Since the full-scale invasion of Russia, cars have been helping Ukrainians defend their country both on the front lines and in the rear. Since there is not enough cars in Ukraine, they have to be brought from abroad. Timely changes to the law allowed vehicles to be imported as humanitarian aid without paying customs fees under a simplified procedure.
The West Auto Hub company together with the NGO "Volyn Brotherhood of St. Volodymyr the Great" successfully delivered and handed over 83 cars for the needs of the Armed Forces. Mostly pickup trucks, minivans, "beads" and specialized equipment: refrigerators, "fast cars", fire trucks. The companyʼs specialists explained what is needed in order to purchase and transfer a car for the needs of our defenders.
Not a car, but humanitarian aid
The first thing to understand is that cars that are handed over to military units when crossing the border are considered humanitarian aid. Therefore, they apply a simplified registration procedure and are exempted from paying any payments.
The basis for this can be a letter from a public or charitable organization, addressed to the heads of the Regional Military Administration and the State Customs Service in the region through which the car will be imported. The military unit, in turn, should contact the organization with an official request letter about the need for a vehicle. And only after that, all the processes related to the purchase, delivery and transfer of the car begin to take place.
How to buy a car for the Armed Forces abroad
The first stage after finding the necessary car will be its purchase and payment. This process is no different from buying a regular car for personal use. In practice, the options may be different, in our case we are talking about a purchase on behalf of a Ukrainian organization — a public or charitable foundation. This allows you to receive an invoice, buy currency and transfer funds to the seller by bank transfer.
After paying for the car, you will receive a sales contract or invoice from the seller, as well as registration documents for the car.
If a foreign charitable organization or foundation decides to donate a vehicle as a humanitarian aid, instead of an invoice for the car, they issue a letter about the free transfer of the car to a public organization in Ukraine or directly to a military unit.
If you plan to deliver the car yourself, you need to take care of the availability of temporary license plates and insurance. If the car will be transported by a car carrier, it is not necessary to do this.
Also, in order to cross the border, it is necessary to prepare a special declaration for the export of humanitarian aid from the territory of the European Union and obtain an ID number. It can be prepared by, among others, a Polish customs broker. For this, he needs to provide data on the humanitarian cargo, in our case, a car heading to Ukraine.
How to transport across the border and clear customs
The car, which is registered as humanitarian aid, must cross the border in a dedicated lane, bypassing the queue of commercial cargo. However, it often depends on the infrastructure of the checkpoints on the EU side and the practice that has developed there.
In any case, the chances of not "hanging" in the queue at the border will be only for those who issue the correct package of documents. If the vehicle will be exported not as humanitarian aid, but as a car for personal use, it is useless to hope for an extraordinary crossing of the border.
After processing the export on the European side of the checkpoint, you need to declare the car in Ukraine. This happens according to a simplified procedure directly at the checkpoint, although it requires simple preliminary formalities.
The driver who will cross the border by car or transport it must fill out a declaration on the list of goods recognized as humanitarian aid. This can be done online in a personal account on the website of the State Customs Service or a specially created service of the State Humanitarian Aid System.
After filling out the form, you will receive a special code. This unique electronic identifier must be provided to the Ukrainian customs officer already at the checkpoint. It is also necessary to provide all documents (letters and appeals) to confirm the purpose of importation and to identify the recipient of humanitarian aid (car).
A copy of the simplified customs declaration should be sent to the bank that made the transfer of funds abroad, to confirm the import of the goods paid for. Otherwise, there may be problems during the state financial control of the enterprise or organization.
How to get car license plates for the ZSU
After crossing the border, the car must receive Ukrainian license plates. A temporary registration procedure is provided for cars imported as humanitarian aid. If the car was imported by a public organization or a charitable foundation, they must apply to any Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Current legislation allows to register such a car only temporarily. Perhaps, after the end of martial law, lawmakers will develop a procedure for the "legalization" of such cars in Ukraine on a permanent basis.
For temporary registration of a car imported as humanitarian aid, the following are required:
- the original of the customs declaration issued during the importation of the car at the checkpoint;
- an application from a public organization about the need for temporary registration of a vehicle;
- foreign registration certificate;
- sales contract (or bill, gift, etc.);
- documents confirming the authority of the representative of the organization.
If a public organization or charitable foundation registers a car for the first time, the Service Center will additionally ask to provide statutory documents, as well as information about the management.
When handing over a vehicle, it is necessary to draw up an Act of acceptance and handover between a public organization and a military unit. This document, together with the temporary registration certificate, will be the basis for the use of the car by the military unit, as well as confirmation that the humanitarian aid is used as intended.
If the recipient of humanitarian aid (car) is directly a military unit, it will handle its departmental registration.
Trust only verified organizations
If you are not able to bring a car for the army yourself, but want to use the services of intermediaries or simply help financially, you can contact companies or organizations engaged in volunteer activities. However, in order not to get caught by fraudsters, trust only verified organizations.
For example, West Auto Hub established a humanitarian mission together with the Volyn Brotherhood of St. Volodymyr the Great. " We are a car company. Therefore, providing the Armed Forces of Ukraine with transport is our superpower ," says director Yuliya Rykovska, " without the help of those who care, it would be impossible. In order for the defenders to receive cars as soon as possible, join the fundraiser.
