RAIL border crossings between poland and Belarus are complex, made more so because it is the border with the European Union, reports Rotterdam's Railfreight.
Barbara Wojcik, cargo deputy director at transport company Adampol SA, highlighted the difference between operations at the German-Polish border and the Polish-Belarusian one.
'There are no problems on the Polish-German border because there are currently no procedures implemented there. But there are a lot of problems on the Polish-Belarusian border.'
Ms Wojcik underlined that there are four main customs procedures for rail transport between Poland and Belarus. Export customs procedures, import/free circulation procedures, external transit procedures and SMGS railway documents.
When crossing the border between Germany and Poland, shippers only need to provide the CIM consignment note, which proves the conclusion of a transport contract with a railway undertaking.
The first one applies to EU exports with the possibility of having a 0 per cent VAT rate. The customs import procedures assign non-community cargo the status of community goods, she said.
The external transit procedure allows for the movement of goods originating outside of the EU within the union with the suspension of customs duties. Lastly, the SMGS number form is a document valid in the Eurasian Economic Union that allows goods to be moved between the EU and countries involved in the Eurasian Customs Union.
'Lengthy checks carried out at the borders block terminals, inspection possibilities of officers, and as a result, the throughput of these crossings,' said Ms Wojcik.
In addition, shippers often fail to provide an Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number. Without the EORI number, the Adampol SA employee pointed out, exporting or importing goods is not possible.
Shippers are also not always aware of the available options when it comes to transporting goods between EU and non-EU areas.
'There is very little knowledge of the possibilities of using free zones,' she said.
A Free Zone is an enclosed area in the EU where goods from outside the Union can be introduced free of import duty and commercial policy measures. Adampol SA operates one in Malaszewicze as well as one in Gdansk.
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Barbara Wojcik, cargo deputy director at transport company Adampol SA, highlighted the difference between operations at the German-Polish border and the Polish-Belarusian one.
'There are no problems on the Polish-German border because there are currently no procedures implemented there. But there are a lot of problems on the Polish-Belarusian border.'
Ms Wojcik underlined that there are four main customs procedures for rail transport between Poland and Belarus. Export customs procedures, import/free circulation procedures, external transit procedures and SMGS railway documents.
When crossing the border between Germany and Poland, shippers only need to provide the CIM consignment note, which proves the conclusion of a transport contract with a railway undertaking.
The first one applies to EU exports with the possibility of having a 0 per cent VAT rate. The customs import procedures assign non-community cargo the status of community goods, she said.
The external transit procedure allows for the movement of goods originating outside of the EU within the union with the suspension of customs duties. Lastly, the SMGS number form is a document valid in the Eurasian Economic Union that allows goods to be moved between the EU and countries involved in the Eurasian Customs Union.
'Lengthy checks carried out at the borders block terminals, inspection possibilities of officers, and as a result, the throughput of these crossings,' said Ms Wojcik.
In addition, shippers often fail to provide an Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number. Without the EORI number, the Adampol SA employee pointed out, exporting or importing goods is not possible.
Shippers are also not always aware of the available options when it comes to transporting goods between EU and non-EU areas.
'There is very little knowledge of the possibilities of using free zones,' she said.
A Free Zone is an enclosed area in the EU where goods from outside the Union can be introduced free of import duty and commercial policy measures. Adampol SA operates one in Malaszewicze as well as one in Gdansk.
SeaNews Turkey
