The Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine has introduced mandatory indication of IMEI of mobile phones in customs declarations during import. According to the agency’s estimates, this will bring the state budget an additional UAH 5 billion per year.
The Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine has introduced mandatory indication of IMEI of mobile phones in customs declarations during import. According to the agency’s estimates, this will bring the state budget an additional UAH 5 billion per year.
This was reported by the director of BEB, Oleksandr Tsyvinsky, on Telegram.
Now, when importing a phone into Ukraine, you must enter its IMEI — a unique device identification number — in the customs declaration. Previously, customs did not ask for this number, so consignments of equipment for «gray» import could cross the border practically without a trace.
BEB coordinated the initiative with the Ministry of Finance and the State Customs Service, and before launching it discussed it with representatives of the largest legal electronics sales networks. The Ministry of Finance has already signed the relevant order, and the Ministry of Justice has carried out its state registration.
According to Tsyvinsky, the new requirement closes the main loophole of «gray» imports — anonymity. «Each phone has its own IMEI — a unique number, like a fingerprint. Until now, no one asked for it at customs,» explained the head of BEB. Now, according to him, each imported phone will be «recorded» at the border, and it will be much more difficult to import a batch without a documentary trace.
As a next step, BEB, together with the Ministry of Finance and the State Tax Service, plans to introduce IMEI indication in fiscal checks as well — the departments are already working on the algorithm for implementing this idea.
