Importation of Iron or Steel products into the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has amended sanctions against Russia which will come into effect from October 1st, 2023. In the latest update, the British government have banned the import of iron and steel products that contain Russian origin steel or iron. 

What does this mean?

All imports of products outlined within the regulation the importer must hold evidence of origin of iron and steel content, therefore, you would need to know how the goods were manufactured and the source of the iron or steel raw material.

 The list of products that could be affected are here:

 The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (legislation.gov.uk)

Per above, if iron or steel is imported into the manufacturing country, even if that country is not sanctioned, where the imported product falls under one of the commodity codes listed, then it is prohibited to import the goods into the UK.

How would we know if the imported product is in scope?

The importer must hold evidence to demonstrate that the goods are out of scope of the sanctions, this could include:

• the country of origin of the iron and steel products processed in the third country (or third countries) after the fact
• the date that the iron and steel product left its country of origin
• the country(s) and facility(s) where processing has taken place

 An example of evidence may include, but is not limited to, 

• a Mill Test Certificate (MTC), or 
• Mill Test Certificates (MTCs) where the relevant information cannot be summarised in a single document.

Importers are also advised to include assurances that imports are not of Russian origin in contractual agreements. Therefore, if there is a product that falls under one of the restricted codes, the customs broker will require a letter or other written confirmation that the iron or steel originates from outside of the Russian Federation.

If you have any queries then please reach out to your account manager or EMEA.TradeCompliance@craneww.com