According to U.S. sources there are more than 200 U.S. companies resident in Kiev. Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan are in the process of forming a customs union. For example, in the summer of 1995, tariffs in Belarus were raised five to ten percent to 20- 40 percent to match Russia's. Russia has, however, granted exceptions to its tariff rates on a few goods, such as sugar, cars and carpets. Bureaucracy, lack of infrastructure and a variety of complexities arising from the customs union often result in burdensome customs procedures.
Commercial truckers can wait at the borders from Poland and Lithuania for as long as three days.
In December 1995, the Belarusian Ministry of Agriculture stopped providing health certification for U.S. chicken imports. By decree, only the CRME has the authority to issue export and import licenses. Certain goods require licenses from the President or the Cabinet of Ministers. Consumer goods imported into Turkmenistan must be certified by the State Standards Committee, which issues a release document. This procedure can be time-consuming and, as a result, importation of perishable goods is considered risky.