Importing from Ukraine and exporting to Ukraine in 2026
Reviewed:
The autonomous trade measures that liberalised almost all trade with Ukraine from 2022 ended in June 2025. Since 29 October 2025 the revised Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), agreed under its Article 29, applies.
Legal text
Council Regulation (EU) No 692/2014, Article 2
It shall be prohibited: (a) to import into the European Union goods originating in Crimea or Sevastopol; […]
Duties and quotas
Most industrial products originating in Ukraine enter the EU duty-free. Sensitive agricultural products such as wheat, sugar, poultry or honey remain under tariff-rate quotas, now with larger volumes than in the original agreement.
Since 2026 several of these quotas are managed through import licences. Before closing a purchase it is worth checking in TARIC which quota applies and how it is managed. The agreement also includes a safeguard clause and Ukraine's commitment to align its production standards with the EU by the end of 2028.
Proof of origin
The preferential duty requires a EUR.1 movement certificate issued in Ukraine or an origin declaration on the invoice. An approved exporter can make that declaration and, for consignments up to EUR 6,000, so can any exporter. Without valid proof of origin the standard duty applies, even if the goods are Ukrainian.
Prohibitions and other controls
The EU prohibits imports of goods originating in the areas of Ukraine not controlled by the government: Crimea and Sevastopol since 2014, and the occupied areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson since 2022. Goods of Russian or Belarusian origin remain subject to sanctions even if they travel through Ukraine.
It is also necessary to check whether the product is subject to trade defence measures, such as anti-dumping duties or safeguards, which can be looked up in TARIC by CN code. Food and agricultural products also go through sanitary and phytosanitary border controls.
Logistics
Most traffic moves by road across the EU, by rail, or combined with European ports. A common option is to bring the goods in transit (T1) to Madrid, Barcelona or Valencia, close the transit in an authorised warehouse and clear them there, with no unnecessary transfers.
How we help
We have experience clearing imports from Ukraine: checking proof of origin and trade defence measures, closing T1 transits and clearing in a warehouse under temporary storage or customs warehousing.
We also coordinate exports to Ukraine by road and combined with EU ports.
Ask us about your shipmentOfficial sources
General information, not legal advice. Regulations change often, so always check the current text in the official sources.