Requirements and documents for import to Ukraine

A decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated October 10, 2020 introduced a single window mechanism, list of documents for import in Ukraine and new procedures for interaction between customs authorities and Ukrainian importers when moving freight vehicles across the Ukrainian border.

An electronic record has been created for interaction between importers and customs authorities, which contains information entered by companies, customs authorities, regulatory authorities and an automated customs clearance system. The electronic record includes information and import documents for official control measures and preliminary documentary control, information about the regulatory and customs authorities who carried out these control measures.

The Ukrainian government has made significant procedural improvements aimed at simplifying the requirements and documents for imports in Ukraine. Despite this, many foreign companies exporting goods to Ukraine note the slow work of bureaucratic procedures, a significant amount of mandatory import documents required by the State Customs Service of Ukraine, as well as frequently changing customs clearance procedures. For this reason, many companies entrust customs clearance in Ukraine to customs brokers.

We are ready to provide you with the consultation and service of a customs broker as part of our package of services.

The customs authorities of Ukraine classify imported goods based on the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union and the Harmonized System. Depending on the product customs code in the Ukrainian classification of goods for foreign economic activity, some goods may be subject to sanitary-epidemiological, phytosanitary, environmental or veterinary control, may be prohibited from import or subject to prior approval. A complete list of goods import documents and import restrictions is available on the website of the State Customs.

The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine issues an approval for obtaining an import license for products that require such approval. The issuance of a license may or may not be automatic, this procedure is regulated by a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

The State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection (SSUFPP) carries out a number of state control functions:

  1. State Inspection of Ukraine for the Protection of Consumer Rights.
  2. State Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service of Ukraine.
  3. Functions of state control over compliance with:
    • state supervision in the field of tourism and resorts;
    • protection of consumer rights in relation to goods made of precious metals and precious stones;
    • control over the observance of rights to plant varieties in seed and plant growing by legal entities.

The list of goods subject to licensing for import and export is updated annually. The current list of such products is posted in the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 1329 “On approval of the List of goods subject to import and export licensing” and the corresponding quotas for 2021 dated December 28, 2020.

The list of products subject to licensing includes:

  • pharmaceuticals
  • cosmetic products
  • paints and varnishes
  • dyes
  • solvents
  • silicone
  • means for pedicure and manicure
  • shaving sprays and deodorants
  • hygiene products
  • lubricants
  • waxes, shoe polish
  • conditioners, humidifiers
  • refrigerators and freezers,
  • insecticides
  • fungicides
  • herbicides and plant growth regulators
  • fire extinguishers and chemicals with which they are filled – – fire extinguishers;
  • other selected industrial chemicals.

Most of the import licenses in Ukraine are issued through the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, regional and city administrations. Other import permits and licenses are issued by other agencies.

A complete list of Ukrainian agencies that issue licenses for doing business in Ukraine can be found on the website of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Some of them:

  • National Commission for State Regulation of Communications and Informatization (NCSRCI) – electronic devices and emitters;
  • State Service of Ukraine for Medicines and Medicines Control – medicine and pharmaceuticals;
  • Ministry of the Interior – sporting weapons and self-defense items;
  • Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine – ozone-depleting chemicals, including repellents, paint solvents, fire extinguishers and refills, oil sprays, air conditioners and refrigeration equipment, refrigerator vending machines; agrochemicals contained in sprays; and pharmaceutical products, cosmetics and hygiene products contained in sprays;
  • Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry – agrochemicals, seeds, veterinary drugs;
  • Ministry of Health – pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and hygiene products.

The customs clearance procedure takes place in specially designated areas. The main document for import in Ukraine is the customs declaration. The declaration is filled out by a customs broker who acts on behalf of the importer or personally by the registered importer.

The necessary documents for import in Ukraine are listed in Article 335 of the Customs Code of Ukraine.

Documents for the import into Ukraine of goods transported by road:

  • documents for the car. The documents must contain information about the state in which the car is registered;
  • transport documents – international consignment note;
  • if postal services are available – documents specified by the Universal Postal Union are required to accompany international postal items;
  • commercial documents (if any) for the transported cargo. Commercial documents must contain the name and address of the sender, seller, recipient of the goods, the name of the country of departure and country of destination of the goods, the address of the carrier’s registration, the name of the goods, data on the type of packaging and the number of packages, gross weight (in kg) or the volume of goods (in cubic meters). m), with the exception of bulky cargo.

