8806.21 Unmanned aircraft; for remote-controlled flight only, for other than for carriage of passengers, with the maximum take-off weight of not more than 250g
A full HS code. These six digits are what goes on a customs declaration, and they mean the same thing in every country that uses the Harmonized System.
Section XVII, Vehicles & Transport — railway stock, road vehicles, aircraft, ships and transport equipment.
- 88 Chapter Aircraft, spacecraft, and parts thereof
- 06 Heading Unmanned aircraft
- 21 Subheading Unmanned aircraft; for remote-controlled flight only, for other than for carriage of passengers, with the maximum take-off weight of not more than 250g
Chapter 88 covers aircraft, spacecraft, and parts thereof: a relatively small chapter by code count, but high in trade value, and one where many countries grant duty concessions under civil aviation agreements. Classification tip: Aircraft parts imported under the WTO Civil Aircraft Agreement often qualify for duty-free treatment, but only when the end use is genuinely civil aviation: military or dual-use aircraft components can fall outside that concession.
All of chapter 88Other codes under 88.06
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 8806.21? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipment8806.21 FAQ
8806.21 covers unmanned aircraft; for remote-controlled flight only, for other than for carriage of passengers, with the maximum take-off weight of not more than 250g. It sits under heading 88.06 (unmanned aircraft) in chapter 88, Section XVII of the Harmonized System.
It is the international part of it. Six digits are the same in every country that applies the Harmonized System; the importing country then extends them to eight or ten for its own tariff and statistics. Declare 8806.21 plus whatever national digits the destination’s tariff schedule adds to it.
The General Rules of Interpretation, read together with the notes to Section XVII and to chapter 88. 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.