Colombia is located in the north-west of South America. The country is surrounded on all sides by other states: Ecuador, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Panama. At the same time, it has access to the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Russia and Colombia have stable economic relations, although during the crisis year of 2020, the trade turnover decreased by 20.36% and amounted to 223,298,350 US dollars in monetary terms.

Features of import from Colombia

Agricultural products prevail in the import of goods from Colombia: fruits, coffee, flowers, tobacco and similar goods.

Products can be imported chilled, frozen or fresh. Products of plant and animal origin are subject to special control:

1. Vegetables, fruits, plants are accompanied by phytosanitary certificates of the country of origin. Such a cargo can be additionally checked in a phytosanitary laboratory at customs, therefore, a specially equipped customs post is chosen for customs clearance of the cargo. The list of regulated products is fixed in the decision of the Customs Union Commission dated June 18, 2010 No. 318 “On ensuring plant quarantine in the Eurasian Economic Union”.

2. Some products of animal origin require a veterinary certificate, which confirms the quality and safety of the product. The manufacturer of veterinary products must be included in the Argus register. A veterinary certificate is issued for live animals, as well as when moving any types of meat, fish, eggs, milk, caviar, and seed. The list of controlled goods is fixed by the order of the Ministry of Agriculture dated December 18, 2015 No. 648.
   

Tobacco and tobacco products are registered at the posts belonging to the Excise Customs. After paying the excise duty, the excise stamp is applied to the packaging. This must be done in advance, before the cargo arrives at the customs point. In addition, from July 1, 2020, mandatory two-dimensional code labeling of tobacco products was introduced. To generate codes, the supplier must register on the Chestny Znak website and install special software. Marking of goods is also performed prior to customs clearance.

Features of export to Colombia from Russia

Mainly equipment, metals and chemical products are sent to Latin America. The export of chemical products is a growing area. At the international level, it is regulated by special rules, regulations and tariffs. Some countries are introducing anti-dumping duties. It is especially important to correctly classify this type of product and provide reliable information on the composition and consumer properties. This is especially important if the product contains alcohol or drugs. Product safety must be proven. For example, aerosolized chemical products may require a certificate confirming that they are free of substances that negatively affect the ozone layer.



In order to export goods and receive benefits at the same time, you need to correctly register the goods for export, provide a list of documents: a contract, a certificate of origin, documents confirming the customs value, permits. If the cargo is produced in the Russian Federation, a certificate in the Form ST-1 for the CIS states or for the European Union states will be required a certificate in the Form A. It is issued by the Chamber of Commerce. Difficulties may arise at the stage of VAT refund.

As for the export of metals, the government may impose temporary export duties in order to slow down the rise in prices for metal products in the domestic market. So, by decree No. 988 dated June 25, 2021, temporary export duties on ferrous and non-ferrous metals were introduced, (valid from August 1 to December 31, 2021).

Categories and types of exported and imported goods

In the export of Russia, Colombia does not occupy the most honorable 102 place or 0.0296%. The structure of Russian exports to Colombia in 2020 was dominated by:

• chemical products - 51.11% (HS code 28-40);

• various equipment and vehicles - 19.15% (HS code 84-90);

• metals and metal products - 11.94% (HS code 72-83);

• wood and wood products - 7.41% (HS code 44-49);

• mineral industry products - 5.12% (HS code 25-27).

The increase in comparison with the previous year was in the groups: products of the printing industry, electrical machinery and equipment, nuclear reactors, boilers, equipment and mechanical devices, various instruments and products of inorganic chemistry, paper and cardboard, food products, plastics and others (HS code 21, 28, 38, 39, 48, 49 , 82, 84, 85, 87, 90).

A decrease in the volume of export deliveries is observed in groups of oil products, fertilizers, organic chemistry, wood, aluminum and products from these materials, products from ferrous metals (HS code 27, 29, 31, 44, 71, 73, 76).

As for imports, Colombian products accounted for 0.0534% of the total volume of goods imported by Russia. The bulk of the deliveries were:

• food and agricultural raw materials - 88.09% (HS code 01-24);

• metal products and metals - 3.95% (HS code 72-83);

• mineral products - 3.89% (HS code 25-27);

• footwear and textiles - 0.92% (HS code 50-67).

An increase in imports was registered for meat products, copper and products from it, fruits, nuts, as well as products of their processing, dairy products and others (HS code 02, 04, 08, 20, 71, 74).

A decrease in imports is noted in the following groups: food products, coffee and tea, plants, flowers and decorative greenery, oil products, toys, sugar (HS code 06, 09, 17, 21, 27, 95).

Features of cargo transportation from Colombia and back

Export and import products to Colombia are delivered mainly by air or sea.

Sea transport is the most economical, but not profitable in terms of delivery time. Transportation is carried out across the Atlantic Ocean from the port in the Caribbean of Cartagena to Ust-Luga, St. Petersburg or Novorossiysk. The duration of transportation will be 40-50 days. If you need to deliver cargo to the Far East, it is recommended to consider an alternative route across the Pacific Ocean - to the port in Vladivostok or Khabarovsk.

Most often, multimodal transportation schemes are used, which involve the participation of road transport for the delivery of goods to the port or airport or from the airport / port to the customer.

Benefits of air delivery

The aircraft is best suited for the transportation of particularly valuable, oversized, perishable goods. In this way, it is preferable to transport fruits, animals, complex equipment, flowers.

Transportation is carried out by direct flight or transit. The first method is more expensive, but quick. A transit flight takes longer to transport cargo, but air transportation is cheaper. Cargoes are sent to Russia from the airports of Bogaty, Cali and Medellin. The destination is the international airports of Russia: Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Pulkovo, Knevichi, Koltsovo and others.

SB Cargo has received the status of an accredited IATA Freight Agent, so we take advantage of this status - we are ready to offer more favorable conditions for air transportation, guarantee high quality services, prompt cargo handling, quick booking of a transportation request.

Customs clearance

Customs clearance of export and import cargo requires certain legal and practical knowledge. Representatives of the SB Cargo company are ready to offer their assistance in customs clearance and support of imported cargo.

A comprehensive import support service involves interaction with the supplier after the customer concludes an external economic contract. We are ready to:

• clarify the issues of shipment of goods;

• request the necessary commercial and shipping documents;

• calculate customs value and customs payments;

• prepare the necessary transport, build a logistics chain; help with customs clearance and much more.

SB Cargo specialists organize the export / import of any cargo, including perishable, oversized, dangerous, heavy, various types of transport. For each delivery, a personal manager is assigned to manage your delivery. You can learn more about our services by phone.