Customs and International Trade

New rules for freight forwarders came into force on September 1, 2025: storing transportation data in Russia and providing round-the-clock remote access to them by the FSB.

Since the beginning of autumn, the Russian automotive fluids market has entered a new era — mandatory labeling in the Honest Sign system. The new rules apply to engine oils, antifreeze, brake fluids and other types of auto chemicals. This solution should increase market transparency and protect consumers from counterfeit products, but experts and market participants do not yet have a consensus on the effectiveness of the innovation.

The Federal Customs Service of Russia has initiated a large-scale project to digitalize the processes of handling international mail and express cargo. For these purposes, a special working group has been created, which includes both representatives of the regulator, as well as key players in the e-commerce market and government corporations.

Against the background of increased US sanctions against Russia and China, Beijing is considering the possibility of increasing exports towards the Russian economy. This is reported by the South China Morning Post, referring to the opinions of analysts. Experts note that the aggravation of trade contradictions with the United States is making the Russian market increasingly attractive to Chinese manufacturers.

The Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) has agreed on a draft decision that provides for an extension of the simplified procedure for confirming the origin of goods imported into the territory of the EAEU. The document has been submitted to the EEC Council for further consideration.

From April 1, 2026, clarifications to the rules for filling out the declaration of goods (DT) when importing pharmaceutical raw materials will come into force. The relevant changes are fixed in the Decision of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) No. 77 dated August 26, 2025.

Starting from December 18, 2025, Hainan Island in China will become a pilot zone for the introduction of a new format of foreign economic regulation. As part of the "closing the customs contour" initiative, the Chinese government intends to create the most open trading territory while maintaining state supervision.

The Chinese bank Heihe Rural Commercial Bank, located in the border province of Heilongjiang, stopped accepting direct payments from Russia at the end of August 2025. This was reported by Vedomosti with reference to Russian importers and representatives of domestic banks. This development has caused concern among participants in foreign economic activity, especially against the background of the unstable geopolitical situation.

According to Iranian Agriculture Minister Gholam-Reza Nuri-Ghazelje, economic relations between Iran and Russia are reaching a new level. At a press conference, he said that last year the volume of mutual trade in the agricultural sector reached $ 1.2 billion. In 2025, according to forecasts, the trade turnover will increase by at least 30-35%, and in the future it may double and reach $ 3 billion.

On September 1, 2025, the next stage of the program for mandatory digital labeling of goods in the Honest Sign system entered into force in Russia. The innovations have covered several groups of non—food products at once - children's toys, building materials and motor oils. Businesses now need to register in the system, and the sale of unmarked products becomes impossible.

Russian importers are facing a new round of stricter customs regulations, which directly affects their costs and ultimately consumers' pockets. The Federal Customs Service (FCS) actively requires participants in foreign economic activity to include in the contract price of goods the costs of services provided by payment agents who transfer funds to a foreign supplier. According to experts, this practice increases the cost of importing and processing products by 5-10% on average, and in some case

In 2025, a large-scale expansion of the mandatory digital marking system "Honest Mark" continues in Russia. This state—owned platform allows you to track the movement of products along the entire chain - from the manufacturer or importer to the final buyer. The Data Matrix code used in the system contains unique information about each product and provides full control over its turnover.

In the second quarter of 2025, the Federal Customs Service (FCS) added more than 9.3 billion rubles of duties to Russian companies. The reasons are errors in documents and false information revealed during post—checks. For businesses, such checks can result not only in additional payments, but also in financial losses.