The European Union’s new requirements for declaring and verifying the country of melt and pour for steel imports will take effect on 1 October 2026.
For products covered by the regulation, the Mill Test Certificate (MTC) containing the country of melt and pour and the heat number will serve as the primary document for importation.
According to the implementing regulation announced by the European Commission on 31 August, importers will be required to declare the country where the steel was melted and first cast into solid form in the customs declaration. The declaration must be supported by a Mill Test Certificate (MTC) containing the relevant country information and the heat number of the imported steel.
If the Mill Test Certificate does not contain the country of melt and pour or the heat number, customs authorities may consider supplementary documents containing the missing information. These include invoices, delivery notes, quality certificates, clauses in implemented purchase orders and contracts, long-term supplier declarations, cost accounting and production records, customs documents from the exporting country, commercial correspondence and production descriptions.
Where an MTC cannot be provided, alternative documents containing the country of melt and pour and the heat number may be accepted as standalone evidence until 30 September 2027. From 1 October 2027, however, these documents will only be accepted as supplementary evidence to the MTC.
The Ministry of Trade also communicated information on the regulation to the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB). According to the Ministry’s letter cited in a 18 September announcement by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1963 entered into force on 1 September and will apply from 1 October.
The letter states that the MTCs for relevant steel products imported into the EU must contain the country of melt and pour and the heat number. If the MTC cannot be obtained, alternative documents containing the required information may be accepted as standalone evidence during the one-year transition period.
The new documentation requirement aims to increase the traceability and transparency of steel products imported into the EU and prevent attempts to circumvent the applicable trade measures.
Although European Economic Area (EEA) countries are exempt from the quota and out-of-quota duty under the EU’s steel regulation, they will still be subject to the melt and pour traceability requirements.
