Subheading · Chapter 49 · Heading 4902

4902.90

4902.90: Newspapers, journals and periodicals, whether: other

Newspapers and periodicals (other)

Official description Other

4902.90 is the HS subheading for newspapers and periodicals (other), under heading 4902 in chapter 49.

What you pay

Importing into UK

Customs duty Free standard rate depends on the country of origin
Additional duties and charges — Import requirements: 1
VAT 0.00 % import VAT
Duty calculatorCalculate duty and taxes →

Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff

UK lines →
  1. 4902 90 00 00 Other Free

Additional duties and import rules

Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.

Import requirements 1

  • Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
    Applies to goods from
    Iraq, Ukraine
    Legal act
    S.I. 2020/707, S.I. 2022/395
    Documents
    • 9009
    • 9010
    • 9017

Preferential rates by country

Agreement or schemeCountriesRate
standard rate (no agreement)—Free
DCTS Comprehensive
Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin and 38 more

Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo - Kinshasa, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia

Free
European Union (including code "EU")
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia and 23 more

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden

Free
CARIFORUM
Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize and 10 more

Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago

Free
OCTs (Overseas Countries and Territories)
Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands and 7 more

Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands, St Helena, Turks & Caicos Islands

Free
Central America Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama Free
SADC EPA Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia Free
Eastern and Southern Africa States Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe Free
CPTPP Brunei, Malaysia Free
UK–Andorra agreement Andorra Free
UK–Albania agreement Albania Free
UK–Australia agreement Australia Free
UK–Canada agreement Canada Free
UK–Switzerland agreement Switzerland Free
UK–Côte d’Ivoire agreement Côte d’Ivoire Free
UK–Chile agreement Chile Free
UK–Cameroon agreement Cameroon Free
UK–Colombia agreement Colombia Free
UK–Ceuta & Melilla agreement Ceuta & Melilla Free
UK–Ecuador agreement Ecuador Free
UK–Egypt agreement Egypt Free
UK–Fiji agreement Fiji Free
UK–Faroe Islands agreement Faroe Islands Free
UK–Georgia agreement Georgia Free
UK–Ghana agreement Ghana Free
UK–Israel agreement Israel Free
UK–India agreement India Free
UK–Iceland agreement Iceland Free
UK–Jordan agreement Jordan Free
UK–Japan agreement Japan Free
UK–Kenya agreement Kenya Free
UK–South Korea agreement South Korea Free
UK–Lebanon agreement Lebanon Free
UK–Liechtenstein agreement Liechtenstein Free
UK–Morocco agreement Morocco Free
UK–Moldova agreement Moldova Free
UK–North Macedonia agreement North Macedonia Free
UK–Mexico agreement Mexico Free
UK–Norway agreement Norway Free
UK–New Zealand agreement New Zealand Free
UK–Peru agreement Peru Free
UK–Papua New Guinea agreement Papua New Guinea Free
UK–Palestinian Territories agreement Palestinian Territories Free
UK–Serbia agreement Serbia Free
UK–Solomon Islands agreement Solomon Islands Free
UK–Singapore agreement Singapore Free
UK–San Marino agreement San Marino Free
UK–Tunisia agreement Tunisia Free
UK–Türkiye agreement Türkiye Free
UK–Ukraine agreement Ukraine Free
UK–Vietnam agreement Vietnam Free
UK–Samoa agreement Samoa Free
UK–Kosovo agreement Kosovo Free
UK–South Africa agreement South Africa Free

UK: imports by month

last 12 months£42m+23% · previous 12 months
Average import price£2.35 per kg
Jan 2024: £3.2mFeb 2024: £3.8mMar 2024: £3.7mApr 2024: £4.2mMay 2024: £7.2mJun 2024: £4.3mJul 2024: £3.4mAug 2024: £3.2mSept 2024: £2.3mOct 2024: £3.3mNov 2024: £2.5mDec 2024: £3mJan 2025: £3.2mFeb 2025: £2.2mMar 2025: £2.9mApr 2025: £3.2mMay 2025: £3.1mJun 2025: £2.5mJul 2025: £3mAug 2025: £3mSept 2025: £4.1mOct 2025: £3.5mNov 2025: £3.9mDec 2025: £3.2mJan 2026: £3.3mFeb 2026: £3.2mMar 2026: £4.3mApr 2026: £3.7mMay 2026: £3.7mJun 2026: £3.6mJul 2026: £2.9mAug 2026: £2.7m 202420252026
Data up to August 2026 (provisional) · Monthly data: Eurostat Comext (CC BY 4.0), HMRC (OGL v3.0)

Main suppliers, last 12 months

CountryValueShareChange
Poland £9.7m 23.1% +181.1%
United States £6.7m 16% -15.8%
Germany £6.2m 14.7% -15.2%
Ireland £4m 9.5% +2.1%
Italy £3.7m 8.7% +14.4%
Romania £2.1m 5.1% +5.5%
Latvia £1.8m 4.3% +40.9%
Belgium £1.6m 3.8% +442.9%

