HS code check

How to check an HS code against sanctions for transit via Russia or Belarus — 3 steps

Whether goods may travel to Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan through Russia is decided by the commodity code, not by the product name. Below is the procedure INFOBETA applies to every shipment; the same three steps take you a minute.

1. Take the code from the invoice

You need the first 6 digits of the HS code — they are identical in the EU, the EAEU and Uzbekistan. If the supplier gives an 8- or 10-digit code, enter it in full; the check compares the relevant part itself. If there is no code, find it by description in LITAR (Lithuanian customs tariff) or the EU TARIC.

2. Enter the code in the form above

The check compares the code at once with the EU transit- and export-ban annexes (Regulation 765/2006 — Annexes XIV, XVIII, XIX, XIVa, Va; Regulation 833/2014 — Annexes VII, XI, XX, XXIII, XXXVII), the Russian (incl. Decree No 1292) and Belarusian (No 240, No 808) counter-lists, the EAEU veterinary and phytosanitary control lists (Decisions 317 and 318) and the dual-use list. Several codes can be entered separated by commas.

3. Read the verdict by route

Green — the northern route via Belarus/Russia is open. Yellow — transit is allowed but a further check is needed: the code is on the export-ban list for RU/BY (customs will require the contract with the consignee in Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan and an end-user declaration), the item may be dual-use, or a register restriction depends on the description of the goods.

Amber — the code is in the Belarusian or Russian restriction registers: transit is possible, but the risk of inspection and detention at the border is higher. Orange — via Latvia only. Red — the northern route is closed; Türkiye and the Caspian or air freight remain. Every result links to LITAR for official verification.

Where to verify yourself in official sources

• Regulation (EU) 833/2014 — consolidated text, Russia annexes
• Regulation (EC) 765/2006 — consolidated text, Belarus annexes
• European Commission Access2Markets — measures by code and country
• LITAR — Lithuanian customs integrated tariff (measures in force today)
• Uzbekistan Customs integrated tariff — import requirements

How this check differs from tariff databases

Tariff databases show measures for one country. Our tool answers the forwarder's question: which route the goods can actually take from Europe to Central Asia — and separates a transit ban (cannot move via RU/BY) from an export ban to RU/BY (may transit, but with end-use documents). The result is for information; the EU regulation texts and customs decisions are legally binding.

What this check covers

The tool compares the commodity code you enter against several official registers at once and shows which of them contains it. You can enter several codes separated by commas; the minimum length checked is four digits.

Sources used

• EU transit prohibitions (Belarus) — Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 as amended up to Regulation (EU) 2026/1846, annexes XIX, XIVa and Va.
• EU transit prohibitions (Russia) — Regulation (EU) No 833/2014, annexes VII, XI, XX and XXXVII. EU export bans to Russia / Belarus (833/2014 annex XXIII, 765/2006 annex XVIII) — transit to Central Asia is allowed, but customs checks the final destination more strictly.
• Belarusian counter-restrictions — Council of Ministers resolutions, including No. 240 and No. 808.
• Russian counter-restrictions — Government resolutions, including No. 1292.
• Veterinary control — Customs Union Commission Decision No. 317.
• Phytosanitary control — Customs Union Commission Decision No. 318.

How to read the result

A match does not mean an automatic ban. It means at least one measure applies to the code and has to be assessed together with the route, the intended use and the final consignee. Every result links to LITAR, the Lithuanian integrated customs tariff, where the measures and legal acts in force today are shown.

We update the database when a new EU sanctions package is issued or the Belarusian and Russian registers change. If a result is unclear, or you are not certain about the exact commodity code, get in touch — the consultation is free.

What you risk by not checking the commodity code

Most problems on the Europe → Central Asia route are not caused by the goods being prohibited to sell, but by their being prohibited to move along the chosen route. Those are two different things, and one commodity code separates them.

Transit is not the same as export

Selling goods to Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan is usually not prohibited at all. But Annex XIX to Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 prohibits precisely transit via Belarus, and Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 prohibits transit via Russia. The cargo is lawful in the country of departure and in the country of arrival, and unlawful in between. That is why the obstacle appears at the border, not at loading or at customs.

The loss grows with the distance already travelled

We collect cargo across all European countries and can file the export declaration either in the sender’s country or in Lithuania. If goods are loaded in Spain or Italy and stopped at the Belarusian border, the return leg runs to several thousand kilometres. Checking before loading costs nothing; checking at the border costs the whole trip.

In a groupage load the risk is shared

Part loads (LTL) to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are our core specialisation. A single trailer carries goods from several or a dozen shippers. One wrong code from one client stops the entire truck — together with everyone whose paperwork was flawless. That is why we check codes before consolidating a load.

Liability stays on the European side

For a breach of EU restrictions, the exporter and the carrier in the European Union are liable, not the consignee in Tashkent or Almaty. The consignee at worst does not receive the goods; the sender faces legal consequences. Clients often learn about this asymmetry too late.

A broad heading misleads in both directions

Prohibitions often apply not to a whole heading but to a narrower subheading. Of all tyres under 4011, for example, the transit restriction covers aviation tyres 4011 30 00. Anyone checking only at four-digit level may turn down a perfectly lawful shipment or, conversely, ship a prohibited subheading. So enter the full ten-digit code: a four-digit code is assessed conservatively — if even part of the group is prohibited, the check shows the stricter answer.

With certificates the problem is time, not cost

In Lithuania the phytosanitary certificate is issued by the State Plant Service through the VATIS system, with a standard lead time of 5 working days. If the need appears on loading day, the shipment stands for a week. A common trap: the certificate may be required not because of the goods but because of the wooden packaging — the pallets nobody counts as cargo.

Frequently asked questions about commodity codes and certificates

Codes our clients ask about most

Click a code and the check runs immediately. These are the commodity groups INFOBETA actually moved from Europe to Central Asia over the recent period.