Sourcing aspirin tablets from China

Aspirin tablets: duty and tariff controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 10 October 2026, heading 3004 covers medicines in measured doses or retail packs. Aspirin-only tablets fall within the other-medicaments line, 3004 90 00 00, carrying 0% duty from China. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty or suspension is recorded. The table presents tablet forms sharing that line. Confirm composition and presentation through finding your commodity code. See the paracetamol tablets guide for another product within this heading.

The tariff attaches Home Office controlled-drug import controls, restrictions on entry into free circulation concerning ozone-depleting substances, CITES import controls and seal-product import controls. It also lists export controls for controlled drugs, CITES, mercury and goods for torture and repression. Check the full formulation, including excipients, with your customs broker and confirm which declarations or permissions apply to the actual shipment.

If the formulation contains controlled drugs, import licensing applies. CITES specimens, including listed species' parts or derivatives, require permit checks with both countries' authorities. Seal products for commercial import must qualify under the indigenous-community exemption and have a seal catch certificate. Ozone-depleting substances need an import licence for permitted uses. These are conditional controls on the broad tariff line; ask your customs broker to confirm the entry requirements for your aspirin product.

Specify the aspirin formulation and licensed pack

For routine commercial sale, ask MHRA to confirm the UK marketing authorisation requirements before ordering. Confirm with MHRA whether importing from China into Great Britain requires a manufacturer's licence covering import and batch certification by the licensed importer's qualified person. Check the Chinese site's good manufacturing practice status and its suitability for the product's authorisation.

Specify aspirin content per tablet, ordinary, dispersible, effervescent or gastro-resistant formulation, excipients, tablet appearance and the authorised pack size. Agree identity, assay, impurity and dissolution testing against the product specification. For gastro-resistant tablets, specify the coating and release profile; for effervescent tablets, agree moisture protection and closure performance.

Use approved packaging and leaflet text. Licensed medicine packaging information must be printed directly onto the packaging; over-labelling is prohibited. Medicines need a UK-specific outer carton with the required UK-only wording. Confirm the intended sales channel and pack presentation with the authorisation holder before printing.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 10,000 retail packs of authorised aspirin tablets under 3004 90 00 00, invoiced at £16,800 free on board, with £4,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £20,800. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £20,800, so it is £4,160. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Batch documents: match certificates of analysis, batch records, batch numbers and expiry dates to the delivered packs and the importer's release documents.

Tablet quality: check sampled tablets for chips, discolouration, coating damage and powder in blister pockets; review assay, impurity and dissolution results against the agreed specification.

Packaging: check blister seals, bottle closures and moisture barriers against approved samples; compare cartons, foils, leaflets and Braille with approved artwork.

Arrival condition: inspect wet cartons, crushed packs and broken seals; review shipment logger records against labelled storage conditions before the importer's release decision.

What goes wrong

A supplier may offer a different tablet formulation, coating or pack from the authorised product. A satisfactory-looking sample does not establish batch consistency. Moisture exposure, damaged blister seals and chipped coatings are reasons to investigate the delivered batch and its laboratory results.

Another failure is treating a Chinese retail pack as ready for UK sale, then proposing translated stickers after arrival. Settle artwork, formulation, manufacturing site and licence coverage before production. Keep discrepant stock separate while the licensed importer reviews documents, test results and shipment conditions.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For repeat volumes, see container programmes.