17.10.2026 Regulation #Russia #Import #Duties

Russia sets tech fee rates for laptops and phones from 1 December

Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade has approved the list of goods and the rates of the technological fee on laptops, smartphones and other telephone sets. Order No. 5366 of 13 October 2026 was published on the official legal information portal on 15 October 2026 and takes effect on 1 December 2026. The same document approves the methodology for determining the fee.

Goods and rates on the list

Rates are set in roubles per unit. Each product type has three: a base rate, a reduced rate (if the state labelling system holds the trademark and model at the moment the goods are notified as put into circulation) and a higher rate (if it does not). The list follows the text of the order; the rates are also reported by Interfax and Alta-Soft:

How the rate is calculated

Under the methodology approved by the order, the fee equals the base rate multiplied by (1 + k), where k is minus 0.33 if the labelling system holds the trademark and model and plus 0.33 if it does not; the result is rounded to the nearest rouble. The base rate itself is the median of the average customs values of the product type imported into Russia in 2025 (rounded to hundreds of roubles), multiplied by the Bank of Russia's target inflation rate. Izvestia describes the same mechanism in simpler terms: for goods recorded in the labelling system the fee is 33% lower.

Who pays and the cap

The fee was introduced by amendments of November 2025 to the law "On Industrial Policy in the Russian Federation"; the order is issued under Articles 3 and 6 of that law. According to Interfax, the payment goes to the federal budget in connection with the import into Russia, or production in Russia, of electronic components and industrial products containing them. According to Izvestia, payers are legal entities and sole proprietors, and by law a single payment may not exceed RUB 5,000.

The ministry, as reported by Izvestia, estimates revenue from the fee at RUB 136 billion over six years. The funds are earmarked for developing the electronics and radio-electronics industry.

What this means for importers

From 1 December 2026 the fee will be charged per unit of the listed goods. The gap between the reduced and higher rates is almost twofold: RUB 500 versus RUB 992 for a laptop, so whether trademark and model data are present in the labelling system directly affects the amount due. The rate is tied to the ten-digit HS code, and within heading 8517 it varies tenfold between subheadings. Payment procedure and deadlines are not covered by the order itself, which contains only the list, the rates and the methodology.

Primary sources

Mentioned codes

8471 8517

This material is for information only and does not constitute legal advice or customs consulting. Verify changes against the primary sources before acting.