How to export dried peas from the UK to China

Confirm the product and registration route

Dried peas, beans and pulses sit under HS 0713-0713 (12 subheadings). We regard them as a starting category, but registration is still required. The largest UK export line to China was 07131090, dried, shelled peas, at £687k. Use the exact species and intended use to agree classification with your importer before preparing a quote.

HMRC recorded £1.1m of UK goods exports to mainland China under 12 HS6 subheadings in 2025 (2024: £1.1m, +0.4%). Exports to Hong Kong under the same codes were £1k. January to July 2026: £554k against £734k in the same months of 2025 (-24.6%). These are UK exports under HS 0713-0713 (12 subheadings).

GACC Decree 280 requires overseas food manufacturers to register. Confirm the route for your peas in GACC's registration system; the UK food safety MoU supports simplified batch registration. Allow months, not weeks for approvals; the Chinese authority decides. The overseas exporter or agent must also file with GACC, and the importer with local customs. Manufacturer registration lasts five years.

Price against the Chinese tariff line

For peas, Chinese tariff line 07131010 carries an MFN duty rate of 0% and 07131090 carries 5%; do not choose a line just because its rate is lower. Give the importer the product specification so classification and landed cost can shape the price it offers.

Import VAT has a standard rate of 13%, while agricultural products are in the 9% list. Have the importer's customs broker confirm the treatment of your peas and whether consumption tax applies. VAT uses the customs value plus customs duty plus consumption tax as its base; duty and VAT therefore affect the importer's landed cost.

Prepare the Chinese pack artwork

Prepackaged peas need a compliant Chinese label naming the place of origin and the domestic agent's name, address and contact details. The pack 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.

Arrange the UK export declaration

For exports from England, Scotland or Wales, obtain a GB EORI and classify the peas under the correct UK commodity code. Arrange the online export declaration with the goods' value, weight, packaging, destination, transport and invoice and packing list references. Give the carrier the invoice and any required export licences or certificates; agree the shipment's document requirements with the importer before dispatch.

Consider bonded e-commerce for chickpeas

The cross-border retail import list match is partial: 07132090, dried chickpeas, carries the restriction “bonded online purchases only”. This supports consideration of the bonded 1210 channel, rather than treating every pulse line as eligible. Listed retail imports receive personal-use supervision without first-import licence, registration or filing requirements, subject to the stated epidemic-area and emergency-risk exceptions.

The overseas e-commerce business carries responsibility for quality and safety and must appoint a mainland-registered company for customs registration and truthful declaration, with shared civil liability. Before ordering, consumers must accept a risk notice: goods meet origin-country standards but may differ from Chinese standards, may have no Chinese label, and a Chinese electronic label can be viewed on the website. Purchases are for personal use and may not be resold.

Find and check a Chinese importer

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

We prepare registration and label work with licensed partners in China. Regulated roles stay with licensed partners in China, including the importer of record and, for the cross-border route, the e-commerce agent; the brand's own filings stay the brand's. We check with licensed partners.