G/LIC/Q/RUS/1  
 
28 March 2013  
(13-1685)  Page: 1/3  
Committee on Import Licensing  Original: English  
 
RUSSIAN FEDERATION IMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES1 
QUESTIONS FROM CANADA, THE EU ROPEAN UNION, JAPAN, AND 
 THE UNITED STATES TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION 
 
The following communication, dated 21 March 2013, is being circulated at the request of the delegations of Canada, the European Union, Japan and the United States. 
 
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 1.  We would like to thank the Russian Federation for making its first notification submission, 
circulated on 22 October 2012, to the Import Licensing Committee (G/LIC/N/1/RUS/1).  We 
welcome the Russian Federation’s efforts as a new WTO Member to respond to the obligations set out for all WTO Members under the Import Licens ing Procedures Agreement.  We have some 
questions for which we seek the Russian Federation’s written responses regarding its notification 
under Article 1.4(a) and/or 8.2(b) of the Agreement as contained in G/LIC/N/1/RUS/1.   
 
2.  Additionally, we note that  the Russian Federation’s responses to the Questionnaire on Import 
Licensing Procedures under Article 7.3 of the Agr eement were due “90 days after accession”; i.e., 
22 November 2012.  We are concerned that, to date, these Article 7.3 responses have not yet been submitted.  When will the Russian Federation submit its notification in light of its accession 
commitment? 
 3.  With regard to the Russian Federation’s notification under G/LIC/N/1/RUS/1, we note that the 
government has notified only four of the rules, regulations, decisions, etc. that apply to the 
Russian Federation’s import licensing regime.  Ar ticle 1.4 (a) of the Import Licensing Agreement 
establishes that, inter alia , 
 
“The rules and all information concerning procedures for the submission of applications, including the eligibility of persons, firms and institutions to make such applications, the administrative body(ies) to be approached, and the lists of products subject to the 
licensing requirement shall be published, in the sources notified to the Committee on 
Import Licensing provided for in Article 4 (referred to in this Agreement as "the Committee"), in such a manner as to enable governments… and traders to become 
acquainted with them… Any exception, derogations or changes in or from the rules 
concerning licensing procedures or the list of products subject to import licensing shall also be published in the same manner….  Copies of these publications shall also be made 
available to the Secretariat.”   
 
Article 8.2(b) states:  
“Each Member shall inform the Committee of any changes in its laws and regulations 
relevant to this Agreement and in the administration of such laws and regulations.”  
Thus, the Russian Federation is obliged to publish all information about its import licensing 
procedures under these two articles, including any changes, and provide copies of those publications (preferably electronically and in a usable format) to the Secretariat.  The Russian 
Federation is further obliged to notify the Committee of any changes in its laws and regulations or 
the administration thereof. 
                                               
1 See Understanding on procedures for th e Review of Notifications (G/LIC/4). G/LIC/Q/RUS/1 
 
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While we appreciate receiving notification of the three Agreements and one Decision relating to the 
Russian Federation’s import licensing regime, the website references in G/LIC/N/1/RUS/1 are unspecific and insufficient.  We request that Russia provide copies, in translation, of the measures 
relating to the Russian Federation’s import licensing regime with respect to each of the three 
Agreements and the one Decision to the Secretar iat (preferably electronically and in a usable 
format).  Furthermore, we are aware that the Ru ssian Federation maintains a number of additional 
rules, regulations, decisions, etc. that set out the government’s required import licensing 
procedures.  In the interest of transparency, and in  accordance with Articles 1.4(a) and 8.2(b) of 
the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures, we request that the Russian Federation review its import licensing regime, ensure that the government notifies all information regarding its import 
licensing requirements, and provide copies, in translat ion, of government rules, regulations, etc. to 
the Secretariat.  
4.  We request that the Russian Federation’s notification include the procedures that we 
understand require a trader to have an “activity license” for production, distribution, storage, or importation in order to import alcohol, pharmaceuticals, encryption goods, and precious metals 
and stones, whether or not a separate import license for the goods themselves is required.  The 
Import Licensing Procedures Agreement also covers notification of licensing procedures for such requirements.  
5.  As noted below, we are also aware that the Russian Federation has national legislation (on 
e n c r y p t i o n  g o o d s ,  f o r  e x a m p l e ) ,  a s  w e l l  a s  o t h e r  C U  r e q u i r e m e n t s ,  t h a t  w e  b e l i e v e  s h o u l d  b e  notified to the Import Licensing Committee. 
 
