How to export honey from the UK to China

Start with the honey manufacturer's registration

Natural honey falls under HS6 040900 and Chinese tariff line 04090000. For general trade, GACC Decree 280 requires overseas manufacturer registration. Honey fits the bee-products recommendation route: confirm in GACC's registration system, then arrange the competent authority's plant audit, audit report and recommendation alongside the application. Allow months, not weeks for approval; the Chinese authority decides.

HMRC recorded £51k of UK goods exports to mainland China under HS 040900 in 2025 (2024: £70k, -27.4%). Exports to Hong Kong under the same codes were £247k. January to July 2026: £0 against £51k in the same months of 2025 (-100%).

Build border taxes into your offer price

Chinese tariff line 04090000 carries a 15% MFN rate. Import VAT is generally 13%, with 9% for agricultural products; have the importer's customs broker confirm the honey's VAT treatment and whether consumption tax applies. VAT uses the customs value plus duty plus consumption tax. These amounts add to landed cost and shape the price your importer can offer.

Prepare the jar label and honey standard checks

Check the honey against GB 14963-2011. Imported prepackaged honey needs a compliant Chinese label naming its origin and the domestic agent's name, address and contact details. The packaging must also show the manufacturer's China registration number or the number approved by its home authority. Check artwork against current requirements and GB 7718-2025, which takes effect on 16 March 2027, before committing to a print run.

Put the UK export paperwork in place

Confirm the UK commodity code for the honey; the export line is 04090000. Exports from England, Scotland or Wales need a GB EORI number and an online export declaration. Give the declarant the value, weight, packaging, destination, transport and invoice and packing list references. The carrier needs the invoice and any required export licences or certificates; agree the shipment's document requirements with the importer before dispatch.

Consider bonded cross-border retail

The cross-border retail import list includes 04090000 natural honey with the restriction “bonded online purchases only”. Treat this as a bonded retail option, rather than assuming direct shipping qualifies. Qualifying retail imports are supervised as personal-use articles, with first-import licence, registration and filing requirements disapplied, subject to the stated suspension and emergency-risk exceptions.

The overseas cross-border business carries the main product quality and safety responsibility and must appoint a mainland-registered company for customs registration, truthful declarations and shared civil liability. Consumers must accept the risk notice before ordering: the honey may lack a Chinese label, with a Chinese electronic label available online, and purchases are for personal use and may not be resold.

Find and check a Chinese honey importer

Check whether a prospective buyer intends to distribute the honey through general trade or sell through bonded cross-border retail. For general trade, review how it will handle the manufacturer's registration number at declaration and the Chinese label artwork. Customs does not accept a declaration without the required manufacturer registration number.

We prepare registration and label work with licensed partners in China. The importer of record and, for cross-border retail, the cross-border e-commerce agent remain licensed partners in China; the brand's own filings remain the brand's. We check the arrangements with those partners.

Our own staff in China find and check Chinese importers and distributors for UK brands. If an importer has already approached your brand, our staff check that company before stock is sent or anything is signed. Use our export-to-China service to arrange this work.