New car customs clearance rules brought half a million hryvnias to the budget
The change in the preferential import procedure for used cars from the European Union has already brought an additional 516 million UAH in customs payments to the state budget. This result was recorded by the State Customs Service for June–August 2026.
This concerns cars for which importers declare a tariff preference based on European origin. Under certain conditions, such vehicles may be imported without paying import duty, but the right to the benefit must be confirmed, in particular with an EUR.1 certificate.
Previously, the preferential regime could be applied already during customs clearance of the car, even if the verification of the certificate and the origin of the vehicle by the customs authorities of the exporting country was still ongoing. The State Customs Service notes that such a mechanism created opportunities for the use of unreliable documents and unjustified receipt of preferences.
From June 1, 2026, the procedure was changed. Now the tariff benefit for used vehicles from the EU is applied after receiving the results of the EUR.1 certificate verification. The mechanism complies with the rules of the Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin.
According to customs data, in June–August, budget revenues during the clearance of used vehicles originating from the EU were 516 million UAH higher than in the same period of 2025.
At the same time, the State Customs Service reported that, based on the results of checks conducted since June, no forged EUR.1 certificates were found. The agency calls the change in the mechanism part of the work to de-shadow imports and strengthen control over the justification of customs benefits.
For car imports, customs payments remain a significant source of budget revenues. According to the State Customs Service, in August 2026 alone, the import of passenger cars provided about 5.5 billion UAH in customs revenues.
Source: State Customs Service of Ukraine
