[SMM Stainless Steel Flash] EU Melt and Pour Evidence Requirements Take Effect October 1: What Importers Must Provide
From October 1, 2026, all steel importers covered by EU Steel Regulation 2026/1384 must declare and substantiate the melt-and-pour country of origin at customs clearance. The primary accepted document is a Mill Test Certificate (MTC) specifying both the melt-and-pour country and heat number. Where MTCs lack this information, customs authorities may accept supplementary evidence including invoices, delivery notes, quality certificates, purchase contract clauses, long-term supplier declarations, cost accounting documents, exporting country customs documents, commercial correspondence, or production descriptions — subject to verification. During the one-year transition period (October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027), standalone documents containing both the melt-and-pour country and heat number are accepted where MTCs are unavailable; from October 1, 2027, MTCs become mandatory. Importers must declare the melt-and-pour country via TARIC commodity codes. Shipments with insufficient or unverifiable documentation face customs rejection and exposure to the 50% out-of-quota duty.