US Delays Deadline for Importing Pre-Sanction Russian Diamonds to September 2026
The United States government has extended the deadline for importing certain “grandfathered” Russian diamonds by one year, postponing the original September 1, 2025 cutoff to September 1, 2026.
Following sanctions on Russian-origin diamonds in March 2024, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License No. 104.
This license allowed U.S. importers to bring in select nonindustrial loose diamonds purchased before the sanctions took effect.
The guidelines applied to Russian-origin stones that had not yet entered the United States, including rough diamonds sent abroad for cutting and polishing, provided they were outside Russia by specific cutoff dates: March 1, 2024, for diamonds of 1 carat and larger, and September 1, 2024, for stones between 0.50 and 1 carat.
The original ruling had set September 1, 2025, as the final import deadline. OFAC’s updated General License No. 104A, released on Wednesday, now extends the deadline for both size categories to September 1, 2026.
No changes were made to General License No. 103, which covers the importation of diamond jewelry that was already outside Russia prior to the March 2024 sanctions.
