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Shipping to Russia under sanctions

What US export controls and UK sanctions let a seller ship to Russia in 2026: the luxury and industrial goods lists, licence policy and buyer screening.

Updated · 7 official sources

Most of what a typical online store sells can't legally be shipped to Russia from the United States or the United Kingdom without a licence, and licences are mostly refused. US export controls require a licence for every item on the Commerce Control List and for long lists of consumer and industrial goods by HS code, including phones, laptops, cosmetics, perfume, handbags, jewelry, alcohol, toys and bicycles. UK trade sanctions prohibit trade in luxury goods and many other categories.

Rules as of 30 October 2026.

Can I ship to Russia from the United States?#

A US seller can ship to Russia only goods that need no export licence, to parties no sanction blocks. The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) requires a licence under section 746.8 of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) for any item with an Export Control Classification Number (ECCN), and for everything on three lists of HS codes.

EAR requirement What needs a licence for Russia
746.8(a)(1) Any item classified under an ECCN on the Commerce Control List
746.8(a)(5), supplement no. 4 Industrial goods listed by HS-6 code
746.8(a)(6), supplement no. 6 Itemized items
746.8(a)(7), supplement no. 5 Luxury goods listed by HS-6 code, some only above a price
746.8(a)(8) Designated business software, such as ERP, CRM and CAD

The lists reach deep into an online catalog. The luxury goods list includes beer, wine and spirits, perfumes, make-up and skin care, handbags and suitcases, jewelry of precious metal and imitation jewelry, laptops, mobile phones and color televisions. Some entries only apply above a price: certain leather footwear and precious-metal wrist watches, for example, are listed when valued at US$300 or more per unit at US wholesale price. The industrial list includes toys and bicycles. Each list covers every longer HTS code that starts with its six digits, plus parts and accessories designed for the listed goods.

How to check a product against the BIS lists

Find the product's six-digit HS code, then search for it in supplement nos. 4, 5 and 6 to part 746 of the EAR. If the code appears, a licence is needed, and where the description carries a price, compare it with the US wholesale price per unit. If the code doesn't appear, check the product isn't classified under an ECCN, and that no party to the order is on a US sanctions or end-user list. BIS also publishes a spreadsheet of the controlled HS-6 codes as a compliance aid; it isn't legally binding. The HS code lookup helps with the first step.

Not everything is listed. Six-digit codes such as cotton T-shirts (6109.10) appear in neither the luxury nor the industrial list, so a product like that needs no licence under those paragraphs. It can still be caught by the end-user rules or by OFAC sanctions on the buyer, which is why screening comes next.

Will BIS grant a licence?#

BIS reviews Russia licence applications under a policy of denial for items caught by the ECCN rule, the foreign direct product rule and the industrial, itemized, luxury and software lists. Some are reviewed case by case instead, including items for health and safety, mainly agricultural or medical humanitarian items, and items for wholly owned subsidiaries of US companies.

Only a few licence exceptions still work for Russia. They include personal baggage (BAG, excluding firearms and ammunition), consumer communication devices (CCD) and medical devices (MED), each with its own conditions, so check those before relying on one.

What do UK sanctions prohibit?#

UK trade sanctions on Russia are set out in Part 5 of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. They apply to everyone in the UK and to all UK persons and companies wherever they are, and a breach is a criminal offence. The schedules define the prohibited goods, with HS codes where they are available.

The goods the UK's trade sanctions cover include luxury goods (Schedule 3A), G7 dependency and further goods (Schedule 3E), critical-industry goods and technology (Schedule 2A), dual-use goods, quantum computing and advanced materials, aviation and space goods, and defense and security goods. The UK also publishes a Common High Priority Items list of electronic and mechanical components found in Russian weapons, divided into tiers, with integrated circuits and other electronic components in the top tiers. All items on it are subject to UK sanctions.

Licences for goods subject to strategic export controls come from the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU), and licences for other sanctioned goods and services from the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI). Beyond that, UK businesses are responsible for their own decisions on trading with Russia. The government warns of a highly unpredictable trading environment, and tells exporters who think goods are at risk of diversion to a sanctioned destination to consider not going ahead.

What about sellers in the EU?#

Sellers established in the EU are bound by the EU's own sanctions on Russia, which aren't covered in detail here. Check the current consolidated EU regulation on EUR-Lex for the goods and parties it restricts before you ship from the EU. The UK government notes that in Northern Ireland, EU sanctions apply to trade in goods with non-EU countries.

Screening a Russia-related order means checking every party, the buyer, the consignee and any intermediary, against sanctions lists, and checking the order for signs of diversion. The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designates Russian individuals and companies, so a product that needs no licence can still be a prohibited sale because of the buyer.

Diversion is the bigger risk for an online store. Goods that can't go to Russia directly are often routed through third countries, and BIS publishes red flag indicators and guidance on identifying transaction parties of diversion risk. An order shipping to a freight forwarder in a neighboring country, from a new customer, for listed products, deserves a closer look.

Run names through the denied party screening tool before you ship, and use border.bot Screen to do it at checkout. A match is a lead to review, not proof.

Tips for sellers asked to ship to Russia#

An order to Russia needs a compliance decision before a shipping decision, and the decision has to cover the product, every party and the route. Work through these checks for each order, in this order, and keep the record: a product that clears one check can still fail the next.

The US export guide covers US export controls more broadly, and the Russia country page has the import data border.bot holds.

Common questions#

Can I legally ship to Russia from the US?#

Only goods that need no export licence, to parties that aren't sanctioned. Anything with an ECCN, and everything on the EAR's industrial, itemized and luxury goods lists, needs a BIS licence, and those are mostly reviewed under a policy of denial.

Are phones and laptops banned from export to Russia?#

From the US they need a BIS licence: mobile phones and laptops are on the EAR's luxury goods list for Russia. License Exception CCD covers some consumer communication devices, with conditions.

Do UK sanctions cover luxury goods for Russia?#

Yes. Luxury goods, as defined in Schedule 3A of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, are among the goods UK trade sanctions on Russia restrict, and breaching UK sanctions is a criminal offence.

What is the Common High Priority Items list?#

A list of electronic and mechanical components found in Russian weapons, such as integrated circuits and RF transceiver modules, divided into tiers. Items on it are subject to UK sanctions, and BIS uses it to guide US exporters.

Sources#