The World Customs Organization’s (WCO) 7th edition Harmonized System (HS) brought sweeping changes to how importers determine and assign Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes to many of their products.
The Harmonized System (HS) is revised every 5 years, and HS 2022, which is the seventh edition of the Harmonized System Nomenclature, became effective 1 January 2022. The new version of the Harmonized System Nomenclature is available for free on WCO’s database platform www.wcotradetools.org
What changes have been made in HS 2022?
The new HS 2022 edition introduces some major changes with a total of 351 sets of amendments covering a wide range of goods. HS 2022 recognises new product streams and addresses environmental and social issues of global concern. Here are some examples:
• Electrical and electronic waste (e-waste): HS 2022 includes specific provisions for its classification to assist countries in their work under the Basel Convention.
• Nicotine-based products and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, also known as drones): New provisions shall simplify the classification of these products.
• Smartphones: They gain their own subheadings.
• Glass fibres and metal-forming machinery: Major reconfigurations have been undertaken.
• Multi-purpose intermediate assemblies: there will be more products classified in their own right, such as flat-panel display modules.
Goods specifically controlled under various Conventions have also been updated and many new subheadings have been created for dual-use goods. Changes have also been made to put a greater focus on health and safety. We shall update your library with us and deal with the changes seamlessly. This note by way of information, but also by way of preparing you for changes you may note in the codes we apply.
Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.