Subheading · Chapter 85 · Heading 8517
8517.13: Telephone sets, including smartphones and other telephones: smartphones
Smartphones
Official description Smartphones
8517.13 is the HS subheading for smartphones, under heading 8517 in chapter 85.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 8517 13 00 00 Smartphones Freep/st
Additional duties and import rules
Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.
Additional duties and charges 1
- Additional dutyAdditional duties 35%
- Applies to goods from
- Belarus, Russia
- Legal act
- 2022 No. 376
- Documents
- 9008
Import requirements 5
- Prohibition or restrictionImport prohibition
- Applies to goods from
- North Korea
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/411
- Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
- Applies to goods from
- Belarus, Russia, Ukraine
- Legal act
- 2022 No. 748, S.I. 2022/395
- Documents
- 9024
- 9032
- 9025
- 9009
- 9010
- 9017
- Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
- Applies to goods from
- Syria
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/792
- Import controlImport control on restricted goods and technologies
- Applies to goods from
- Iran, Libya, North Korea, Russia
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/461, S.I. 2019/411, 2020 No. 1665, S.I. 2019/855
- Import controlImport control on luxury goods
- Applies to goods from
- North Korea
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/411
- Documents
- Y945 Travellers' personal effects or goods of a non-commercial nature for travellers' personal use contained in their luggage (Art 10.2 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1509)
- Y946 Goods necessary for the official purposes of diplomatic or consular missions of Member States in the DPRK or international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law, or to the personal effects of their staff (Art 10.3 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1509)
- Y948 Goods other than those described in Annex VIII (Luxury goods) of Reg. (EU) 2017/1509
Preferential rates by country
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| standard rate (no agreement) | — | Free |
| DCTS Comprehensive | Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin and 38 moreAfghanistan, 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") | Free | |
| DCTS Enhanced | Algeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville and 13 moreAlgeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville, Cook Islands, Kyrgyzstan, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Niue, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu | Free |
| CARIFORUM | Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize and 10 moreAntigua & 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 moreAnguilla, 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 |
| DCTS Standard | Indonesia | 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
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 China | £5.7bn | 69.1% | +9.4% |
 Vietnam | £1.2bn | 14.2% | +18.4% |
 India | £829.7m | 10.1% | -34.4% |
 South Korea | £332.3m | 4% | +33.6% |
 United Arab Emirates | £85.7m | 1% | -21.9% |
 Hong Kong SAR China | £26.3m | 0.3% | +2.5% |
 Germany | £18.5m | 0.2% | +9.2% |
 United States | £17.6m | 0.2% | +26.7% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
World trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$399kUS$399k+US$79.5m+US$858.1m+> US$7.1bn
Exports: 195
- China: US$178.3bn
- Vietnam: US$24.4bn
- India: US$21.9bn
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$11.6bn
- Czechia: US$8.1bn
- United States: US$7.1bn
- Netherlands: US$6.1bn
- Saudi Arabia: US$4.3bn
- South Korea: US$3.5bn
- Slovakia: US$3bn
- Germany: US$2.2bn
- Ireland: US$2.1bn
- Italy: US$1.8bn
- Singapore: US$1.6bn
- United Kingdom: US$1.5bn
- Sweden: US$1.4bn
- Hungary: US$1.2bn
- United Arab Emirates: US$993.9m
- Spain: US$957.1m
- Japan: US$858.1m
- Armenia: US$675.1m
- Poland: US$593m
- France: US$567.7m
- Thailand: US$564.6m
- Austria: US$562.9m
- Belgium: US$559.1m
- Malaysia: US$416.1m
- Kazakhstan: US$388.9m
- Indonesia: US$335.9m
- Lithuania: US$312.5m
- Latvia: US$296.7m
- Estonia: US$287m
- Canada: US$284.1m
- Australia: US$233.4m
- Romania: US$214.4m
- Taiwan: US$196.3m
- Greece: US$194.8m
- Macao SAR China: US$162.4m
- Morocco: US$157.8m
- Bulgaria: US$148.6m
- Slovenia: US$145.4m
- Portugal: US$141.7m
- Kuwait: US$129.7m
- Denmark: US$124.2m
- Bahrain: US$108m
- Finland: US$95.6m
- South Africa: US$83.7m
- Switzerland: US$80.3m
- Kyrgyzstan: US$79.5m
- New Zealand: US$79.5m
- Cyprus: US$48.8m
- Panama: US$42m
- Croatia: US$42m
- Norway: US$36.8m
- Dominican Republic: US$27.6m
- Luxembourg: US$26.1m
- Türkiye: US$22.5m
- Mexico: US$16.7m
- Philippines: US$16m
- Serbia: US$16m
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$56.3mUS$56.3m+US$723.6m+US$3bn+> US$8.3bn
