Important Information: New Procedure for Issuing Freight Forwarding Orders from 1 September 2026

From 1 September 2026, due to amendments to the legislation of the Russian Federation, the procedure for issuing freight forwarding documents is changing.

As a general rule, a freight forwarding order from Russian legal entities and individual entrepreneurs must be issued in the form of an electronic document in the format established by the Federal Tax Service of Russia (FTS) and transmitted via an Electronic Transportation Document Information System (IS EPD) operator, with the data forwarded to the State Information System for Electronic Transportation Documents (GIS EPD).

In this regard, when arranging new shipments, CARGO-EXPRESS LLC requests that Russian clients send the Electronic Freight Forwarding Order (EPE) via an IS EPD.

What Will Change for Our Clients

The usual communication procedure with CARGO-EXPRESS managers remains unchanged.

You can still send the following to your manager by email or via other agreed channels:

• a request for a freight quotation;
  
• the invoice and packing list;
  
• cargo details;
  
• shipper and consignee details;
  
• the route and required shipping deadlines;
  
• other documents and instructions required for quotation and shipment arrangements.

However, once the shipment has been agreed upon, the freight forwarding order must be issued in the established electronic format via an IS EPD.

Please Note

A scan of a signed order, or a PDF, Word, or Excel file sent by email, does not replace an Electronic Freight Forwarding Order (EPE). Similarly, sending an order via ordinary accounting EDI as a PDF file or other non-structured document does not replace an EPE.

If your current EDI provider is also an IS EPD operator and supports the electronic Freight Forwarding Order, you can use the relevant service/module of that same provider.

International Shipments

The new procedure applies, among other things, to freight forwarding services for arranging international shipments — both import and export. At the same time, the electronic order format provides for the possibility of specifying a foreign shipper or consignee, including a foreign organisation that does not have a Russian Taxpayer Identification Number (INN). The form of the international transport document issued directly for the relevant type of international carriage does not, in itself, alter the established procedure for issuing a freight forwarding order.

For example, if a Russian organisation instructs CARGO-EXPRESS to arrange an air shipment from China to Russia, the order from the Russian client must be issued electronically via an IS EPD. When issuing it, an EPE must be generated and CARGO-EXPRESS LLC must be specified as the freight forwarder (DO NOT SPECIFY AS THE CARRIER).

Regulatory Framework

The changes are provided for by Federal Law No. 87-FZ of 30 June 2003 "On Freight Forwarding Activity", as amended by Federal Law No. 140-FZ of 7 June 2025.

The format of the electronic freight forwarding order was approved by Order of the Federal Tax Service of Russia No. ED-1-26/277@ of 28 April 2026.

The cases in which freight forwarding documents may be issued on paper are established by Order of the Ministry of Transport of Russia No. 115 of 3 April 2026.

Official information from the Federal Tax Service of Russia on electronic transportation documents.