Michelin, Continental and other tyres wholesale: documented import with labelling, or cargo
Michelin and Continental are the core brands in our tyre range; others are sourced to order. Here is when your Russian customer needs a documented import with “Honest Sign” labelling and TR CU 018 certification, and how that decides where the tyres can be sold.
Core brands to order, without a distributor price list
We ship Michelin and Continental as the core brands, plus Pirelli, Nokian Tyres, Goodyear, Dunlop, Metzeler, Trelleborg, Mitas, Vredestein and other brands to order. The range of equipment is broad: cars and SUVs, motorcycles, trucks and buses, tractors and combines. We are not the official distributor of these brands; we work through suppliers in Europe, so price and lead time are calculated for each enquiry.
An order is defined by brand, model, size, load and speed indices and quantity — enough to check availability with suppliers and give a lead time. For agricultural tyres, pressure and tread type are added (including VF and IF low-pressure technologies); for motorcycles, the tyre type: road, sport or enduro. The minimum logistics service fee is €200.
Seasonality matters: in Russia demand for winter tyres peaks in September–October and for summer tyres in March–April, and in these windows European suppliers’ warehouses are busier too. Fleets buying a full seasonal set are advised to order early, before some models become temporarily unavailable.
Sanctions screening comes first
We only handle goods that are not subject to EU, UK, Swiss or US sanctions. Before we quote, we check the HS code of every item and screen all parties to the deal; if a product or a party is restricted, we decline the order, whatever the route or the price.
“Honest Sign” labelling: since when and what happens without it
Since 1 November 2020 Russia has prohibited the production and import of unlabelled tyres: every tyre subject to labelling carries a unique Data Matrix code registered in the “Honest Sign” (Chestny Znak) system. The deadline for labelling stock unsold by mid-December 2020 was extended to 1 March 2021; the transition period is long over and the rule applies in full.
In practice a tyre without a code cannot legally be sold through retail, a tyre workshop or a marketplace; fines apply and an unlabelled lot can be withdrawn from circulation. For the buyer’s own fleet (not for resale) there are no formal labelling restrictions, but this does not change the customs requirements for the import itself. Any buyer can check the code of a specific tyre in the “Honest Sign” app.
Certification under TR CU 018/2011
Tyres are subject to mandatory certification under technical regulation TR CU 018/2011 “On the safety of wheeled vehicles” as a component that affects vehicle safety. This covers tyres for category M1 (cars), light commercial vehicles, buses, trucks, trailers, motorcycles and mopeds. Unlike motor oil, where a declaration is enough, tyres require a certificate, confirmed by the EAC mark.
A certificate is issued by an accredited body on the basis of sample tests, whereas a declaration is drawn up by the applicant on its own evidence. Because tyres require a certificate, its authenticity can be checked by number in the unified EAEU register. For agricultural tyres (tractors, combines, trailed equipment) the assessment procedure and standards are determined separately and are clarified for the specific model.
In a documented import we arrange both the TR CU 018/2011 certification and the “Honest Sign” labelling as part of the service; the buyer receives a lot that is ready for sale.
Documented import or cargo: one question decides
A documented import means import in the name of the buyer’s company or a contract holder, a customs declaration, closing documents with VAT, TR CU 018 certification and “Honest Sign” labelling. It is the only option if the tyres will be sold through a shop, a tyre-fitting chain or a marketplace.
All-in cargo from Europe via Belarus takes 5–7 days at €5–7 per kg, but without import documents in the buyer’s name, without certification and without labelling. That rules it out for resale; it only works for a company’s own fleet or a service centre fitting tyres to its own vehicles.
The key question is simple: will the lot be sold to an end customer or stay within the company? Selling to other companies — fleets or workshops — under a supply contract is still a sale, so labelling and certification apply in full. The scheme is fixed at customs clearance and cannot be changed retroactively after release, so any doubt should be settled before the goods arrive at the warehouse.
Freight: car tyres are bulky, farm and truck tyres are heavy
Car tyres are light but take up a lot of space, so it pays to consolidate them: on pallets through our Warsaw warehouse or by sea via Rotterdam (LCL from €200 per place or from €500 per euro-pallet, about 2 weeks including the port schedule).
Agricultural and truck tyres are the opposite: a single combine tyre can weigh hundreds of kilograms, and for such lots a dedicated truck almost always beats warehouse consolidation — from €4,500 per trip from any European city, depending on the length of the leg and the number of tyres.
Small lots by road from Germany or the Netherlands: one pallet to Moscow or St Petersburg from €690, three pallets from €1,600. Cargo insurance starts at 0.3% of the declared value.
Example: a new set of tyres for a truck fleet
Take a hypothetical case: a haulier is preparing five tractor units with semi-trailers for winter and wants forty Continental truck tyres for steer and drive axles, to be put on the company’s balance sheet. Volume and weight make cargo uneconomic, and without certification and labelling the tyres cannot legally be fitted to vehicles operating on documents — so a documented import is the only option.
At this volume a dedicated truck makes more sense than consolidation: from €4,500 per trip from Germany, plus TR CU 018/2011 certification and labelling. Forty tyres fill a large part of a standard semi-trailer, so the dedicated truck usually works out cheaper per tyre. For one or two tyres after a puncture, a small lot through Warsaw consolidation would be more sensible: the larger the purchase, the more the calculation favours a dedicated truck and a documented import.
How you get paid
Payment to a tyre supplier in Europe is arranged under an agency agreement: via our partner company in the EU, paying your invoice in euros (from 5%, paid by the buyer), or via a Turkish company where the buyer pays in roubles (from 3%). We can also lodge the EX1 for you, so the export is documented for VAT zero-rating.
Questions and answers
Can a specific size and model be ordered?
Yes. Send brand, model, size, load and speed indices and quantity; we check availability with suppliers and give a lead time.
Will the tyres arrive labelled?
In a documented import, yes: “Honest Sign” labelling and certification are part of the service. With cargo there is no labelling.
Do you ship agricultural tyres?
Yes: Michelin, Continental, Trelleborg, Mitas and other brands for tractors, combines and trailed equipment.
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