WCO announces updates to global customs codes to facilitate vaccination programmes and enhance preparedness for health emergencies

• Eight edition of the 'universal language of trade', used for identifying and coding merchandise being traded internationally has been released.
• Two major changes come in the expanded identification of key vaccines and health emergency supplies stemming from lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Increased accuracy of trade data for purposes such as modelling and forecasting, supply chain management, price indices, and market identification are key benefits for governments.

The World Customs Organization has today published a major update of the Harmonized System - the international classification of goods that gives every traded product a standardized code. Managed by the WCO, the HS is used by more than 200 countries and economies as a basis for their Customs tariffs and for the collection of international trade statistics. The changes, which will come into effect on 1 January 2028, to allow time for national adaption, mark the conclusion of six years of technical work carried out by the WCO's 187 Members. These additions in the HS will provide visibility to products critical to health programmes and emergency response, enabling faster Customs clearance and ease of identification.

The HS facilitates visibility of trade in vaccines

Vaccine production is today concentrated in a few countries, making trade a vital means for deploying vaccines globally. The current classification of vaccines for human use in the HS provides insufficient granularity to assess international trade flows and easily implement trade policies for those vaccines. Under the current HS 2022, vaccines are classified under just two subheadings for human and veterinary medicine. This lack of granularity is also often reflected in national tariff levels.

HS 2028 introduces new headings (30.07 & 30.08) and subheadings for vaccines representing significant current or expected trade volumes and addresses priority diseases where immunization is vital. The new structure reflects two dimensions: it distinguishes outbreak-prone diseases from endemic ones, and it aligns with WHO vaccination guidance by covering vaccines recommended for all programmes, for high-risk groups, for programmes with specific characteristics, and for diseases of local or sporadic nature.

WCO Secretary General Ian Saunders, said: "This positive change to the Harmonized System allows for a greater understanding of vaccine availability and opens more opportunities for facilitated clearance of urgently required vaccines and medical equipment. It is a tangible contribution from Customs to global development, the protection of society, and the ability of governments to respond effectively to future urgent demands. As these changes specifically cover vaccines against diseases that pose endemic or pandemic threats, they reflect recognition of the need to be prepared in advance for major risks as well as the positive role Customs can play in protecting the security and welfare of societies."

By enhancing the visibility of these vaccines in the HS, the WCO aims to ensure consistent classification among trading parties and facilitate the implementation of preferential or faster treatment at borders, especially during emergencies. The objective is also to provide policymakers with clearer and more reliable trade data to support the design and implementation of vaccination programmes and emergency plans.

Vaccines for human medicine will be classified in heading 30.07, subdivided into 38 subheadings (six-digit codes) and include vaccines against:

• Measles, rubella, varicella, shingles and mumps;
• Poliomyelitis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis, and Haemophilus influenzae type B;
• Tuberculosis, pneumococcal, rotavirus and human papillomavirus;
• Meningitis, typhoid, cholera, dengue, rabies and malaria;
• Influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and coronaviruses; and,
• Yellow fever, smallpox, Mpox, Ebola, encephalitis, chikungunya and Streptococcus

Besides tuberculosis vaccines of the type Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), a subheading was created for "other tuberculosis vaccines" in anticipation of the production of tuberculosis vaccines for adolescents and adults which are currently under development, with some in advanced clinical trials. Furthermore, another subheading was created for "Streptococcus" vaccines to include another important pipeline vaccine approaching regulatory approval, that against Group B Streptococcus.

This is an exceptional case that the HS includes a good that this is not yet traded but this was considered crucial to enable to monitor whether an important vaccine reached the places it should reach and in the appropriate quantities.

The WCO Harmonized System Committee and its Harmonized System Review Sub-Committee, worked closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) to understand how to best address the need for more clarity on vaccine flows within the structure of the HS and to ensure the changes were administrable at the border.

The HS supports preparedness of health emergencies

During past health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ebola Virus Disease epidemic, governments introduced trade measures for selected imported medical supplies, such as tax exemptions, simplified procedures or fast lane mechanisms. In certain countries, however, some of these goods did not have a specific Customs tariff or statistical code, thus complicating the implementation of these measures.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretariats of the WCO and the WHO prepared the "HS Classification reference for COVID-19 medical supplies " to provide guidance to trade policy officials, businesses and Customs officials as to how to classify these goods for Customs purposes with the ultimate aim to accelerate their clearance. The classification reference list did not have legal status, but was actively used by governments in the development of trade facilitation measures and by trade operators to support accurate classification and the expedited cross-border movement of essential medical supplies.

Based on this document, during the last HS review cycle, a list of essential health goods which did not have enough visibility in the HS 2022 edition was drafted and new subheadings developed for HS 2028. The categories of essential health goods for which new subheadings were created are:

• Ambulances and mobile clinics;
• Protective face shields and protective face masks;
• Body bags of plastics;
• Pulse oximeters and multi-parameter patient monitors;
• Tracheal intubation appliances (including intubation kits) and suction pumps; and.
• Medical ventilators and drop counters.

By enhancing the visibility of these goods in the HS, the WCO is equipping governments and businesses not only to facilitate preferential or faster treatment during emergencies, but also to produce clearer and more reliable trade data to support preparedness plans and resilient supply chain strategies.

With the HS 2028 amendments now accepted, administrations and businesses have approximately two years to prepare for entry into force of the instrument on 1 January 2028.

Notes for editors

A new HS edition is a major event for affected industries, governments, Customs administrations and the WCO. Legislations and international agreements need to be amended, IT systems updated, publications and procedures developed, and training delivered to Customs officials, other government agencies and trade operators. These coordinated efforts are critical to ensuring a smooth transition to HS 2028 and its uniform and effective application worldwide

About the WCO

The World Customs Organization develops international standards, fosters cooperation and builds capacity to facilitate legitimate trade, secure fair revenue collection and protect society, providing leadership, guidance and support to Customs administrations. The WCO, established in 1952 as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC), is an independent intergovernmental body whose mission is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Customs administrations.

Today, the WCO represents 187 Customs administrations across the globe that collectively process approximately 99% of world trade. As the global centre of Customs expertise, the WCO is the only international organization with competence in Customs matters and can rightly call itself the voice of the international Customs community.

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