The Russian recycling fee (utilsbor) on imports in 2026

In brief

• ✓The recycling fee is a one-off payment for each vehicle or self-propelled machine; it is not part of duty or VAT and is calculated as a separate line.
• ✓It covers not only cars but also self-propelled machinery: construction and road equipment, loaders, tractors and agricultural machinery.
• ✓Minpromtorg proposed, from 1 April 2026, a single calculation formula for vehicles imported from EAEU countries, with the difference up to the level of direct import charged additionally, and the abolition of simplified clearance for individuals under a customs receipt order. At the date of checking the draft decree had not been signed and remains under inter-ministerial review — Minpromtorg officially denied reports that it took effect on 1 April.
• ✓Since February 2026, where there are no data on 30-minute power, customs laboratories calculate it as peak power × 0.45; as a result hybrids and electric vehicles often lose the preferential rate.
• ✓Reintroducing mandatory ERA-GLONASS emergency call devices on imported cars was discussed from 1 April 2026, but no decision was taken: the existing deferral for individuals has been extended to 31 December 2027.
• ✓For imports from the EAEU without declaration, calculation and payment must be made within five working days of actually crossing the border.

Checked against current regulations on 19 September 2026 — and our sanctions position

Rates, deadlines and lists change — we confirm what applies on the date of dispatch. Many vehicles and machines are subject to EU, UK, Swiss or US export restrictions; we screen HS codes and parties first and handle only goods that are not sanctioned. We do not take part in undervaluation or in routing goods to reduce payments.

What the recycling fee is and what it applies to

The recycling fee is a one-off payment for each vehicle or self-propelled machine imported into or produced in Russia. Its economic purpose is the same as that of the environmental fee — to cover future recycling costs — but the mechanism is different: it is not based on packaging weight but on a base rate multiplied by a coefficient that depends on the type of vehicle, engine capacity or power, and age.

The fee covers cars and trucks, buses, trailers and self-propelled machinery: construction and road equipment, loaders, tractors and agricultural machinery. In practice it arises not only when someone “buys a car abroad”: if an excavator, forklift or tractor is part of an equipment delivery, the fee applies to that item too.

The recycling fee is not included in the calculation of customs duty and VAT and does not appear in them — it is a separate line. That is why estimates made with a duty calculator regularly come out well below the actual amount payable.

Planned change for EAEU-registered vehicles — not yet in force

Until 2026 vehicles first registered in another EAEU country (most often Kyrgyzstan, Armenia or Kazakhstan) could subsequently enter Russia as goods of a union state, with a recycling fee paid at the lower level applicable there. The Russian government has stated its intention to close this gap.

Minpromtorg prepared and published a draft intended to take effect on 1 April 2026: a single calculation formula under which the difference between the amount paid in the EAEU country and the amount payable on direct import into Russia is charged additionally, plus the abolition of simplified clearance for individuals under a customs receipt order (TPO). However, at the end of March 2026 Minpromtorg officially denied reports that the changes would take effect on 1 April, calling them untrue, and at the date of checking the draft is still under inter-ministerial review with no new date announced.

If the draft is adopted, market estimates put the effect as significant: a 20–40% rise in the total cost in the mid-price segment, an additional 250 to 500 thousand roubles or more per car, and a smaller relative increase in the premium segment (about 10–15%) but larger in absolute terms. Until the decree is signed these figures remain a forecast, and the current procedure continues to apply.

The reintroduction of mandatory ERA-GLONASS emergency call devices on imported cars from 1 April 2026 was also discussed — it would add another cost line of roughly 20–35 thousand roubles. That decision has not been taken either: the existing deferral of mandatory installation for individuals has been extended to 31 December 2027.

Hybrids and electric vehicles: the 0.45 coefficient

From 10 February 2026 the way power is determined for hybrids and electric vehicles changed. Previously the calculation was based on 30-minute power, and if that was low the vehicle qualified for the preferential recycling fee rate.

Now, if there are no data on 30-minute power, a formula applies: peak power multiplied by a coefficient of 0.45. In practice the result often exceeds the thresholds for the preference, and the vehicle moves to the commercial rate — the amount changes many times over.

The practical conclusion: documented 30-minute power has become a key document in the deal. Whether it appears in the vehicle documentation directly determines the rate, so the buyer will ask you as the manufacturer or seller to provide it before payment, not after the vehicle arrives.

Why we do not publish a rate table

Recycling fee rates and coefficients have been revised several times a year recently, and changes often take effect within weeks of each other. Any rate table published on a website becomes misleading within a month or two — and a mistake in this line is measured in hundreds of thousands of roubles per unit.

So we deliberately explain the mechanism rather than the figures: what the payment consists of, what affects it and which documents determine the applicable coefficient. The actual amount is calculated for the delivery date under the version in force at that time, and we show the calculation together with duty, VAT, excise and the customs fee.

What to gather before calculating: the type and purpose of the machine, year of manufacture and date of first registration, engine capacity or power (for electric vehicles, documented 30-minute power), and whether the machine is new or used. For self-propelled machinery, data for issuing the self-propelled machine passport are also needed.

What this changes for importers of machinery

First: costing a delivery of vehicles or self-propelled machinery without the recycling fee makes no sense — its share of the total is such that the decision to ship or not cannot be taken without it.

Second: the government has announced its intention to close the price gap for EAEU-registered vehicles, and the change may be introduced without a long transition period, so long-term planning should not assume the current procedure will last.

Third: deadlines. For imports from EAEU countries where the vehicle is not subject to declaration, the fee must be calculated and paid within five working days of actually crossing the border. The payer submits the calculation and supporting documents to customs, which checks it and marks it. Missing this deadline turns a routine operation into a problem with registering the vehicle.

We calculate the recycling fee as part of the full delivery costing — together with logistics, duty, VAT and clearance — so that the buyer has the figure for “machine on site in Russia”, not the cost up to the border.

Key recycling fee changes in 2026

Figures are indicative; an exact calculation is available on request.

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