HS code (TN VED): how to find it for a part and why it matters

The HS code (in Russian-language practice, the TN VED code) is the numeric code of a product in the Commodity Nomenclature of Foreign Economic Activity of Uzbekistan. Customs uses it to decide which duties and taxes to charge, whether a certificate or permit is needed, and whether preferences and restrictions apply. The code is chosen not "by eye" but by rules: by what the product is, what it is made of and what it is for. If the code is disputed, you can send customs a request in advance and get a preliminary classification decision. This decision is binding on the customs authorities.

What the nomenclature is and where it comes from

Under the Customs Code of Uzbekistan (Art. 367), the nomenclature is a systematic list of goods with numeric codes, names, units of measurement and notes. It is based on the Harmonized System (HS) of the World Customs Organization. More than 200 countries use the same system.

The code is built like this. The first six digits are common to all countries that apply the HS. After that comes national detail: Uzbekistan splits the positions deeper, for its own needs. So the same bearing in China and in Uzbekistan will match in the first six digits, but the full code can differ.

The current edition of the Uzbek nomenclature was approved by Presidential Resolution No. PP-181 of 14.05.2025. The list is revised following the HS, which is updated about once every five or six years. A code that fitted a few years ago should be rechecked.

Why everything depends on the code

Under Art. 367 of the Code, the nomenclature is applied for tariff and non-tariff regulation. In plain words:

There are no duty rates in this article, on purpose. They change, and they cannot be stated without checking them on the day of import.

How the code is chosen for a part

Classification follows the general rules for the interpretation of the nomenclature and the notes to sections and chapters (Art. 369 of the Code). The HS explanatory notes are used as help. For machine parts there is an important rule of its own, Note 2 to Section XVI of the HS. It decides where a machine part goes, in three steps:

1. If the part has its own heading in chapters 84 or 85, it is classified there. A bearing, an electric motor, a pump, a valve each have their own heading. A bearing for a machine tool stays a bearing, not a "part of a machine tool".
2. If the part has no heading of its own, but is suitable only or mainly for a certain kind of machine, it is classified with those machines, as their part.
3. All other parts go to the general headings for parts.

There are also exclusions from the whole section. For example, drive and conveyor belts of plastic or rubber and many rubber articles for machines are not classified in Section XVI at all: they go to the chapters for plastics and rubber. A rubber belt for a machine tool is not a "machine part" in the customs sense.

The practical conclusion: to choose a code you need to know the same things about the part as for the order, namely what it is, what it is made of, what machine it is for and how it works. Photos, a passport and a drawing help here too.

Who determines the code

The code is stated by the declarant in the customs declaration. Usually this is done by a customs broker. Customs checks it. If during clearance it finds a mistake, then under Art. 369 of the Code it classifies the goods itself and issues a classification decision. Such a decision is binding, but it can be appealed in the established procedure.

To keep a dispute from happening at the border, when the cargo is already standing, it is better to discuss the code before shipment.

Preliminary decision: when to ask for it

A preliminary classification decision is customs' answer to your request before import: what code this product has. The procedure is described in chapter 52 of the Customs Code (Art. 370–374).

What to know:

• The decision is binding on the customs authorities (Art. 370).
• What to attach. The full commercial and brand name, the main technical specifications and other information that allows the goods to be classified unambiguously. If needed, photos, pictures, drawings and product passports (Art. 371). A request from an organization is signed by its head.
• How long it is valid. One year from the day it is issued, unless the decision has been changed, withdrawn or annulled (Art. 372).
• When it can be annulled. If it was issued on incomplete or untrue information from the applicant (Art. 373). So the goods must be described accurately.

The time limit for considering a request is also set by Art. 371. Check it against the current edition of the Code.

When a preliminary decision makes sense:

• the goods are imported regularly, and a mistake in the code would repeat in every lot;
• a preference or a certificate depends on the code;
• the goods are complex: an assembled unit, a dual-purpose part, a machine with several functions;
• brokers name different codes.

For a one-off standard part whose code is obvious, it is usually an unnecessary step.

What not to do

• Do not take the code from the Chinese invoice as final. The first six digits may match, the full code will not. Also, the Chinese exporter picks the code under its own rules, not Uzbek ones.
• Do not rely on Russian reference books for the EAEU nomenclature. Uzbekistan is not in the EAEU, and it has its own nomenclature and its own rates.
• Do not pick the code "to fit a rate". If the description of the goods in the documents differs from the goods themselves, customs will reclassify them on its own.

How we do it

• We prepare the description of the goods for choosing the code together with the order: name, purpose, material, specifications from the plant.
• We prepare the HS code, the certification and the declaration, together with the invoice and the packing list.
• If the code is disputed or a preference depends on it, we tell you before shipment, not at customs.