Sanctions on Russian iron and steel
From October 2023, the UK and EU are introducing sanctions on Russian iron and steel. Find out how this affects you as an importer in the UK, or exporter to the EU, in this article.
Which goods are affected by the sanctions on Russian iron and steel?
However, checking that your goods are not classified as Russia-originating is not enough as the sanctions on Russian iron and steel also cover processing to avoid circumnavigation. In other words, your processed articles of iron and steel must not have been manufactured using Russian iron and steel – regardless of the new origin or preferential origin that the processing has resulted in.
For example, Russian steel that is manufactured into steel rods in India may have Indian origin, but will contain Russia-originating steel and will be prohibited from import into the UK. Even if the rods are processed further into wire in a third county and the commodity code or origin changes again, there is still Russian steel involved in the supply chain and this is prohibited.
Proving origin as an importer of iron and steel goods
For semi-finished products, your MTC must contain:
– The name of the production facility.
– The country associated with the smelting of the materials.
– At least the first six digits of the commodity code.
For finished products, you will also need to include details of processing:
– The name of the facility and country where goods were rolled, coated, welded, pierced, extruded, or otherwise processed, as well as details of the processing completed.
It is important that you do your due diligence with suppliers if you are importing products of iron and steel into the UK.
UK exporters to the EU, you also need to beware!
Need customs clearance on goods that aren’t affected by sanctions on Russian iron and steel?
Universal Customs Clearance provides import and export customs clearance at all major UK ports. If your goods aren’t illegal due to the sanctions on Russian iron and steel, contact us for more information.