HS Code for Mobile Phones: Classification Guide for Importers

If you import mobile phones, the hs code for mobile phones is the line your customs entry, duty calculation and origin claim depend on. The Harmonized System is a multipurpose international product nomenclature developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO), comprising more than 5,000 commodity groups, each identified by a six-digit code, and used by more than 200 countries and economies as a basis for their customs tariffs.¹ For mobile phones, the code turns on what the phone does and how it connects, not on a brand name or a marketing label. This guide covers classification only; the ordering steps are in how to import mobile phones from Bangladesh and inspection points are in the mobile phones quality control checklist.

Quick answer: indicative HS heading (with verify note)

Mobile phones sit in heading 8517, which covers telephone sets, including smartphones and other telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks.² The deciding split inside the heading is between a smartphone and any other telephone for a cellular or other wireless network.

Verify the phone, not the label. For heading 8517, the term smartphones means telephones for cellular networks, equipped with a mobile operating system designed to perform the functions of an automatic data processing machine such as downloading and running multiple applications simultaneously, including third-party applications, and whether or not integrating other features such as digital cameras and navigational aid systems.² A phone that cannot run multiple applications on a mobile operating system in that sense does not meet the smartphone test, even if a seller lists it as a smart phone. Confirm the full national code for each model before filing.

How HS codes are structured (2-4-6 digits)

The Harmonised System is organised in a hierarchical structure by sections, chapters (2 digits), headings (4 digits) and sub-headings (6 digits).³ The current version is HS 2022.³ For mobile phones, the path runs from Chapter 85, electrical machinery and equipment and parts, to heading 8517, then to a six-digit subheading such as 8517.13, and then to a national extension.

Countries use the HS system as the basis for customs tariffs and statistical data, and they further subdivide the six-digit HS product categories into regional or national subheadings.³ The Combined Nomenclature of the European Union uses eight-digit codes.³ Read the 6-digit HS code guide and the harmonized system tariff code explainer for more on the structure, the HS code harmonized system guide for the system as a whole, and the HS codes classification guide for the general method.

Factors that decide the code for mobile phones

The smartphone test comes first. Chapter 85 note 5 defines smartphones as telephones for cellular networks with a mobile operating system that performs the functions of an automatic data processing machine, such as downloading and running multiple applications simultaneously, including third-party applications.² Record the operating system and application capability for each model in the shipment file.

The network decides the next line. Subheading 8517.14 covers other telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks.² A basic cellular handset, a satellite phone handset, and a phone that connects only over another wireless network all sit on this side of the split, provided they are not smartphones. State the network type on the order.

A complete phone and its parts take different lines. The US schedule lists parts of heading 8517 apparatus separately: aerials and aerial reflectors of all kinds, and parts suitable for use with them, at 8517.71, and other parts at 8517.79.² The UK tariff heading page lists the same split, at 8517 7100 00 for aerials and aerial reflectors and 8517 7900 00 for other parts.⁴ Handsets and spare parts need separate lines, even when they travel together.

Other apparatus in heading 8517 is not a phone. Heading 8517 also covers apparatus for the transmission or reception of voice, images or other data, including apparatus for communication in a wired or wireless network, other than transmission or reception apparatus of heading 8443, 8525, 8527 or 8528.² Base stations and switching and routing apparatus sit in this part of the heading, not on the telephone-set lines.

Accessories supplied separately are not part of the phone line. A case, a standalone charger, or a headset shipped as a separate item is classified on its own line, not automatically under 8517.13 or 8517.14. Keep each accessory on a separate invoice line from the handsets.

The exclusions in the heading text matter. Heading 8517 excludes transmission or reception apparatus of heading 8443, 8525, 8527 or 8528.² Test those headings before you settle on 8517 for such a device.

National codes: US HTS, EU CN/TARIC, UK commodity code

United States: HTS, ten digits. The US schedule lists smartphones at 8517.13.00 00 and other telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks at 8517.14.00, with statistical suffixes that split the 8517.14 line further, for example radio telephones designed for installation in motor vehicles and other radio telephones for the public cellular service.² Read the full ten-digit line for each model, including any statistical suffix.

European Union: CN at eight digits, TARIC for measures. The Combined Nomenclature of the European Union is an eight-digit coding system, comprising the HS codes with further EU subdivisions.³ At eight digits, the smartphone line reads 8517 13 00 and the other cellular or wireless telephone line reads 8517 14 00. Read the confirmed line in TARIC for the entry date and for origin Bangladesh, and check the origin rules behind any preference claim.