Among the legal requirements of which we are aware that we believe the Russian Federation 
should notify to the Import Licensing Committee are the following: 
 
- Agreement on the Regime and Implementation of Tariff Quotas as of 12 December 2008 
(Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russian Federation); 
o We also request notification of the Russian Federation’s domestic legislation and 
rules governing import procedures for administering tariff quotas. 
- Decision No. 19 of the CU Interstate Council "On a Single Non-Tariff Regulation of the 
Customs Union of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian 
Federation" of 27 November 2009;  
- CU Commission Decision No. 132 of 27 November 2009, the CU Commission approved the 
Common List of Goods that are Subject to Non-Tariff Measures which also came into force 
on 1 January 2010 and which set out in CU Co mmission regulations the procedure for the 
importation of specific products, such as products with cryptographic capabilities, precious stones and precious metals, and medicines and pharmaceutical ingredients;  
- CU Decision of the CU Commission No. 168 of 27 January 2010 "On Maintenance of 
Functioning of Unified System for Non-Tariff Regulation in Customs Union between Belarus, 
Kazakhstan and Russia"; 
- Federal Law No. 164-FZ of 8 December 2003 "On the Fundamentals of State Regulation of 
Foreign Trade Activity" (as last amended on 7 April 2010) which established the conditions 
and procedures for applying supervision of export and/or import of certain kinds of goods, and set forth the procedures for an import license or permit; 
- Government Resolution No. 364 of 9 June 2005 "On the Approval of the Regulations for 
Licensing in the Area of Foreign Trade in Goods and on Creating and Keeping a Federal Data Bank of Issued Licenses"; 
- CU Commission Decision No. 488 "On Approval of  the Provision on the Procedure of License 
Suspension or Termination" of 8 December 2010; 
- Order No. 1212 of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation of 30 
December 2009 “On the Distribution of Authoritie s in the Ministry of Industry and Trade of 
the Russian Federation and its Territorial Bodies for Issuing the Licenses and other 
Permissive Documents for the Implementation of Export-Import Operations with Particular Types of Goods” which lists, inter alia, vodka as subject to licensing procedures; 
- CU Commission Decision No. 747 of 16 August 2011 "On Amendments to Normative Legal 
Acts of the Customs Union in the Sphere of Non-Tariff Regulation in Relation to Ethyl Spirits and Alcoholic Products" (hereinafter:  "CU Commission Decision No. 747"); G/LIC/Q/RUS/1 
 
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  - CU Regulations of the "Order of Import of Ethyl Alcohol and Alcoholic Products to the 
Customs Territory of the Customs Union”, ad opted by the CU Commission Decision No. 132 
on 27 November 2009; 
- Government Resolution No. 771 of 29 September 2010 "On the Rules of Importation of 
Pharmaceutical Products for Medical Use into the Territory of the Russian Federation"; 
- CU Regulations "On the Order of Entry into the Customs Territory of the Customs Union of 
Medicines and Pharmaceutical Ingredients”, adopted by the CU Commission Decision 
No. 132 on 27 November 2009; 
- CU Regulations “On the Order of Entry into the Customs Territory of the Customs Union 
within the Eurasian Economic Community and th e Export from the Customs Territory of the 
Customs Territory of the Customs Union within the Eurasian Economic Community Precious 
Metals, Precious Stones and Commodities Containing Precious Metals”, adopted by the CU 
Commission Decision No. 132 on 27 November 2009; 
- CU Regulations "On the Order of Entry into the Customs Territory of the Customs Union and 
Removal of the Customs Territory of the Customs Union of Encryption (cryptographic) 
means", dated 1 December 2009 (as amended 25 October 2010); 
o The Russian Federation also has national legislation regarding import procedures 
on encryption goods and special technical devices.  We request notification of this 
national legislation, too; 
- CU Regulations for Item 2.17 “On the Procedure for the Import into the Customs Territory of 
the Customs Union and Export from the Customs Territory of the Customs Union of Special 
Technical Devices for Obtaining Information Surreptitiously” (no date); 
- CU Regulations on the "Order of Exportation of Mineral Raw Materials from the Customs 
Territory of the Customs Union”, adopted by  the CU Commission Decision No. 132 on 
27 November 2009; 
- Federal Law No. 128-FZ of 8 August 2001 "On Lice nsing of Specific Types of Activities" (last 
amended on 27 December, 2009);  
- Government Decision No. 313 of 16 April, 2012 "O n approval of the licensing activities for 
the development, production, distribution of encryption (cryptographic), information systems and telecommunications systems that are protected with encryption (cryptographic), works and services in the area of cryptography, maintenance of 
encryption (cryptographic) resources, information systems and telecommunications 
systems that are protected with encryption (cryptographic) means (except if the maintenance of encryption (cryptographic), information systems and telecommunications 
systems that are protected with encryption (cry ptographic), is to provide needs legal entity 
or individual entrepreneur)”;   
- Federal Law No. 61-FZ "On the Circulation of Medicines" of 12 April 2010; and 
- CU Commission Decision No. 748 "On Amendmen ts to the Regulations on the Order of 
Importation of Medicines and Pharmaceutical Substances to the Customs Territory of the Customs Union" of 16 August 2011.  Please al so notify the Russian Federation’s national 
legislation in this regard. 
 
Please note that the list above is illustrative, not exhaustive.   
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