The World Customs Organization HS 2028 amendments have now been accepted, comprising of 299 sets of changes, resulting in a nomenclature of 1,229 headings and 5,852 subheadings. Compared with the HS 2022 edition, six new headings and 428 new subheadings have been created, while five headings and 172 subheadings have been deleted to reflect evolving trade patterns, technological progress and growing regulatory needs.
Key updates to the HS 2028
- essential supplies used in health emergencies, including ambulances, personal protective equipment, medical ventilators and diagnostic devices.
- major structural changes for vaccines, reclassifying products previously covered by heading 30.02 into two new headings:
- heading 30.07 for vaccines for human medicine, with disease-based subheadings, and
- heading 30.08 for other vaccines, including veterinary vaccines.
- new heading 21.07 for dietary supplements, accompanied by new legal Notes. This amendment resolves long-standing classification challenges at the interface between food and pharmaceutical products, strengthens legal certainty and improves the quality of trade statistics in a rapidly expanding market.
- Environmental protection updates
- Additional updates address societal protection, enforcement priorities and technological change
Next Steps
With the HS 2028 amendments now accepted, the remaining two-year implementation period provides essential time for the WCO and its Members to prepare for entry into force on 1 January 2028, including the development of the Correlation Tables, updates to HS tools and publications, capacity-building activities and national implementation measures. These efforts will support a smooth transition and the effective, uniform application of HS 2028 worldwide.
Please visit this link for more information: https://www.wcoomd.org/en/media/newsroom/2026/january/hs-2028-amendments-adapting-the-harmonized-system-to-global-priorities-and-trade-evolution.aspx