Do I need an import licence for goods from China?
Check the commodity code and China-origin tariff measures, then investigate any licence, certificate or restriction against the exact product and destination. Resolve uncertainties before ordering and make approval a shipment checkpoint. Cambridge China Bridge can help collect the factory information for these checks.
Build a product file before checking
Ask the factory for the product’s composition, intended use, technical specification and photographs. For goods containing plant or animal materials, ask for the species name. Record the country of origin and whether delivery is to Great Britain or Northern Ireland, so your enquiry describes the actual shipment.
Use our commodity code guide to establish the classification. This guide covers what to do with the resulting controls, rather than repeating how to find the code. Keep the supplier’s proposed code alongside your own reasoning and any advice received.
Read the measures, not just the duty rate
Check the official tariff entry for the exact code and Chinese origin. Read every applicable measure, its conditions and explanatory notes. Record anything referring to an import restriction, licence, certificate or supporting document, then investigate the linked guidance rather than assuming the headline duty rate answers the licensing question.
Separate additional duty from permission to import. Anti-dumping duty can apply alongside normal duty, as explained in our commodity code guide. Make separate notes for charges, restrictions and documents so a cost calculation does not become your only import check.
Take unresolved questions to the right authority
The Department for Business and Trade implements trade sanctions. For an unresolved sanctions issue, start with its import-controls guidance. For questions about a wildlife permit application, the Animal and Plant Health Agency is the contact identified in the official guidance.
For chemical goods, use our UK REACH guide and confirm your position with HSE. Send the relevant authority your specification, composition, origin, proposed code and destination. Ask which restriction applies, which application route to use and what evidence is needed. Avoid asking only whether a generic product name needs a licence.
Resolve the application sequence before ordering
For imports covered by the Department for Business and Trade’s import-controls guidance, you must apply for an import licence before the goods are transported to the UK. Treat that as a legal timing requirement, then set your own earlier purchasing checkpoint: resolve eligibility and required evidence before paying a deposit.
For animal-related imports needing a licence, official guidance says to check whether a suitable general licence already exists. Read its scope and conditions before relying on it. Where an individual application is needed, confirm the prerequisites with the authority, collect the factory documents and agree that shipment waits for the required permission.
Make shipment approval a documented decision
Before releasing goods, compare any permission with the actual product, importer, quantity, origin and shipment details. Check its validity and conditions, and ask your customs agent how the supporting documents should be reflected in the declaration. Recheck if the factory changes the material, model or route.
Keep the tariff findings, authority correspondence, application and issued documents together. Use our customs clearance documents guide for the wider shipment file. Cambridge China Bridge’s staff in China can help obtain specifications and factory documents; leave the licensing question open until you have a supported answer.
Frequently asked questions
Can my Chinese supplier tell me if I need a UK import licence?
Use the supplier’s specification and proposed code as inputs. Check the UK tariff and relevant authority guidance yourself, and resolve any uncertainty before committing to the order.
Does paying import duty mean the goods can enter the UK?
Check duty and import controls separately. Read the measures and conditions against the commodity code, then resolve any licence, certificate or restriction identified.
When should I apply for an import licence?
The Department for Business and Trade’s import-controls guidance requires application before transport to the UK. Resolve the route before ordering and make required permission a shipment checkpoint.
What should I send the licensing authority?
Send the specification, composition, intended use, photographs, origin, proposed commodity code and destination. Ask which permission applies and which documents must come before the application.