the check is carried out on a paid service, then you must pay the specified cost. It depends on the car and the number of positions that will be provided in the report. You can also get services at a reduced cost using a promotional code. There is a possibility of free verification through Customs services. Paid portals provide more detailed information on the car.

What will be in the report?

Customs history allows you to find out whether this vehicle can be used. In addition, the report shows:

1. Manufacturer country;
2. Mileage;
3. Price;
4. Environmental class;
5. Owner;
6. Color;
7. Tax.

This check is necessary for all those who buy a car and do not want to encounter fraudulent activities. It’s better to spend time and money checking now than to deal with more serious problems later.

Buying a car is always a pleasant event for a car enthusiast. Now there are a huge number of foreign-made cars on the market. Not everyone has money for a foreign car. Many people buy a car abroad. After importing the car, it goes through the customs clearance process.

Other online verification options

Every citizen can check for free whether a car has been cleared through customs on the State Traffic Inspectorate website. To do this, you need to go to the “Vehicle Check” tab, enter the VIN code or chassis number into a special window, enter the captcha number and wait a minute to receive information about the vehicle of interest. Along the way, you can find out not only the history of the car, but also check for theft or registration restrictions.

There are paid online services that allow you to check customs clearance of a car using the VIN code or body number:

1. net;
2. Avtokod.mos.ru;
3. Anet.

Unfortunately, the most popular of them, the Autocode service, is available only to residents of Moscow and the Moscow region. Moreover, to obtain information about the car, the user must register on the State Services portal. Typically, authorization takes 1-2 weeks, since a special access code to your personal account is sent by mail in a valuable letter.

The whole story - in one place

In addition to data from customs, Autocode provides detailed information about the car and its owners. The check shows the characteristics of the car (including year of manufacture, engine power, mileage), the number of owners, the presence of traffic police restrictions and facts of participation in an accident with an indication of damage.

When checking, it is important to pay attention to the following points that characterize the car:

• collateral - pledged to the bank;
• leasing - provided for rent;
• taxi - intensively used;
• theft - listed as wanted.

Another important point is the traffic police restriction. Judicial, customs and other restrictions are indicated here. Most often, registration actions are limited (a car cannot be sold or bought). The same applies to formally scrapped cars.

By checking a foreign car using the Autocode service, you will learn about customs clearance and other details that are important for purchase and sale!

How to check in the Republic of Belarus

Checking the customs clearance of a car imported into Belarus can be done free of charge on the website of the State Customs Committee and using the VIN code, body or chassis number.

An important nuance is that you need to search for information in two databases:

• the first contains information about cars imported into Belarus by individuals since 1998;
• the second contains data on foreign cars produced for domestic consumption with restrictions on use or with special orders.

The information is updated once a month, so there is a possibility of receiving false information due to the fact that information about customs clearance of the car has not yet been entered into the database.

What is a VIN code

The VIN code refers to a unique 17-digit alphanumeric sequence that is assigned to each car that leaves the factory assembly line. There was no such marking system before 1980, so checking earlier years of cars is a challenge. This code contains basic information for each vehicle, which includes information about:

• Country of manufacture, make, model of car (1-3 characters).
• Equipment and additional options (4-8 characters).
• Year of manufacture of the vehicle (10th digit, each digit is assigned its own year).
• The plant that assembled the car (11th character).
• Serial number of the car assembled at the factory (12-17 characters).

The ninth character is intended to check the correctness of the VIN code, and is calculated using a complex formula for the relationship of the remaining characters. This code eliminates the possibility of passing off one car as another and prevents fraudulent schemes. You can view this alphanumeric sequence on the car body.

An example from judicial practice

There are many cases where the owner of a car was brought to administrative responsibility in court for violating the customs clearance procedure. Thus, citizen Motskevichus E.S. did not remove his foreign car with Lithuanian registration numbers from Russian territory on time, citing the delay as a breakdown of the vehicle. The period of delay was 85 days. The case was considered in court, as a result of which the car owner was found guilty of committing an administrative offense. The court on the basis of Part 1 of Art. 16.18 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation sentenced citizen Motskevichus to the minimum punishment - a fine of 1,500 rubles without confiscation of the car.

Problems of the owner of a non-customs car

The desire to save money and purchase a used car in Europe results in significant expenses when going through customs. If you do not analyze the costs in advance, then purchasing such a car and official registration will cost more than a transaction in your own country without the need for customs procedures. Owners of foreign cars ignore customs clearance, hoping for a lucky break. A number of problems await them:

• Import for a period when a car can be used for several months without customs clearance requires an extension at the customs point if a package of documents is available;
• Loss of documents will entail the payment of tax, the amount of which is equal to the state duty;
• Restoring the number (if lost or stolen) is possible only in the country where the car is officially registered;
• Operation of the car is possible provided that the owner is driving;
• The car cannot be sold legally.

The driver of a vehicle that has not been cleared through customs faces administrative penalties under the Administrative Code. These are fines from 500 to 2.5 thousand rubles. The Criminal Code also applies to owners of non-customs cleared vehicles. Failure to pay duties and taxes in especially large amounts (from 1 to 3 million) provides for a substantial fine or imprisonment from 2 to 5 years. Such problems can be avoided provided that all customs procedures are carried out on time and in strict accordance with Russian legislation.

Dangers awaiting buyers of foreign cars

Purchasing vehicles ordered abroad is becoming increasingly popular. There are even companies that find and buy cars abroad according to your requirements and deliver them to Russia. In proportion to the growth of companies that provide such services, the number of scammers deceiving future car owners is also increasing. There are many pitfalls with such a choice. You can buy a car:

Check a car from Europe by VIN

Every day, millions of car purchase and sale transactions are carried out in the country. The secondary market for the purchase and sale of cars accounts for more than 70% of all transactions made. Foreign cars also occupy more than 80% of the entire segment of purchased vehicles. Cars from Europe and the USA are especially popular.

When buying a car, the new owner must check not only the technical condition of the car, but also its legal documents, as well as its operating history. Checking a foreign car by VIN is the most accessible way to get complete information about the car.