How do you import household goods to Russia in 2026?

Temporary visitors often bring used personal effects under temporary-import ideas: limited quantities, personal use only, and an expectation that goods leave with you when the stay ends. Transferring temporary-import items to a third party can break the relief. Permanent relocation relief for household goods and some personal vehicles is a different track. It usually needs evidence that you are settling (for example residence plans and status documents), ownership timelines for certain goods, and passenger customs declarations that match the shipment. Exact duty-free weight, value, and timing windows are live EAEU Council Decision and FCS parameters. Do not freeze any euro or kilogram allowance from an old blog into this answer; check customs.gov.ru and current EAEU personal-use guidance for the mode of transport you use (air, road, or sea).

Unaccompanied containers often clear at the inland customs office for the region where you will live, sometimes after customs transit from the border. Keep inventory lists in Russian or bilingual form, with serial numbers for electronics. Broker fees and storage at temporary warehouses can exceed the furniture value if paperwork stalls.

Many movers ship only documents, winter clothes, and irreplaceable items, then buy beds and appliances after the lease is signed. Russian rental stock varies; confirm furnished versus unfurnished expectations in How to rent a home before you pay ocean freight. Housing paperwork and address registration belong in the wider checklist at Paperwork after moving to Russia.

Moscow and Saint Petersburg apartments can be small relative to a full Western house contents load; measure lifts and stairwells before you ship wardrobes. Restricted goods, alcohol and tobacco limits, cultural valuables, and dual-use items need separate checks. If Russian customs forms are hard without help, hire a licensed broker rather than a random Telegram "customs agent"; see Russian bureaucracy without Russian. Residence status still comes from the MVD (Ministry of Internal Affairs), not from a cleared container: Apply for a residence permit.