On 15 September 2021, the World Customs Organization (WCO) announced that the new version of the Harmonized System (HS) Nomenclature would enter into force on 01 January 2022 but is already available for free on WCO’s database platform - www.wcotradetools.org.
The WCO Trade Tools is the new online database that encompasses the last five editions of the HS and functionalities to support international trade actors in the classification of goods and the determination of the corresponding Customs taxes and tariffs. The platform offers a single point of access to the Harmonized System, preferential Rules of Origin and Valuation, through a completely new, user-centric and ergonomic interface.
Accessible, free of charge, as of today on WCO Trade Tools, this 2022 edition introduces significant changes with more than 350 new entries covering a wide range of goods. It’s revised every five years to reflect the ever-changing trading practices and several high-profile product categories were added and given greater visibility, such as edible insects, drones and e-waste.
Explanatory Notes (EN) and Classification Opinions will be published by the end of 2021 and will be readable online through subscription. Subscriptions and printed versions can be purchased on www.wcoomdpublications.org.
Developed by the WCO and adopted in 1983, this is the Seventh Edition of this global standard, used by over 200 countries and Economic or Customs Unions, including the 160 Contracting Parties to the HS Convention, for classifying goods in international trade. Over 98% of merchandise in international trade is classified in terms of the HS.