United Kingdom: commodity code. The UK tariff heading page lists twelve commodities under heading 8517, including smartphones at 8517 1300 00, other telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks at 8517 1400 00, other telephone sets at 8517 1800 00, aerials and aerial reflectors at 8517 7100 00, and other parts at 8517 7900 00.⁴ Take the full ten-digit code from the UK Trade Tariff for your phone and entry date.

How to confirm the code officially

1. Write a precise description: phone type, network type, operating system and application capability, and whether the item is a complete phone, a part, or an accessory.

2. Start from the official tariff for the destination: the USITC HTS, TARIC or the UK Trade Tariff, and read the heading text and chapter notes, including chapter note 5 on smartphones.^{2 4}

3. Check published rulings for similar phones. For the United States, the USITC advises traders to use the Customs Rulings Online Search Service (CROSS), because the correct classification of many items can be found there.⁵

4. For a borderline phone, such as a handset whose operating system capability is unclear, apply for a binding decision before you ship. In the EU, a Binding Tariff Information (BTI) application needs a separate application for each type of product and a detailed description.⁶ In the United Kingdom, a legally binding decision is generally valid for 3 years, through an Advance Tariff Ruling.⁷ In the United States, if the merchandise is not described in any ruling on CROSS, you may request a binding ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).⁵

5. Give your broker the description and the confirmed code for each model, and use the same codes throughout the entry.

Common classification mistakes

Filing every cellular phone as a smartphone. Subheading 8517.13 is limited to telephones for cellular networks that meet the chapter note 5 smartphone definition.² A basic cellular phone that lacks a mobile operating system running multiple applications belongs at 8517.14, not 8517.13.

Filing a smartphone as another phone. A phone with a mobile operating system that downloads and runs multiple applications, including third-party applications, meets the note 5 definition.² File it at 8517.13, not on the residual 8517.14 or 8517.18 lines.

Filing parts on the phone line. Aerials take 8517.71 and other parts take 8517.79 in the US schedule.² Keep parts on their own lines, with their own descriptions.

Copying a code from another country. Only the first six digits are shared worldwide. The EU extends the six digits to eight,³ and the United States and the United Kingdom run to ten digits, with the US 8517.14 line split by statistical suffix.^{2 4}

Using a supplier listing as the classification. A listing that calls a phone a smartphone, a mobile phone, or a feature phone is a sales description, not a tariff decision. Test the phone against chapter note 5 and the heading text, and get a binding decision for a borderline model.^{2 6 7}

Related duties and documents

This guide states no duty rates: the code decides which duty line customs applies, and a rate on the smartphone line does not carry to the other-phone or parts lines. Read the rate beside your confirmed code for your origin and entry date, and check what proof of origin a preference claim requires.

Keep classification separate from other import requirements. A correct HS code does not by itself settle radio, telecom, safety, or marking rules in the destination market, so check those separately for each model. Keep the model description, operating system evidence, network type, confirmed codes, any binding decision and the origin evidence together in the shipment file, with handsets, parts and accessories as separate invoice lines.

FAQs

What is the HS code for mobile phones?

Mobile phones sit in heading 8517. Smartphones take 8517.13, other telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks take 8517.14, and parts take 8517.71 for aerials and 8517.79 for other parts.² Confirm the full national code for each model before filing.

Is the HS code the same in every country?

Only the first six digits are harmonised. Countries further subdivide the six-digit HS product categories into regional or national subheadings, and the EU Combined Nomenclature uses eight-digit codes.³ The United States and the United Kingdom run to ten digits.^{2 4}

How do I confirm the correct code?

Describe each phone, read the heading text and chapter notes in the destination tariff, and check published rulings, such as CROSS for the United States.⁵ For a borderline phone, apply for a binding decision before shipping: a BTI in the EU,⁶ an Advance Tariff Ruling in the United Kingdom,⁷ or a CBP binding ruling in the United States.⁵

What happens if I use the wrong code?

Duty, licensing and quota treatment are worked out from the code on the declaration, so a wrong code brings the wrong treatment. A legally binding decision helps calculate duties, licensing requirements, quotas or other restrictions in advance.⁷

Next steps on Exportain

Browse Bangladeshi suppliers on Exportain, and post a free RFQ at Exportain RFQs with the confirmed codes stated per model. The how to import mobile phones from Bangladesh guide covers ordering steps, and the mobile phones quality control checklist covers inspection points. Exportain is not a party to the goods contract and does not inspect goods, book freight or clear customs.