Valentin Grabko, Chairman of the State Customs Committee of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, informed the PMR President on the activities of Pridnestrovian customs authorities from January to October of this year. A significant decline in trade turnover was noted. Imports fell by 19%, and exports by 22%. Accordingly, negative trends were observed in customs duty collection, down 11% compared to the same period last year. Nevertheless, the fiscal function is being fulfilled: as of the end of October, the annual budget deduction plan was 86% fulfilled, with 677 million rubles contributed to the state treasury. The policy of providing incentives in this area to support businesses and individuals remains in place despite the difficulties. The total amount of incentives is 138 million rubles.
In accordance with previous instructions of Vadim Krasnoselsky, efforts to improve the regulatory framework in the customs sector have been intensified. Monitoring was conducted to identify and resolve legal conflicts, discrepancies, and legal gaps. Based on the findings, for example, amendments were made to the Law "On Licensing Certain Types of Activities," eliminating ambiguities in the interpretation of provisions governing the license renewal procedure and the amount of fees. The State Customs Committee initiated some detailed amendments to the Law "On the Road Fund". Work continued to clarify the procedure for the movement of goods by individuals. The declaration process for goods for personal use delivered by customs carriers was simplified.
Another presidential instruction received following the State Customs Committee of the PMR activities in 2024 was to strengthen digitalization. The "Electronic Customs" information and software product is being improved. The launch of the archival service will eliminate the need to resubmit shipping and commercial documents previously submitted with the customs declaration to the customs authority, Valentin Grabko explained. The State Customs Committee has issued over 102500 electronic customs declarations since the beginning of the year. 85% of these electronic customs declarations are registered without inspector intervention, and over 58% are issued automatically. Processing time is less than two minutes (mostly for export declarations).
Regarding the improvement of customs infrastructure, an inspection location has been built at the Rybnitsa Bridge checkpoint, a popular crossing point through which 8000-9000 vehicles pass daily. A public sanitary facility has been commissioned at the Bendery (Causany) checkpoint.
This year, the Tourist Information Guide (in Russian and English) was updated, explaining the rules for duty-free movement of goods and the procedure for importing foreign-registered vehicles. It is published on the official websites of the State Customs Committee and the PMR Tourism Agency. A new service was launched that provides information on vehicle customs clearance using the entered VIN in September. It is available in the "Services" section of the agency's official website. Upon request, users quickly receive information on the vehicle's clearance date in accordance with the release procedure for domestic consumption. This service is useful in situations where it is necessary to clarify the status of a vehicle in the PMR. The Customs Committee continues to expand its communication and feedback capabilities with citizens and the business community. An average of 40 requests are received weekly via the State Customs Committee hotline and the "Online Consultant" service. Due to the service's popularity, the State Customs Committee hotline was expanded to include access via Telegram and Viber this year. Separate hotlines are available for reporting corruption.
At the insistence of Vadim Krasnoselsky, personnel at the Bendery (Chisinau) customs checkpoint were increased this year to increase throughput and expedite customs procedures. Increased attention is being paid to improving the qualifications of customs officers. 27 customs officers completed training at the Tiraspol Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the PMR this year.
