# Customs tariff code 90: OPTICAL, PHOTOGRAPHIC, CINEMATOGRAPHIC, MEASURING, CHECKING, PRECISION, MEDICAL OR…

> Customs tariff code 90 covers OPTICAL, PHOTOGRAPHIC, CINEMATOGRAPHIC, MEASURING, CHECKING, PRECISION, MEDICAL OR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND APPARATUS; PARTS AND ACCESSORIES THEREOF. TARIC holds no third-country duty rate of its own for this code; the rate follows from the declarable commodity code beneath it.

- Source: https://www.zolltarif-finder.de/en/customs-code/90
- Reference data as at: 2026-10-10
- Customs code: 90
- Third-country duty: none at this level
- Declarable: no

## Duty rates and preferences

| Origin | Rate | Basis |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Faroe Islands | 0 % | Tariff preference |
| Melilla | 0 % | Tariff preference |
| Occupied palestinian Territory | 0 % | Tariff preference |
| Andorra | 0 % | Customs Union Duty |
| Türkiye | 0 % | Customs Union Duty |
| San Marino | 0 % | Customs Union Duty |
| EU-Switzerland agreement: re-imported goods | 0 % | Tariff preference |
| GSP-EBA (Special arrangement for the least-developed countries… | 0 % | Tariff preference |
| GSP+ (incentive arrangement for sustainable development and… | 0 % | Tariff preference |
| Moldova, Republic of | 0 % | Tariff preference |
| Ecuador | 0 % | Tariff preference |
| United Kingdom | 0 % | Tariff preference |

## Compliance regimes

- Export licensing applies

## Notes that govern this classification

### Kapitel 90

1. Zu Kapitel 90 gehören nicht: a) Waren von der in Maschinen, Vorrichtungen oder für andere technische Zwecke verwendeten Art, aus Weichkautschuk (Position 4016), aus Leder oder rekonstituiertem Leder (Position 4204) oder aus Spinnstoffen (Position 5911) (RV E9001A00); b) Stützgürtel oder andere Stützvorrichtungen aus Spinnstoffen, deren Wirkung auf den Körperteil, der gestützt oder gehalten werden soll, sich ausschließlich aus ihrer Elastizität herleitet (z. B. …

