49.07 Unused postage, revenue or similar stamps of current or new issue in the country in which they have, or will have, a recognised face value; stamp-impressed paper; cheque forms; banknotes, stock, share or bond certificates and the like of similar title
One level above the number you declare. Pick one of the six-digit codes below.
Section X, Pulp, Paper & Print — wood pulp, paper, paperboard, printed books and newspapers.
- 49 Chapter Printed books, newspapers, pictures and other products of the printing industry; manuscripts, typescripts and plans
- 07 Heading Unused postage, revenue or similar stamps of current or new issue in the country in which they have, or will have, a recognised face value; stamp-impressed paper; cheque forms; banknotes, stock, share or bond certificates and the like of similar title
- —— Subheading Pick one of the 1 six-digit codes below
Chapter 49 covers printed books, newspapers, pictures and other products of the printing industry; manuscripts, typescripts and plans. Many countries admit printed books duty-free under long-standing trade agreements aimed at supporting literacy and the free flow of information. Classification tip: Duty-free treatment for books typically applies to books and printed matter specifically, not to related items like calendars, diaries or advertising material, which have their own subheadings and duty rates.
All of chapter 49The 1 six-digit code under 49.07
One of these is the number you declare.
Other headings in chapter 49
The wording above is the Harmonized System nomenclature as published by the World Customs Organization, HS 2022 edition. It is a classification reference, not a tariff: it carries no duty rates, and it stops at six digits — the importing country adds its own beyond that.
Classification is decided by the General Rules of Interpretation and the section and chapter notes, and it is the importing country’s customs authority that makes it binding.
Shipping goods under 49.07? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipment49.07 FAQ
Heading 49.07 covers unused postage, revenue or similar stamps of current or new issue in the country in which they have, or will have, a recognised face value; stamp-impressed paper; cheque forms; banknotes, stock, share or bond certificates and the like of similar title. It is part of chapter 49 (printed books, newspapers, pictures and other products of the printing industry; manuscripts, typescripts and plans), and it is subdivided into 1 six-digit subheadings — the level you actually declare.
Pick one of the 1 subheadings below. Those six digits are what customs recognises internationally; the importing country may extend them to eight or ten in its own tariff schedule.
The General Rules of Interpretation, read together with the notes to Section X and to chapter 49. A description that reads right is not enough on its own — the notes routinely pull goods out of the chapter they obviously belong to and put them somewhere else. Where duty or licensing turns on the answer, ask the importing country’s customs authority for a binding ruling.
A wrong or missing code is one of the common reasons customs holds a container, and a hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving. Watch for it in the container tracking app, on the air waybill in the air cargo tracker, or through the tracking API.