Documents for goods moving on water:

  • declaring goods;
  • crew personal belongings declaration;
  • declaration of supplies (ship’s stores);
  • general declaration;
  • information about the crew, including names, citizenship, etc .;
  • list of passengers;
  • documents determined by the Universal Postal Union to accompany international postal items (subject to the availability of postal services);
  • transport documents for goods, containing, in particular, information on the total number of goods, the number of packages, description of goods, type of packaging;
  • commercial documents (if any) for products and information on the placement of products on board;
  • Information on the presence (absence) of goods on board the ships, the import of which into Ukraine is prohibited or limited, including currency values ​​available to the crew, medicines, including narcotic, potent, psychotropic and poisonous substances;
  • Information about the presence (absence) of dangerous goods, weapons and ammunition on board.

Documents for the import of goods transported by air into Ukraine:

  • information about the cargo, air waybill. These are documents containing information about the goods on board;
  • general declaration – a standard transportation document provided for by the current international agreements in the field of civil aviation;
  • transport documents;
  • a document containing information about onboard supplies loaded on and off board;
  • commercial documents for the transported goods, if the carrier has such;
  • if postal services are available, documents specified by the Universal Postal Union are required to accompany international postal items;
  • information on the number of crew members, as well as the name of the organization, company, or institution that operates the ship;
  • flight number, flight route, point of departure and arrival, data on registration and national marks of the vessel;
  • a list of passengers with their names and initials, numbers on the ship, points of disembarkation and embarkation;
  • information about the baggage of passengers according to the list;
  • information on the presence on board of goods, the import of which into Ukraine is restricted or prohibited;
  • information on the presence of dangerous goods, weapons and ammunition on board.
  • air waybill containing the name of the goods, the number of places for each consignment, the place of loading and unloading of goods;

For goods transported by rail:

  • transport documents;
  • commercial documents (if any) for the transported goods.
  • transfer roll of railway rolling stock;
  • a document confirming the availability of consumables;
  • if postal services are available, documents specified by the Universal Postal Union are required to accompany international postal items;

Documents for import to Ukraine, which confirm compliance with the prohibitions and restrictions of Ukrainian legislation, must be submitted in paper or electronic form to the customs authorities of Ukraine at checkpoints. Documents must be provided regardless of the type of transportation. Commercial documents for import such as invoice must be submitted along with the customs declaration.

The Customs Code of Ukraine requires the indication of the following information in the customs declaration:

  • foreign trade agreement (contract) or other documents confirming the right to own, use and / or dispose of goods;
  • documents confirming the powers of the person filing the customs declaration;
  • commercial documents available to the filing person;
  • transport documents;
  • documents confirming compliance with the restrictions associated with the use of protective, anti-dumping and countervailing measures (if there are such restrictions);
  • if necessary, documents confirming compliance with non-tariff regulation of foreign economic activity;
  • if necessary, documents confirming the country of origin;
  • in some cases, documents confirming the payment and / or security for the payment of customs duties;
  • if applicable, documents confirming full or partial exemption from customs duties in accordance with the selected customs regime, the right to benefits in the payment of customs duties;
  • if any – documents confirming the change in the timing of payment of customs duties;
  • imported products are subject to radiological control, which in most cases is carried out at customs.
  • a certificate of origin is submitted along with a package of documents for import in case of application of preferential rates of customs duties, when certain quantitative restrictions are applied on the movement of goods across the customs border of Ukraine, and if this is required by international treaties or Ukrainian legislation.

In the Customs Code of Ukraine, article 49, the customs value of goods is the value of goods used for customs purposes, based on the price payable for the goods or actually paid. The customs value includes the value of goods, transportation and insurance costs. Licensing fees and royalties may also be included in the customs value. The Customs Code establishes one main and several secondary methods for calculating the customs value of imported goods. The main method for calculating the customs value of goods imported into Ukraine in accordance with Article 57 of the Customs Code of Ukraine is the contract price (the price of a transaction with imported goods). The Customs Code establishes the need to submit a complete list of documents for calculating the customs value of imported products.