01.10.2026 Regulation #EAEU #Export #Duties

EEC working group discusses how to interpret a consignment in exports

A working group under the EEC Advisory Committee on Customs Regulation discussed on 30 September 2026 how the concept of a "consignment" (tovarnaya partiya) should be interpreted for exports, and whether goods must be shipped simultaneously for their details to be entered in a single declaration. This was reported in an EEC release.

Disagreement over simultaneous shipment

The meeting was chaired by Kuat Rakhimov, Director of the EEC Department of Customs Legislation and Law Enforcement Practice. It was attended by "representatives of government bodies and the business community of the EAEU countries". The agenda covered law enforcement practice and initiatives from EAEU countries to improve, streamline and unify the rules of customs declaration of goods.

The consignment issue arose, as a republication of the release on alta.ru specifies, from "business inquiries to the Commission on law enforcement practice in Russia when declaring goods subject to export customs duties". According to the EEC, disagreements emerged over whether exported goods must be shipped simultaneously for their details to be entered in one declaration.

Paragraph 2 of the current Procedure for completing the goods declaration (Customs Union Commission Decision No. 257 of 20 May 2010) ties one declaration to one consignment: "a single goods declaration covers information on goods contained in one consignment, unless this Procedure provides otherwise, that are placed under the same customs procedure".

Uniform interpretation for customs and business

Participants noted the need to ensure a uniform interpretation of the concept by customs authorities and business "in order to rule out negative consequences for entrepreneurs and subsequent disputes". Kuat Rakhimov stressed the importance of a comprehensive review of the issue to determine further steps, including "by amending acts of the Union". According to the release, "if necessary, relevant clarifications to the rules for completing the goods declaration will be prepared by the Commission".

Four zeros in place of container dimensions

Ahead of amendments to the Procedure for completing the goods declaration taking effect, the working group's experts also reviewed how container details should be reported. Taking into account requests from Belarusian government bodies and Kazakh business circles, they reached a common understanding that "when data on the length, width and height of a container are unavailable, four zeros should be entered". It was also decided to summarise the established practice after the first six months of practical application.

For exporters of goods subject to export duties, the question of simultaneous shipment within one declaration has thus been taken to the Commission level, while for container data the working group has set out a common approach for cases where dimensions are unknown.

Primary sources

This material is for information only and does not constitute legal advice or customs consulting. Verify changes against the primary sources before acting.