Hello and Welcome from Gary.
I last wrote about visas to enter Ukraine. Now for the customs stuff - - another confusing topic. I won’t get into all the “gory” details here about Ukrainian customs regulations. I’ll just give you a couple of links so you can check for yourself. And I’ll give you some “heads up” info and tips for how best to deal with customs.
This first link will get you into the ballpark of what is and what is not allowed to bring into or take out of Ukraine http://www.ukraineinfo.us/travel/customs.html. The second link is the customs regulations site of the Borispol airport in Kiev. It contains more explicit information, particularly under the buttons on the bottom of the page. http://www.airport-borispol.kiev.ua/custom_supervision/.
O.K. first some “heads ups” and then some tips - -
A. Though the documentation is more clear now than when I went to Ukraine, it’s still “hazy” on how much U.S. currency you can bring in, $1,000, or $3,000. Here’s the deal. If you bring more than $1,000 you pay a penalty at customs. Period. There are ways around this that I’ll suggest in tip #1 below.
B. There’s a thriving music CD sales business in most cities in Ukraine. If you bring in music CD’s you’ll pay a stiff duty on each of them. This is to protect against foreigners from bringing in and selling competitive CD’s thus threatening the livelihood of Ukrainian entrepreneurs.
C. There are limitations to the total value (in Euros) of what you can bring into Ukraine. Also Ukraine is very sensitive about the import/export of jewelry (precious metals and gems). Study the regulations carefully and then contact a consular office to resolve questions. (See contact info in my “visa” post). Read the rest of this entry »
