Customs rules have been changed again in February of 2000 and now you do not need to declare your money if you have less than $1500 (both for import and for export) and you may freely take a green channel on the border customs area if you do not have other things to declare.
If you have more, than you need to declare them in written form. If you expect that you will have more than $1500 on your way back then your entry customs form has to be stamped. Do not take the green channel in this case and do not leave customs control zone until you have a stamp in your entry customs form. Otherwise you will be able to import only $1500.
The amount above $1500 needs you to have a permission to export it. Since August 1999 there are only two kinds of permissions to export dollars from Russia:
1st one is the STAMPED entry customs form. So don't be ashamed. Make the customs officer (customs officer, not passport officer) stamp your entry declaration form if you expect to have left of more than $1500 on the way back.
Do not put the entry customs form into passport - give it to the officer opened because he probably will not look for it because you have right not to fill in the form if have less than $1500
The 2nd kind of permission to export foreign currency from Russia is a standard receipt from a bank that the money were transferred to you from another country. This receipt needs to have your name and number of your passport to be valid.
If you have more than 50 kilogram of baggage, you may be charged. It is permitted now to bring only 50 kg of baggage with no customs fee. Extra weight may be charged 4 Euro (~4 USD) per kilogram. Previous experience shows that they may exclude weight of empty bags from the total amount, or (in most cases) may even not to charge you at all for extra 10 or 15 kilos. But they have right to charge you and they will, if have time so if you have extra - wait a little until they have a line on customs...
When you're finished with customs and have left the customs control zone - stop for a minute and remove all labels from your bags. It is much better not to have written on them that they belong to a person from A Rich Western Country!