## Subdivisions of this code

- 9001 Optical fibres and optical fibre bundles; optical fibre cables other than those of heading 8544; sheets and plates of polarising material; lenses (including contact lenses), prisms, mirrors and other optical elements, of any material, unmounted, other than such elements of glass not optically worked
- 9002 Lenses, prisms, mirrors and other optical elements, of any material, mounted, being parts of or fittings for instruments or apparatus, other than such elements of glass not optically worked
- 9003 Frames and mountings for spectacles, goggles or the like, and parts thereof
- 9004 Spectacles, goggles and the like, corrective, protective or other
- 9005 Binoculars, monoculars, other optical telescopes, and mountings therefor; other astronomical instruments and mountings therefor, but not including instruments for radio-astronomy
- 9006 Photographic (other than cinematographic) cameras; photographic flashlight apparatus and flashbulbs other than discharge lamps of heading 8539
- 9007 Cinematographic cameras and projectors, whether or not incorporating sound recording or reproducing apparatus
- 9008 Image projectors, other than cinematographic; photographic (other than cinematographic) enlargers and reducers
- 9010 Apparatus and equipment for photographic (including cinematographic) laboratories, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter; negatoscopes; projection screens
- 9011 Compound optical microscopes, including those for photomicrography, cinephotomicrography or microprojection
- 9012 Microscopes other than optical microscopes; diffraction apparatus
- 9013 Lasers, other than laser diodes; other optical appliances and instruments, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter
- 9014 Direction finding compasses; other navigational instruments and appliances
- 9015 Surveying (including photogrammetrical surveying), hydrographic, oceanographic, hydrological, meteorological or geophysical instruments and appliances, excluding compasses; rangefinders
- 9016 Balances of a sensitivity of 5 cg or better, with or without weights
- 9017 Drawing, marking-out or mathematical calculating instruments (for example, drafting machines, pantographs, protractors, drawing sets, slide rules, disc calculators); instruments for measuring length, for use in the hand (for example, measuring rods and tapes, micrometers, callipers), not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter
- 9018 Instruments and appliances used in medical, surgical, dental or veterinary sciences, including scintigraphic apparatus, other electromedical apparatus and sight-testing instruments
- 9019 Mechano-therapy appliances; massage apparatus; psychological aptitude-testing apparatus; ozone therapy, oxygen therapy, aerosol therapy, artificial respiration or other therapeutic respiration apparatus
- 9020 Other breathing appliances and gas masks, excluding protective masks having neither mechanical parts nor replaceable filters
- 9021 Orthopaedic appliances, including crutches, surgical belts and trusses; splints and other fracture appliances; artificial parts of the body; hearing aids and other appliances which are worn or carried, or implanted in the body, to compensate for a defect or disability
- 9022 Apparatus based on the use of X-rays or of alpha, beta, gamma or other ionising radiation, whether or not for medical, surgical, dental or veterinary uses, including radiography or radiotherapy apparatus, X-ray tubes and other X-ray generators, high tension generators, control panels and desks, screens, examination or treatment tables, chairs and the like
- 9023 Instruments, apparatus and models, designed for demonstrational purposes (for example, in education or exhibitions), unsuitable for other uses
- 9024 Machines and appliances for testing the hardness, strength, compressibility, elasticity or other mechanical properties of materials (for example, metals, wood, textiles, paper, plastics)
- 9025 Hydrometers and similar floating instruments, thermometers, pyrometers, barometers, hygrometers and psychrometers, recording or not, and any combination of these instruments
- 9026 Instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking the flow, level, pressure or other variables of liquids or gases (for example, flow meters, level gauges, manometers, heat meters), excluding instruments and apparatus of heading 9014, 9015, 9028 or 9032
- 9027 Instruments and apparatus for physical or chemical analysis (for example, polarimeters, refractometers, spectrometers, gas or smoke analysis apparatus); instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking viscosity, porosity, expansion, surface tension or the like; instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking quantities of heat, sound or light (including exposure meters); microtomes
- 9028 Gas, liquid or electricity supply or production meters, including calibrating meters therefor
- 9029 Revolution counters, production counters, taximeters, milometers, pedometers and the like; speed indicators and tachometers, other than those of heading 9014 or 9015; stroboscopes
- 9030 Oscilloscopes, spectrum analysers and other instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking electrical quantities, excluding meters of heading 9028; instruments and apparatus for measuring or detecting alpha, beta, gamma, X-ray, cosmic or other ionising radiation
- 9031 Measuring or checking instruments, appliances and machines, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter; profile projectors
- 9032 Automatic regulating or controlling instruments and apparatus
- 9033 Parts and accessories (not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter) for machines, appliances, instruments or apparatus of Chapter 90

## Frequently asked questions

### What does customs tariff code 90 cover?

Code 90 covers OPTICAL, PHOTOGRAPHIC, CINEMATOGRAPHIC, MEASURING, CHECKING, PRECISION, MEDICAL OR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND APPARATUS; PARTS AND ACCESSORIES THEREOF. Classification turns on the material, function, and intended use of the goods, not on their trade name.

### What is the duty rate for 90?

TARIC holds no third-country rate of its own for 90. The rate follows from the declarable commodity code beneath it.

### How many digits does 90 have?

90 has two digits and identifies a Harmonised System chapter. A German import declaration requires the eleven-digit commodity code.

### Is there binding tariff information for 90?

The EBTI database currently holds no valid decisions on 90. Comparable cases are found through the parent heading instead.

### What happens if the customs tariff code is wrong?

An incorrect code leads to post-clearance recovery of duty and import VAT, delays at clearance, and a penalty where it repeats. A classification with documented reasoning can be defended in an audit.

### Does customs tariff code 90 change?

90 is currently valid. The Combined Nomenclature is amended every 1 January, so master data should be checked against the current tariff annually.

Published by TC21 Ventures GmbH, Berlin. Derived from the Combined Nomenclature, TARIC, and the EBTI database. When citing, please link https://www.zolltarif-finder.de/en/customs-code/90.