How to export Tea from the UK to China
Tea can use the manufacturer application route, subject to confirmation in GACC’s registration system. Prepare registration, Chinese packaging and UK export paperwork, and price around the Chinese tariff line and import taxes. Cambridge China Bridge’s own staff in China find and check Chinese importers and distributors for UK brands.
Start with the tea manufacturer’s registration
Tea falls under HS 090210, 090220, 090230 and 090240. We judge it an easy starting category, with approvals still required. Confirm the category in GACC’s registration system: the manufacturer applies itself or through an agent, without an exporting-authority recommendation. GACC Decree 280 requires overseas food manufacturers to register. Allow months, not weeks; the Chinese authority decides. The brand’s own filings remain its responsibility.
HMRC recorded £1.0m of UK goods exports to mainland China under HS 090210, 090220, 090230, 090240 in 2025 (2024: £830k, +26.1%). Exports to Hong Kong under the same codes were £1.6m. January to July 2026: £697k against £615k in the same months of 2025 (+13.4%).
Build the Chinese border costs into your quote
Every listed Chinese tea tariff line has an MFN rate of 15%. HS 090210 covers green tea in immediate packings of ≤3 kg; HS 090220 covers larger immediate packings. The black and partly fermented tea lines sit under HS 090230 and 090240. Agree the precise Chinese tariff line before quoting: border taxes add to landed cost and affect the price an importer can offer.
The VAT Law sets a standard import rate of 13% and a 9% rate for agricultural products, without defining that term. The importer’s customs broker or adviser should confirm the tea’s VAT treatment and whether consumption tax applies. Import VAT uses the customs value plus customs duty plus consumption tax as its base.
| Chinese tariff line | Rate |
|---|---|
| 09021011 | 15% |
| 09021019 | 15% |
| 09021020 | 15% |
| 09021090 | 15% |
| 09022011 | 15% |
| 09022019 | 15% |
| 09022020 | 15% |
| 09022090 | 15% |
| 09023010 | 15% |
| 09023031 | 15% |
| 09023039 | 15% |
| 09023090 | 15% |
| 09024010 | 15% |
| 09024031 | 15% |
| 09024039 | 15% |
| 09024090 | 15% |
Prepare the tea label before printing
For ordinary imports, prepackaged tea needs a compliant Chinese label stating its place of origin and the domestic agent’s name, address and contact details. Chinese instructions are required where applicable. A registered manufacturer must also put its China registration number, or the number approved by its home authority, on the packaging. Send the complete artwork for review before committing to a print run.
GB 31608-2023 is the national food safety standard for tea. Check the product against that standard and the label against the current requirements and GB 7718-2025, which takes effect on 16 March 2027. Keep product specifications and label artwork together so the importer can review the actual tea and its presentation.
Organise the UK declaration and manufacturer details
Classify the tea and obtain the correct UK commodity code. Exporting from England, Wales or Scotland requires a GB EORI number. The online export declaration needs the code, value, weight, packaging, destination, transport and invoice and packing list references. Give the carrier the invoice and any required export licences or certificates; settle the declaration arrangements before dispatch.
The largest UK export line to mainland China in 2025 was 09023000, black fermented tea and partly fermented tea, whether or not flavoured: £880k under that HS code. For manufacturer registration, the UK-China food safety MoU effective on 29 January 2026 opened the cooperation mechanism for simplified batch registration. Confirm the applicable submission route before preparing the manufacturer’s application.
Check whether the tea fits a cross-border retail entry
The cross-border e-commerce retail import list includes 09021010 for scented tea and 09021090 for other green tea in packs of ≤3 kg; 09022010 and 09022090 cover their >3 kg equivalents. It also includes 09023010 for oolong and 09023031 for ripe pu’er in packs of ≤3 kg. Match the tea to the listed entry and confirm its current classification before choosing this channel.
Listed goods through bonded 1210 or direct 9610 are treated as personal-use articles, with first-import licensing, registration and filing requirements disapplied, subject to epidemic suspensions and emergency risk measures. The overseas business must appoint a mainland company for customs registration and shared civil liability. Consumers must accept the risk notice: Chinese electronic labels may replace physical Chinese labels, and the tea cannot be resold.
Working out your own order? Send us the product on WhatsApp and we reply the same working day: WhatsApp us
Find and check the Chinese buyer
Our own staff in China find and check Chinese importers and distributors for UK brands. If an importer has already approached your tea brand, our staff in China check that company before stock is sent or anything is signed. Use our export-to-China service for this work.
We prepare registration and label work with licensed partners in China. The importer of record and, for cross-border retail where required, the cross-border e-commerce agent remain licensed partners’ roles in China. The brand’s own filings stay the brand’s. We check the registration and label work with those partners.
Frequently asked questions
Does my UK tea manufacturer need GACC registration?
For ordinary food imports, yes. Confirm the tea category in GACC’s registration system; the manufacturer application route allows it to apply itself or through an agent.
What is China’s import duty on tea?
The listed Chinese tariff lines under HS 090210, 090220, 090230 and 090240 all have a 15% MFN rate. Import VAT also affects landed cost; confirm the tea’s VAT treatment before pricing.
Can I ship tea with only its UK label?
Ordinary imports of prepackaged tea need a compliant Chinese label. Include the required origin and domestic-agent details and the manufacturer’s registration number on the packaging.
Can cross-border retail tea be sold on to shops?
Tea imported through the qualifying cross-border retail route is for personal use and may not be resold. Check the exact listed tea entry before selecting that route.
Sources
- HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics
- GACC Decree 280: overseas food manufacturer registration
- DBT: UK food manufacturer registration barrier
- China Customs Import and Export Tariff 2026
- China Food Safety Law
- Beijing market regulator: GB 7718-2025 transition
- NHC national food safety standards list
- GOV.UK: Export goods from the UK
- GOV.UK: Make and manage an export declaration
- Cross-border retail import list 2019
- Cross-border retail import notice 486