The Ministry of Industry and Trade partially legalized parallel import in Russia by approving the Decree No. 1532 of 19 April 2022 “On goods admissible for parallel import, that shall not be restricted by art. 1359(6) and 1487 of the Civil Code”1. The list includes well-known brands of cars, home equipment, smartphones, etc.
On 3 June 2022 the Ministry of Industry and Trade issued the Decree No. 22992 amending the original list of goods that shall not be restricted by art. 1359(6) and 1487 of the Russian Civil Code.
In particular, some brands of perfumes and cosmetics (e.g., CeraVe, Kiehl’s, Prada, Mugler) and other products (Siemens, BMW, Lego) have become subject to parallel import and are eligible for import into Russia.
At the same time, a number of brands (Duracell, Merries, Wilo, Synergeric) have been removed from the list, which means that their unauthorised import into Russia is prohibited.
As previously noted, those companies that decided to carry out full-fledged commercial activities in Russia may seek an opportunity to exclude their brands from the parallel import list.
According to Denis Manturov, Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, amendments to the list depend on whether companies keep supplying goods to Russia or refuse to do so.
1
Registered by the Ministry of Justice on 6 May 2022 No. 68421
2
Registered by the Ministry of Justice on 4 July 2022 No. 69129