HS code (TN VED) · March 7, 2026
How to determine the HS code (TN VED) and not make a mistake at customs
How the code is built, what affects classification, and what a mistake at import means.
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9 min
Most problems with documents in import are created not at customs but at negotiations — when no one is thinking about documents yet. By the time the container has left the port, some decisions are already irreversible. Below is the route in the order in which it must be followed.
Step 0. Before choosing a supplier
The most underestimated stage. Until you know which regulations the product falls under, you know neither the budget, nor the timing, nor what to request from the factory.
- Determine the HS code (TN VED) — the duty, VAT and the need for permit documents depend on it
- Determine the list of applicable regulations from the description of the product, not from the code
- Understand the form of confirmation: a declaration, a certificate or state registration
- Check whether the product falls under mandatory labelling
- Estimate whether destructive tests are needed and how many samples will be required
If at this step it turns out that state registration is needed, not a declaration, the whole plan shifts by months. It is better to find this out before the prepayment. How to determine the applicability of regulations is covered in the article on product lists.
Chinese certificates do not replace our documents
The factory confidently answers “everything of ours is certified” and sends documents of its own system. They have no force on the territory of the Union. They do have a value, but a different one: they show which tests have already been carried out and which standards were applied — this shortens the selection of tests here, but does not cancel the issuing of documents.
Step 1. What to request from the factory before the contract
After payment, the supplier’s interest in correspondence drops sharply. Everything needed is requested at the stage when the supplier is still interested in the deal.
| What to request | Why |
|---|---|
| Full specification: composition, materials, dimensions | Without the composition it is impossible to select the tests |
| Technical diagrams and drawings | Needed for equipment and machinery |
| List of the standards applied | Determines how far the existing test reports can be reused |
| Factory test reports | Reduce the amount of work here |
| Data for labelling: model, manufacturer, address | Will be needed in the documents and on the label |
| Operating manual in the original language | The basis for a translation, not for a retelling |
| Readiness to apply a Russian label at the factory | Cheaper than stickering at a warehouse |
| Consent to receive experts when a series is certified | Otherwise a scheme with analysis of production is impossible |
It makes sense to include the last two items directly in the contract and tie them to payment. The wording “provided on request” does not work in practice.
Step 2. Samples
Testing is carried out here, so the samples must be physically brought in — before the main batch.
- Agree the quantity with the laboratory in advance. Destructive tests consume samples, and different groups of parameters need their own units.
- The sample must be a serial one. A specially made, neat unit is a direct route to an invalid test report.
- Import it lawfully. Samples are cleared as goods with their own documents; for some categories a special procedure for import for testing purposes is provided.
- Allow time. Delivery of samples, testing and possible rework take weeks, and sometimes a repeat cycle.
More on the rules of selection is in a separate article.
Step 3. Who will be the applicant
The moment at which almost all newcomers stumble. A Chinese factory cannot be the applicant. The document is issued to a person registered in the Union: to you as the importer or to a person authorised by the manufacturer.
It follows that:
- Responsibility for the accuracy of the information in the document is yours, not the factory’s
- A serial document will require a contract with the manufacturer
- If the document was issued to another importer, it does not suit you — you need confirmation of the right to sell or your own document
- When the factory changes, the document is reissued, even if the product looks the same
“We already have a declaration” — check whose it is
An intermediary or a previous importer could have issued the document to themselves. Such a document is valid, but has nothing to do with your delivery. It is checked in a minute in the register: look at the applicant, the manufacturer and the list of models.
Step 4. Labelling: at the factory or at the warehouse
Russian-language labelling must be applied before the goods are released into circulation — that is, before sale, not after a request from the platform.
| Printing at the factory | Stickering at the warehouse | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Lower for a print run | Higher, manual labour |
| Quality | The label is part of the packaging | The sticker may peel off |
| Risk of error | The error is replicated across the whole batch | Can be corrected as you go |
| Timing | Requires the layout to be agreed in advance | Delays shipment to the warehouse |
The best option: agree the layout in advance and print at the factory, but be sure to check a trial batch before the print run is launched. The sticker must not cover the mandatory information on the original packaging.
Step 5. Mandatory labelling with codes
If the product falls into a group under mandatory labelling, the codes are applied before the border is crossed. This is a separate system, not connected with conformity confirmation, and it cannot be satisfied with a declaration.
- Codes are ordered in advance and passed to the factory as a file
- Control the print quality on a trial batch: an unreadable code equals an absent one
- The alternative is application at a customs warehouse, but that is additional logistics and time
- Information on the import is submitted to the system during customs clearance
The calendar by product group is in the article on labelling.
Step 6. Customs clearance
By this moment the documents must be ready: their numbers are stated in the declaration for the goods. What is checked at the junction:
- The HS code (TN VED) in the declaration matches the code in the conformity document
- The name of the goods matches the name in the document
- The manufacturer matches
- The document is valid on the date the declaration is submitted
- For the batch scheme — the batch corresponds to the one stated in the document
- The permit documents correspond to the list for this code
A discrepancy on any item means a request for additional information and the cargo standing at a temporary storage warehouse. What to do in a dispute over the code is covered in the article on classification.
How much time to allow
The exact timing depends on the product, but the order of stages and their relative duration are stable.
| Stage | What determines the duration |
|---|---|
| Determining the regulations and the form | Days, if the product is clear |
| Receiving documents from the factory | Depends on its readiness; a frequent point of delay |
| Delivery of samples | Logistics from China |
| Testing | The main part; microbiology and stability take the longest |
| Rework if indicators fail | Return to production, a repeat cycle |
| Issuing and registration | Days if the set of documents is ready |
| State registration instead of a declaration | Months, if applicable |
The most frequent planning error is to count the time from the arrival of the container. You need to count from the date when the product must appear on sale, and go backwards.
Typical traps
- “The factory will do everything.” It will not: it cannot be the applicant, and its documents are not valid here.
- Changing the factory without notice. The range is the same, the manufacturer in the documents is different — the products are without confirmation.
- Extending the range. A new model that is not stated in the document is not covered by it.
- Replacing a material “with a similar one”. For regulations this is a different product.
- Claims on the packaging. “Hypoallergenic”, “microwave-safe”, “medical” — each requires confirmation, and the last one moves the product into another system altogether.
- OEM under your own brand. You need to decide in advance who the manufacturer is and to whom the documents are issued, otherwise someone else’s brand will appear in the declaration on the marketplace.
Checklist before prepayment
- The HS code (TN VED) and the list of regulations are determined
- The form of confirmation is known, and the time for it is allowed
- The specification and technical documentation from the factory are received
- There is an agreement on the samples and their quantity
- It is decided who the applicant is and to whom the documents are issued
- The method of applying the labelling is agreed
- It is checked whether the product falls under mandatory labelling with codes
- The contract includes an obligation to notify of a change of production site and materials
Eight items, each of which costs one letter before the deal and weeks of dispute after it.
Check your product
Describe your product in plain words — the system will show the HS code (TN VED), the applicable regulations and the form of confirmation even before negotiations with the factory. Start the check.
