How to export vitamin supplements from the UK to China

Choose the route for your supplements

Vitamin, mineral and food supplements need a route decision before you offer stock: general-trade health foods require SAMR registration or filing, while eligible cross-border retail goods follow personal-use supervision. The largest UK export line to China under HS 210690 was 21069098 at £69.2m in 2025. That is a whole-code total, including other food preparations, rather than supplement sales alone.

UK exports under HS 2106-2936 (11 subheadings): HMRC recorded £99.3m of UK goods exports to mainland China under 11 HS6 subheadings in 2025 (2024: £86.9m, +14.3%).

Exports to Hong Kong under the same codes were £9.9m. January to July 2026: £53.8m against £54.1m in the same months of 2025 (-0.5%). These remain UK export totals under the same HS codes, rather than a measure of demand for your particular supplement.

The manufacturer owns the general-trade application

First-imported health foods supplementing catalogue-listed vitamins and minerals follow filing; other first-imported health foods require registration. The overseas manufacturer is the applicant; registration proceeds through its Chinese representative office or a domestic agent. Plan for months, not weeks: the Chinese authority decides. The manufacturer must take responsibility for its own application and preparation, rather than treating an importer’s interest as approval.

GACC Decree 280 also requires overseas food manufacturers to register. Health foods are on the recommended list: the manufacturer applies itself or through an agent and obtains its country’s competent-authority recommendation, supported by a plant audit report. Confirm your product’s category in GACC’s registration system. This manufacturer registration is a separate requirement from the SAMR health-food application.

Price against the exact Chinese tariff line

The verified Chinese tariff lines have the MFN rates below. Finished food preparations under HS 210690 have different rates from vitamins under HS 293621 to 293629 and mixtures under HS 293690. Import VAT is generally 13%, subject to the statutory exceptions, on customs value plus duty plus any consumption tax. The importer’s customs broker confirms the classification, VAT treatment and whether consumption tax applies. These amounts shape landed cost and the price an importer can offer.

Prepare printed packs and the UK export declaration

For general-trade imported health foods, GACC Decree 249 requires the Chinese label to be printed on the smallest sales package; stickers are not allowed. Packaging must meet Chinese law and national food safety standards. GACC Decree 280 requires the manufacturer’s China registration number, or its home-authority-approved number, on the packaging. Check artwork against current requirements and GB 7718-2025, which takes effect on 16 March 2027.

For exports from England, Scotland or Wales, classify the supplements, obtain a GB EORI and arrange the online export declaration. Supply the commodity code, value, weight, packaging, destination, transport and invoice and packing-list references. The carrier needs the invoice and any required export licences or certificates. On the Chinese food import declaration, the overseas manufacturer’s registration number must be entered correctly; customs will not accept a declaration completed otherwise.

Check the cross-border retail entry and its restriction

The cross-border retail import list includes Chinese tariff line 21069090, foods not specified elsewhere. Its remark excludes goods in the wildlife-species catalogue when the required certificate confirming a species is outside that catalogue cannot be supplied. Ask the importer’s customs broker to confirm your supplement’s exact code and the complete list entry before committing to a cross-border retail plan.

Listed goods entering through bonded 1210 or direct 9610 cross-border retail channels are supervised as personal-use articles. First-import licence, registration and filing requirements are not applied, except for goods from suspended epidemic areas or goods subject to emergency handling for major quality and safety risks. This route serves individual consumers; their purchases may not be resold.

The overseas cross-border business retains primary responsibility for quality and safety and must appoint a mainland-registered company for customs registration, truthful declarations and shared civil liability. Consumers must accept a risk notice before ordering: origin-country standards may differ from Chinese standards, physical Chinese labels may be absent, and a Chinese electronic label can be viewed on the website.

Find and check a Chinese importer before committing stock

Establish whether the prospective buyer intends general trade or cross-border retail, and discuss the corresponding application and packaging work before agreeing supply. Our own staff in China find and check Chinese importers and distributors for UK brands. If an importer has already approached you, our staff in China check that company before stock is sent or anything is signed.

For these supplements, our help is limited to preparation, finding and checking a Chinese importer, and coordinating licensed partners. We prepare registration and label work with licensed partners in China. The importer of record and cross-border e-commerce agent roles stay with licensed partners in China, and the brand’s own filings stay the brand’s. See our export preparation service.