Sourcing basil seeds for sowing from China

Basil sowing-seed classification and duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 1209 covers seeds, fruit and spores of a kind used for sowing. The residual seed line 1209 99 99 10 carries 4% duty from China, with no recorded anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. This is a provisional classification for this guide. The table repeats that line for different basil buying formats; these are not separate tariff subdivisions.

The residual line attaches CITES, invasive alien species and organic import controls, plus a CITES export control. CITES-listed species need the relevant permit; APHA handles applications to move invasive alien species. These heading-level flags do not establish whether a particular basil lot needs those documents. Confirm their application to the botanical species with your customs broker. For organic imports, your company must be based and certified in the UK; confirm the certificate-of-inspection requirement and China certification route before shipment.

Agree the botanical species, cultivar, sowing purpose and whether the goods are loose seeds or a prepared product before confirming the commodity code. Do not assume the vegetable-seed suspension applies to basil. For other crops and tariff lines, see the wider sowing-seeds guide.

Specify the basil cultivar and seed lot

Specify the botanical species and cultivar, leaf colour, leaf shape, aroma and intended growing use. Agree germination, varietal purity, other-seed contamination, moisture, harvest information and any seed treatment as contractual acceptance criteria. Ask for test methods, sampling details and reports tied to the supplied lot. A photograph of black seeds does not establish cultivar identity; use a grow-out sample to check the resulting plants.

Use the official plant-health information service to check the named seed species and China origin, and ask APHA to resolve uncertain results before dispatch. Confirm any applicable seed-marketing conditions separately before selling. The service does not provide marketing eligibility information. For organic stock, ask your control body to check the supplier certification and consignment documents; the certificate of inspection is issued by the exporter’s control body.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 500 retail sachets of basil seeds for sowing; illustrative order only, subject to classification under 1209 99 99 10, invoiced at £900 free on board, with £500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £1,400. Duty at 4% is £56. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £1,456, so it is £291.20. Import taxes total £347.20; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £56 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step. This assumes the goods are standard-rated for VAT. Most food for human consumption is zero-rated, and animal feed can be too, in which case no import VAT is due, so check the rate for your product in HMRC's VAT Notice 701/14.

Inspection checklist

Identity: match bags, sachets, invoice and test reports to the ordered species, cultivar and seed lot; compare grow-out plants with the agreed leaf colour and form.

Germination: draw representative samples from the delivered lot and compare germination and seedling condition with the agreed test method and acceptance criteria.

Condition: check for dampness, mould, insects, broken seeds, chaff and other seeds; inspect inner bags and sachet seals for damage.

Packing: check fill quantity, lot identification, sowing instructions and declared treatment against the approved artwork. Keep samples and photographs linked to the lot. See quality inspection explained.

What goes wrong

Food-use basil seeds can be offered against a sowing-seed enquiry without useful germination evidence. Cultivars can be mixed, older stock can produce uneven emergence, and moisture entering damaged packaging can spoil a lot. Write the remedy for failed germination or cultivar mismatch into the purchase agreement and retain a reference sample.

Paperwork can describe only “basil seeds”, leaving species, purpose or lot identity unclear. An organic supplier certificate does not replace checking the consignment paperwork. Resolve the tariff controls with your broker before dispatch, and hold doubtful stock apart while you investigate.

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.