We stumbled over problems: small companies have difficulty importing goods from the EAEU

Russian small and medium-sized companies have faced problems with procurement within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Izvestia found out. The confirmation system for waiting for delivery of goods (SPOT) has been in operation since June. The business is obliged to send information about the delivery to the Federal Tax Service, make a security payment and receive a QR code, which the counterparty will then show at the border. The transport can be deployed without it. However, the codes are often not loaded, business organizations said. As a result, supplies may even be disrupted. Is the new order capable of reducing shadow turnover or are these new barriers for SMEs — in the Izvestia article.

What has changed in supplies within the EAEU

Since June 1, 2026, the authorities have introduced a new procedure for importing goods from the EAEU countries using cars. Now companies that purchase products from the Union states must inform about the upcoming delivery through the information system of the Federal Tax Service and make a security payment before crossing the border. In fact, this is an advance payment that importers transfer to the budget in advance. It serves as a guarantee for the payment of future import VAT and excise taxes. The applicant estimates taxes in advance for the upcoming delivery and pays an amount not lower than this amount.

After that, a QR code is generated, which is transmitted to the counterparty from the EAEU country, and it actually becomes a digital pass for the car. If it is not available or the data on the cargo differs from the document on the upcoming delivery (DPP), then the car may simply not be allowed. As stated on the FTS website, this system is needed to increase control over the import of goods from the EAEU countries (Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan).

The largest taxpayers, participants in tax monitoring, and authorized economic operators are not required to make a security payment. So the innovations turned into problems mainly for SMEs. Izvestia studied their complaints in the tax service chat.

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One of the most common problems is that the payments made are not displayed in the personal account, which is why it is not possible to generate a QR code. Other difficulties include problems with access to your personal account.

In particular, entrepreneur Boris wrote that he had transferred a security payment for the details from the sole proprietor in the amount of 22%. It was displayed in the personal account, but then the system froze, so it was impossible to generate documents and a QR code. At the same time, "tomorrow there should be loading and dispatch" of goods. As the businessman told Izvestia, the problem was later solved.

When a new document was issued, the system worked and sent a message. However, the first one is still "hanging" in his personal account, he said. The entered documents cannot be deleted or edited.

At the same time, there are complaints from other entrepreneurs. The chat reported: "The company has made a security payment, but there is no transfer in the taxpayer's personal account"; "It is impossible to log into the SPOT service with a login/ password pair from the individual entrepreneur account. I personally have written countless calls to tech support over the past week — zero reaction!"; "They threw money at the SPOT, but on May 29, the reserve for DPP was canceled until July 1. What should I do now?! So they won't write off the money? And now how do I pay the VAT on the delivery for June?".

The problems were also confirmed in business associations. Sometimes cars are not allowed through customs due to the fact that the QR code is not readable, said Alexey Khizhnyak, member of the expert council of the New Formation SME, GR Director of the Mikhailov and Partners Group of companies. He noted that in the FTS chat, problems are solved manually, but not always promptly.

— It also happens that everything is done, the data is entered, but the QR code has not arrived. The manual mode is also activated here," he continued.

According to him, in some cases it is necessary to update the DPP in order to get a new code, and for this you have to make a security payment again. This means wasted time, additional costs, and money freezes (and supplies can be very expensive). However, the Federal Tax Service is trying to meet them halfway, he added.

The system is operating normally, the Federal Tax Service does not confirm massive problems with the formation of codes, the press service of the department told Izvestia. Since June 1, 2026, the SPOT operator has processed more than 377 thousand. documents on the upcoming delivery of goods that have been transferred to the Federal Customs Service for their verification at the border of the Russian Federation, they noted.

At the same time, isolated errors on the part of individual taxpayers are recorded when filling out documents, the tax service added. There is round-the-clock individual support for them. The Federal Tax Service is also in constant interaction with business associations, explaining the nuances and informing about the most common mistakes, they added. The tax service informs applicants in advance about the technical work, when the formation of a QR code may take additional time.

"All requests related to non—critical errors in filling out, as well as during the maintenance period, are processed before the scheduled date of import of goods into the territory of the Russian Federation, which avoids supply disruptions," the Federal Tax Service noted.

Why did they introduce a new system?

The new system threatens operational difficulties for businesses, because each delivery requires a separate DOPPLER and QR code, said customs lawyer Yuri Kosolapov. According to him, because of this, an additional burden falls on the operating divisions of the companies. You need to send the QR code to the carrier on time and make no mistake, otherwise the goods will not reach Russia. This in itself will lead to significant costs.

In addition, it is difficult and time-consuming to refund money from the budget after a failed delivery (a desk tax audit lasts up to three months). That is, these funds are actually withdrawn from the business for a long time, he noted. According to the lawyer, all this can lead to delays in deliveries.

The CCI also noted earlier that the new order "creates additional financial and administrative barriers for businesses." And the Eurasian Economic Commission stated that advance SPOT payments are becoming an obstacle for companies from the EAEU, increasing the financial burden on Russian organizations and discriminating against suppliers from other countries.

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How will this affect business and the speed of cargo passage?

In the first month of operation of the new system, 15.3 thousand importers issued 158 thousand DPP, reflecting a turnover of 267.9 billion rubles in June. In the coming months, it is planned to launch the Q&A service, generate documents using a template, and integrate with taxpayers' systems using the API. The Federal Tax Service also promised not to rush into administrative responsibility yet in order to give the business time to figure out the system.

Additional revenues to the federal budget from the introduction of SPOT — due to the suppression of "gray" schemes — can range from 50 billion rubles in 2026, 100 billion in 2027, and up to 150 billion starting in 2028. This was stated in the financial and economic justification of the bill.

In general, the new system should also reduce the shadow sector. This was the purpose of introducing a package of bills and developing technology that the government's financial and economic unit is implementing with the active participation of business. But the effectiveness of this mechanism will become visible at least after the first year of operation, said Alexey Khizhnyak from the New Formation.

— In theory, such systems reduce unaccounted-for imports and reduce opportunities for tax evasion. But there is an important caveat: the non-sanctioned EAEU countries have become hubs of Russian trade with the outside world. Including for shipments involving sanctions risks. Excessive control can further reduce the availability of such goods," believes Alexander Firanchuk, a leading researcher at the International Laboratory for Foreign Trade Research at the Presidential Academy.

According to him, the freezing of working capital, transport downtime and the risks of supply disruptions increase costs, which with some delay are included in the final price. It is necessary to combat counterfeiting, but it is important to maintain a balance between the effectiveness of control and the availability of imports.