Russia postpones its 8% diamond export duty: it now starts on 1 March 2027 instead of 1 September 2026

1. What exactly changed

The amendment is narrow, and it is worth reading it correctly. The Russian government did not revisit the rate, the list of stones or the direction of movement — only the date on which the document takes effect was moved. Everything approved in June stays as it was; it simply starts to apply six months later.

In practice this opens a window. Consignments that were being rushed "to make it before 1 September" are no longer up against that deadline: until 1 March 2027 goods leave without the new duty. That is six months to rebuild the contract price, put the paperwork for each parcel in order and agree in advance with your counterparty who absorbs the extra 8%.

The easy mistake here is to relax and come back to the question in February. Six months disappear faster than expected once contract amendments have to travel through legal review on both sides — and cross-border approvals are never a one-week exercise.

2. Who is affected and which stones fall under the rate

The 8% rate is charged on the customs value when several conditions coincide at the same time:

• the stones are natural, unworked or partially worked;
• the weight is from 0.45 to 10.8 carats, or the stones are of special sizes above 10.8 carats;
• the goods are exported outside the EAEU.

If you buy rough or partially worked diamonds from a Russian supplier, this is your shipment: the duty is paid on the Russian side, but it lands in the price you are quoted and in the delivery terms you sign. From spring 2027 expect your supplier to reopen the commercial terms, or to ask you to confirm in writing who carries the export duty.

If you ship other goods into Russia and the CIS, the diamond rate itself does not touch you — but the mechanics do. Rates are tied to precise product characteristics, effective dates get moved, and the payment is fixed at the moment of declaration, not at the moment of the invoice. The same three levers decide whether your consignment clears smoothly or sits at the border while the description is argued over.

The dispute in this case will not be about the rate. It will be about two characteristics — weight and degree of processing — because they decide whether a parcel is dutiable at all. Stones below 0.45 carats are not named in the listed categories, and neither are movements inside the EAEU, but nothing here can rest on a verbal understanding: whatever is declared must be backed by the specification, the sorting lists and the appraisal reports that travel with the goods.

A postponement is not a cancellation. The duty is already approved, so if your shipment is scheduled for spring 2027 or later, the 8% of customs value has to go into the contract price now — not a month before departure.

Rough and partially worked natural diamonds: from 1 March 2027 an 8% export duty applies to stones of 0.45 to 10.8 carats and special sizes above 10.8 carats leaving the EAEU.

3. Before and after: comparison and how the payment is calculated

The rate is ad valorem: it is calculated from the customs value, not from the weight of the stones. Hence the question that comes up most often on foreign-currency contracts — which exchange rate applies to the customs duty. The conversion is made on the date the declaration is registered, so the exact amount is only known when the declaration is filed, not when the contract is signed. On long deals the currency movement can affect the outcome more than the rate itself, and that belongs in your pricing.

The second point is the calculation base. Customs value on export is built under its own rules, and the transaction price is not always equal to it one for one: much depends on how transport and related costs are split in the contract. In other words, your Incoterms choice is not just a logistics detail — it feeds directly into the number the duty is charged on. It is sensible to calculate the payment in advance, before dispatch, as part of customs clearance of the consignment, rather than discovering the discrepancy at the border post.

4. What this means for your shipment

1. Re-run the economics of any deal moving before 1 March 2027. Inside that window there is no duty. If the delivery dates are flexible, there is a case for placing the shipment inside the window.
2. For deals that cross 1 March 2027, put the duty in the contract. Name the party that bears the export duty and align it with your Incoterms. "The parties will settle this separately" does not work on the day of shipment.
3. Prepare the documents that prove weight and degree of processing. Specifications, sorting lists and expert appraisals are what your counterparty's broker will use to show that a parcel does or does not fall into a dutiable category. Send them with the goods, not after a query arrives.
4. Check the classification. The commodity code decides whether the rate applies, and it is the item most often corrected at the border. Expect your buyer in Russia to ask you to confirm the code and the technical description in writing.
5. Fix the currency question early. Establish which exchange rate applies to the customs duty in your deal and build a currency buffer into the price, especially when several months pass between signing and departure.
6. Check the logistics and the timing. The trigger for the rate is the moment of declaration, not the date of the contract or the invoice, so a delayed flight can move a parcel into a different regime. Cargo of this profile normally travels by air, and it is easier to run transport and clearance through a single end-to-end contractor — that way the filing date does not depend on two companies coordinating with each other.
7. Check whether your goods need anything beyond the declaration. For many product groups shipped into Russia and the CIS, the buyer will also ask for conformity documents before the goods can be released — that lead time sits on your side of the schedule, not theirs.

5. Frequently asked questions

Has the duty been cancelled?
No. Its introduction has been postponed: the document takes effect on 1 March 2027 instead of 1 September 2026. The rate, the list of stones and the direction of export are unchanged.

What about parcels leaving this autumn and winter?
Until 1 March 2027 the new rate does not apply. Clearance follows the current rules and there is no extra payment to budget for.

We ship other goods into Russia. Does this news affect us?
Not directly: this is an export rate on natural diamonds. Import duties — on batteries, electronics or anything else you send in — are regulated separately. The mechanism, however, is the same for everyone: the effective date of a decree can be moved, so the current wording should be checked before every declaration.

Which exchange rate applies to the customs duty on a foreign-currency contract?
The foreign-currency value is converted into roubles at the rate on the date the declaration is registered. The payment is therefore fixed at the moment of filing, which is why deferred shipments should be costed with a margin.

Who actually pays this duty — the Russian side or us?
Legally it is paid by the declarant on export from the EAEU. Commercially it is whatever your contract says. If the contract is silent, the discussion happens at the worst possible moment: when the goods are already at the border.

Summary

The 8% export duty on natural diamonds will start to apply on 1 March 2027 — six months later than planned. The conditions are unchanged: unworked and partially worked stones from 0.45 to 10.8 carats and special sizes above 10.8 carats, exported outside the EAEU. For anyone shipping to or from Russia, the window is the useful part: time to revisit contract terms, fix who bears the duty and prepare the documents that prove weight, processing and value. Use it now rather than in February. Request a consultation and we will go through your specific consignment.

Send us your consignment details and we will confirm the classification and calculate the customs payments before the declaration is filed in Russia.

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