Same subheading in other tariffs

World trade in 2024

4902.90 · US$2bn

Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$27kUS$27k+US$943k+US$13m+> US$146m

Exports: 206
  1. United Kingdom: US$308m
  2. Germany: US$299m
  3. United States: US$296m
  4. France: US$212m
  5. Poland: US$188m
  6. Belgium: US$146m
  7. Italy: US$112m
  8. Spain: US$102m
  9. Netherlands: US$61m
  10. Czechia: US$57m
  11. Canada: US$42m
  12. Romania: US$37m
  13. Denmark: US$24m
  14. Sweden: US$19m
  15. Slovakia: US$16m
  16. Latvia: US$15m
  17. China: US$15m
  18. Lithuania: US$14m
  19. Japan: US$13m
  20. Estonia: US$13m
  21. Ireland: US$12m
  22. Singapore: US$10m
  23. Croatia: US$10m
  24. Serbia: US$10m
  25. Austria: US$10m
  26. Hungary: US$10m
  27. Australia: US$9m
  28. South Africa: US$7m
  29. Switzerland: US$6m
  30. South Korea: US$5m
  31. Hong Kong SAR China: US$5m
  32. Portugal: US$4m
  33. Slovenia: US$4m
  34. Greece: US$3m
  35. Russia: US$3m
  36. Colombia: US$3m
  37. Luxembourg: US$3m
  38. Finland: US$3m
  39. Mexico: US$2m
  40. Norway: US$2m
  41. Bosnia & Herzegovina: US$2m
  42. Brazil: US$2m
  43. Taiwan: US$1m
  44. Egypt: US$1m
  45. Bulgaria: US$1m
  46. India: US$943k
  47. Israel: US$882k
  48. Türkiye: US$870k
  49. Argentina: US$807k
  50. Indonesia: US$611k
  51. United Arab Emirates: US$572k
  52. North Macedonia: US$554k
  53. Montenegro: US$522k
  54. Peru: US$510k
  55. New Zealand: US$427k
  56. Macao SAR China: US$415k
  57. Ecuador: US$411k
  58. Malaysia: US$361k
  59. Guatemala: US$280k
  60. El Salvador: US$275k

Top exporters

RankCountryValueShare
1 United Kingdom US$308m 14.5%
2 Germany US$299m 14.1%
3 United States US$296m 13.9%
4 France US$212m 10%
5 Poland US$188m 8.8%
6 Belgium US$146m 6.8%
7 Italy US$112m 5.3%
8 Spain US$102m 4.8%
9 Netherlands US$61m 2.9%
10 Czechia US$57m 2.7%

Top importers

RankCountryValueShare
1 Germany US$280m 13.2%
2 Canada US$248m 11.7%
3 Netherlands US$168m 7.9%
4 United States US$148m 7%
5 France US$134m 6.3%
6 Switzerland US$134m 6.3%
7 Belgium US$125m 5.9%
8 Austria US$121m 5.7%
9 Australia US$89m 4.2%
10 United Kingdom US$65m 3%

The UK Global Tariff has one tariff line for subheading 4902.90; the duty is duty-free.

Subheading 4902.90 is a single line in the EU Combined Nomenclature, where the duty is duty-free.

156 countries pay no duty in the UK thanks to trade agreements and preference schemes such as DCTS Comprehensive and European Union, against a standard rate of Free.

Imports of newspapers and periodicals (other) into the UK came to £42m between September 2025 and August 2026 (up 23% on the year before); Poland supplied 23%, followed by United States.

In 2024, countries exported newspapers and periodicals (other) worth US$2bn (−2.4% year on year).

The largest exporter was the United Kingdom (US$308m), followed by Germany.

Questions and answers

What is the HS code for newspapers, journals and periodicals, whether: other?

Newspapers, journals and periodicals, whether: other fall under HS subheading 4902.90, part of heading 4902, in section X of the Harmonized System.

What is the import duty on newspapers, journals and periodicals in the UK?

Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 4902.90 from countries without a preferential agreement are free of duty. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.

What is the import duty on newspapers, journals and periodicals in the EU?

Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 4902.90 from countries without a preferential agreement are free of duty. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.

Which country exports the most newspapers, journals and periodicals?

The United Kingdom, with US$308m in 2024 (14.5% of world exports).

Which countries can export newspapers and periodicals (other) to the UK duty-free?

156 countries pay no duty under a trade agreement or preference scheme, among them partners under DCTS Comprehensive, European Union, CARIFORUM. The goods must meet the agreement’s rules of origin and the importer needs proof of origin; otherwise the standard rate of Free applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.

Where does the UK import newspapers and periodicals (other) from?

In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Poland (23%), United States (16%) and Germany (15%), out of total imports of £42m.