Updated commodity codes in the EU for 2021

New commodity codes to come into effect in January 2021

Each year, the European Commission publishes an updated list of commodity codes for the identification of goods when dealing with customs or reporting intracommunity transactions. Businesses should keep the updated list handy to make sure they are using the correct codes on their customs declarations and Intrastat returns. Any changes will be applicable from 1 January 2021.

Updates to the commodity codes

Important updates in 2021 include changes to the following CN chapters: 5, 28, 44, and 85. In some cases, the commodity codes in these chapters changed entirely. The digits of other CN codes remained the same, while the description of what was covered under each code was updated.

Next steps for businesses

Businesses that have crossed certain thresholds for intracommunity transactions will need to submit Intrastat returns. They will have to report the goods in these transactions with the correct commodity codes on their returns. Likewise, businesses that are importing or exporting their goods should be certain to double-check if the updates will affect their reporting on customs documents.