Monitoring of the Federal Legislation dated 12.09.2006

Decision of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 554 of September 8, 2006 on the Endorsement of the Rules of Transportation and Forwarding Activities

Transportation and forwarding activities are implied to be the services of organisation of cargo transportation, conclusion of contracts for cargo transportation, providing for cargo dispatching and reception, as well as other services pertaining to cargo transportation. The Decision defines the list of forwarding documents, procedure for rendering and the quality requirements to transportation and forwarding services.

The forwarding documents include the forwarder order, forwarder slip and the warehouse slip. These documents form an integral part of the forwarding contract, their forms being endorsed by the Ministry of Transport of Russia.

Depending on the nature of transportation and forwarding services, including the international cargo transportation, the parties to the cargo forwarding contract may envisage opportunities of using other forwarding documents.

The client may recall the order to forwarder on any stage of execution of the forwarding contract while reimbursing on the obligatory basis the actually suffered expenses pertaining to execution of the order.

Decision of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 553 of September 8, 2006 on the Amendments to the Decision of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 733 of December 5, 2005

Introduces additional measures to regulate the import of beef, pork and poultry meat for the years 2006-2009. If the state (union of states) supplying beef, pork and poultry meat introduces export restrictions for more than 3 months during the year, or the given commodity is not available in necessary volumes at the markets of these states, the importers may redraw the license for the import of the same commodity from any other supplier state (union of states) in the same amount regardless of the total volume of specified quota. Earlier, such opportunities were envisaged only in cases of unfavourable epizootic situation.

The Decision is entered into force one month after the day of its official publication.

Order of the Federal Customs Service No. 687 of July 21, 2006 on the Endorsement of the Instruction on the Procedure for Handling the Passports Identifying the Citizens of the Russian Federation Abroad and for Going Abroad for Officials of the Customs Bodies Who Have Access to the State Secret and Information of Special Significance or Top Secret Information

Specifies the procedure for going abroad for private matters and for leisure for officials of the customs bodies who have access to the state secret and information of special significance or top secret information.

The mentioned officials shall draw up and get foreign passports independently through the bodies of internal affairs at the place of residence. Going abroad for officials of the customs bodies who have access to the state secret and information of special significance or top secret information for leisure and private matters is permitted through permission of the head of the customs body. The Order defines the procedure for getting the permission and the list of officials of the customs bodies authorised to take decisions on the temporary restriction or permission to exit the Russian Federation for officials of the customs bodies who have access to top secret information.

If the decision on the temporary restriction of the right of exit from the Russian Federation is taken, employees of the customs bodies who have access to the state secret must hand over the foreign passport within five days for storage (until expiry of the specified period of restriction) to the personnel management division of the customs body that have drawn up the access to the state secret and concluded the labour contract.

Registered in the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation on September 6, 2006. Reg. No. 8224.

Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation No. 204 of August 9, 2006 on the Endorsement of the Forms of State Documents of Awarding of Scientific Degrees and Grades to Professors and Assistant Professors

Endorses the forms of state documents: diplomas of the doctor of sciences and candidate of sciences and the certificates of the professor and assistant professor.

The given documents are issued by the Federal Service of Enforcement in the Sphere of Education and Science in confirmation of the awarding of scientific degrees and grades envisaged in the state system of certification of scientific and pedagogical workers.

The mentioned forms of documents are introduced from October 1, 2006.

Registered in the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation on September 6, 2006. Reg. No. 8222.

Order of the Federal Tax Service No. SAE-3-09/518@ of August 10, 2006 on the Endorsement of the Forms of Notifications of the Opening (Closing) of Accounts (Deposits) and of Availability of Accounts in the Banks Outside the Russian Federation

Endorses the form of the notification of the tax bodies by the residents of the opening (closing) of accounts (deposits) opened in the banks outside the Russian Federation. The notification must show all information on the resident, information on the foreign bank where the account will be opened, information on the account. The residents must notify the tax bodies at the place of their registration of the opening (closing) of accounts (deposits) no later than one month after the day of conclusion (discontinuation) of the account (deposit) contract with the foreign bank.

The given forms shall remain in force until January 1, 2007 for accounts opened in foreign currencies in the banks located on the territories of OECD or FATF member states, and after this date - for all accounts opened by residents in the banks outside the Russian Federation.

The Order also endorses the form of the notification of the availability of accounts in the banks outside the Russian Federation opened in compliance with permissions that expired. The resident must notify the tax bodies at the place of his registration of the availability of such account no later than one month after the day of termination of the mentioned permission.

Registered in the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation on September 6, 2006. Reg. No. 8221.

Letter of the Central Bank of Russia No. 08-17/2540 of July 17, 2006 on the Application of the Direction of the Bank of Russia No. 1050-U of November 14, 2001

According to the Bank of Russia, in cash payments between legal entities and independent entrepreneurs and between independent entrepreneurs, the limiting amount of payments in cash must be observed specified in the Russian Federation between legal entities under one transaction. The Direction of the Bank of Russia No. 1050-Y of November 14, 2001 specified the given limiting amount as making Rbl 60,000 under one transaction. Earlier, the Bank of Russia (Letter of the Bank of Russia No. 94-T of March 16, 1999) expressed the opinion that the limiting amount of payments in cash in the Russian Federation between legal entities under one transaction applies to legal entities only, whereas for cash payments involving citizen entrepreneurs, any restrictions are not specified.

Independent entrepreneurs, when they commit operations in cash, are also covered by the procedure of cash operations in the Russian Federation endorsed by the Decision of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Russia No. 40 of September 22, 1993.