As traders will be aware, the product scope remains subject to change, and the DBT has confirmed that planning and additional measures will remain under review. 

The government use national and international trade statistics to support the planning as part of a suite of evidence to monitor the effectiveness of UK controls and continue to tweak the controls to tighten restrictions on the Russian economy further. 

Keeping up with the changes is challenging but essential if a UK business is to remain compliant.

Background and Round-up of Related Controls – TimeLine

On 25^th March 2022, the UK introduced measures in the form of duties on goods imported from Russia and Belarus. A link to these original measures is below:

Additional duties of 35 percentage points to an initial package of goods originating in Russia and Belarus.

Other measures were introduced in June 2022, followed by a further update on 20^th July 2022, where additional 35% duties were applied to specific goods originating in Russia and Belarus

Update of controls from June 2022 – Link below:

other duties of 35 percentage points to a further package of goods originating in Russia and Belarus.

Update published 20^th July 2022 - Link below:

additional duties of 35 percentage points to a third package of goods originating in Russia and Belarus.

On 1^st January 2023, the UK introduced an additional package of duties for selected goods.

This was a limited package to ensure that Russia would not be able to benefit in any manner from the wider tariff measures the government had introduced earlier. 

There is a further update to measures to follow on December 4^th, 2023.

This planned update in December will comprise a limited package of measures to ensure that Russia and Belarus cannot benefit from Most Favoured Nation tariff treatment on further products.

Check the current, complete list of Russian and Belarusian goods on which additional duties are planned or in force:

Additional duties on Russian and Belarusian import product lists  (ODT, 44.2 KB).

Exemption from additional duties – TimeLine

There is an exemption for goods originating in Russia and Belarus that have completed export formalities and left the Russian and Belarusian territories before the published dates below:

• 25^th March 2022 (for products affected by additional duties from this date)
• 1^st June 2022 (for products affected by additional duties from this date)
• 20^th July 2022 (for products affected by additional duties from this date)
• 1^st January 2023 (for products affected by additional duties from this date)

The authorities will announce any exemptions relating to future packages of goods measures in due course.

Evidencing your exemption from additional duties

Updates have been made to HMRC’s border declarations systems:

• Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF)
• the Customs Declaration Service (CDS)

These updates ensure traders can declare where their goods are eligible for the exemption for goods on route to the UK. This will directly affect the calculation of duty liability.

Depending on when additional duties were applied, a UK business will need to provide evidence that goods for import had completed their export formalities and left Russia or Belarus before:

• 25^th March 2022
• 1^st June 2022
• 20^th July 2022
• 1^st January 2023

Appropriate commercial evidence to qualify for this exemption may include but is not limited to:

• A bill of lading or equivalent commercial documentation evidencing that goods have left Russia or Belarus, or
• Documents evidencing that goods have entered other countries’ customs procedures or territories

For Information - Trade measures to support Ukraine

Zero-rated tariffs relating to imports from Ukraine were announced on April 25^th, 2022, under the UK-Ukraine free trade agreement (FTA) conditions – link below:

Zero-rate tariffs and zero-rate quotas will apply to all goods imported from Ukraine.