Imports: 218
- United States: US$50.6bn
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$33.7bn
- United Arab Emirates: US$22.3bn
- Japan: US$16.9bn
- Germany: US$13.3bn
- Czechia: US$9.8bn
- Netherlands: US$8.3bn
- Canada: US$7.1bn
- United Kingdom: US$7.1bn
- Italy: US$6.9bn
- Saudi Arabia: US$6.8bn
- France: US$5.8bn
- Mexico: US$5.6bn
- Poland: US$4.6bn
- Singapore: US$4.4bn
- Spain: US$4.2bn
- Australia: US$4.1bn
- Thailand: US$4bn
- Russia: US$3.6bn
- Austria: US$3.5bn
- Slovakia: US$3.3bn
- Taiwan: US$3bn
- Sweden: US$2.9bn
- Türkiye: US$2.5bn
- Malaysia: US$2.5bn
- Vietnam: US$2.4bn
- South Korea: US$2.2bn
- Hungary: US$2.2bn
- Belgium: US$2.2bn
- Indonesia: US$1.9bn
- South Africa: US$1.9bn
- Colombia: US$1.7bn
- Switzerland: US$1.6bn
- Pakistan: US$1.6bn
- Romania: US$1.6bn
- Chile: US$1.5bn
- Kuwait: US$1.4bn
- Kazakhstan: US$1.4bn
- Israel: US$1.4bn
- Denmark: US$1.2bn
- Philippines: US$1.2bn
- Paraguay: US$1.2bn
- China: US$1.1bn
- Ukraine: US$1.1bn
- Peru: US$1.1bn
- Norway: US$1.1bn
- Finland: US$965.6m
- Ireland: US$936.7m
- Portugal: US$884.3m
- Greece: US$855m
- Lithuania: US$825.3m
- Armenia: US$804.9m
- Bulgaria: US$757.7m
- Macao SAR China: US$728.2m
- New Zealand: US$723.6m
- Qatar: US$698.5m
- Azerbaijan: US$617.1m
- Ecuador: US$615.8m
- Serbia: US$534.3m
- Estonia: US$503.2m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$178.3bn | 61.1% |
| 2 | Vietnam | US$24.4bn | 8.4% |
| 3 | India | US$21.9bn | 7.5% |
| 4 | Hong Kong SAR China | US$11.6bn | 4% |
| 5 |  Czechia | US$8.1bn | 2.8% |
| 6 | United States | US$7.1bn | 2.4% |
| 7 |  Netherlands | US$6.1bn | 2.1% |
| 8 |  Saudi Arabia | US$4.3bn | 1.5% |
| 9 | South Korea | US$3.5bn | 1.2% |
| 10 |  Slovakia | US$3bn | 1% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$50.6bn | 17.4% |
| 2 | Hong Kong SAR China | US$33.7bn | 11.6% |
| 3 | United Arab Emirates | US$22.3bn | 7.6% |
| 4 |  Japan | US$16.9bn | 5.8% |
| 5 | Germany | US$13.3bn | 4.6% |
| 6 | Czechia | US$9.8bn | 3.3% |
| 7 | Netherlands | US$8.3bn | 2.8% |
| 8 |  Canada | US$7.1bn | 2.4% |
| 9 | United Kingdom | US$7.1bn | 2.4% |
| 10 |  Italy | US$6.9bn | 2.4% |
Recent rule changes mentioning this code
Acts whose text cites this code or its heading. Check the act itself: a code can be cited for reasons other than a change of its duty.
- Import and export controls
FR Doc. 2026-14542 · 91 FR 45516 · Source: federalregister.gov
-
Import and export controls RG 11.07.2026 sayı 33307 · Tebliğ 2020/6 · Source: resmigazete.gov.tr
- Tariff change
FR Doc. 2026-11158 · 91 FR 33854 · Source: federalregister.gov
-
Sanctions · Applies from: CELEX 32026R0506 · Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
Code history
Since 2022; before, these goods were classified under 8517.12.
Subheading 8517.13 is a single line in the UK Global Tariff, where the duty is duty-free.
The EU Combined Nomenclature has one tariff line for subheading 8517.13; the duty is duty-free.
Goods from 174 countries can enter the UK at a preferential rate instead of the standard Free; 174 of them pay no duty at all, for example under DCTS Comprehensive or European Union.
In the UK, additional duty of 35% applies on top of the customs duty to goods from Belarus and Russia.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the UK imported smartphones worth £8.2bn (up 4% on the year before), at an average of £1,100.95 per kg; China supplied 69%, followed by Vietnam.
World trade in smartphones reached US$291.6bn in 2024, down 10.8% on 2023.
China was the largest exporter with 61.1% of the total, ahead of Vietnam.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for telephone sets, including smartphones and other telephones: smartphones?
Telephone sets, including smartphones and other telephones: smartphones fall under HS subheading 8517.13, part of heading 8517, in section XVI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on telephone sets in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8517.13 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 telephone sets in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8517.13 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 telephone sets?
China, with US$178.3bn in 2024 (61.1% of world exports).
Which countries can export smartphones to the UK duty-free?
174 countries pay no duty under a trade agreement or preference scheme, among them partners under DCTS Comprehensive, European Union, DCTS Enhanced. 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.
Is there anti-dumping duty on smartphones?
The UK charges additional duty of 35% on goods from Belarus and Russia. Lower rates apply to the named exporters listed in the measure.
Where does the UK import smartphones from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were China (69%), Vietnam (14%) and India (10%), out of total imports of £8.2bn.
Typical products
Everyday names, not part of the legal text.