Ukraine is beginning to implement mandatory IMEI declaration for mobile phones upon import; the relevant order has already been signed by the Ministry of Finance, according to Artem Shevchenko, CEO of “Citrus.”
“In my view, this is the most important decision for the Ukrainian mobile phone market in recent years. The order has already been signed by the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine and registered by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. This means that the decision has already been made and the practical implementation phase is beginning,” he said on LinkedIn.
Shevchenko added that, according to estimates by the Bureau of Economic Security (BES), this change in regulations could generate over 5 billion UAH in additional revenue for the state budget annually and significantly reduce opportunities for “gray market” smartphone imports. The “Citrus” team actively participated in consultations with the EBS regarding this initiative, discussing the technical aspects of implementation and mechanisms that will help make the new system as effective as possible.
Until now, the IMEI was not specified during customs clearance, which meant the state was unable to track the path of a specific mobile phone from the moment of its import to its sale to the end consumer.
“Now the foundation for such a system has been laid. The first stage is mandatory IMEI declaration upon import. The next step should be to include the IMEI on the fiscal receipt. The BEB is already working on this mechanism in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine and the State Tax Service of Ukraine. In effect, this means that every mobile phone will have a traceable path from the moment it crosses the border until it is sold. “Once this mechanism is fully implemented, the legal sale of mobile phones without a match between the IMEI declared at the time of import and the IMEI indicated on the fiscal receipt will become virtually impossible,” Shevchenko said.
