Sourcing bus bodies from China

Bus body duty and classification

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 24 October 2026, bus bodies under 8707 90 90 00 carried 4% duty from China. The supplied record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. Heading 8707 covers vehicle bodies, including cabs; this guide concerns bus bodies supplied separately from the chassis.

The tariff attaches a DCMS Export Licence measure. Government guidance says there are no licensing requirements for importing objects of cultural interest into Great Britain. Ask your customs broker to confirm how the listed measure applies to your shipment, especially for historic bodies or a Northern Ireland destination.

Only the other-bodies line in the supplied facts applies to bus bodies, so the table contains that line alone. Confirm the commodity code for the actual shipment, especially a kit or separate panels. See the wider bodies and cabs guide for the rest of the heading.

Specify the chassis interface and passenger layout

Send the factory the chassis manufacturer's mounting drawings and instructions. Agree wheelbase, mounting points, axle clearances, body mass, roof equipment and lifting points. Define whether the supply is a bare shell or includes glazing, doors, flooring, seats, wiring and interior trim.

Freeze the passenger layout, entrance position, aisle arrangement, seat mountings and any wheelchair space on approved drawings. A body fitted to a chassis completes a vehicle that needs approval before registration. Agree who supplies the chassis documents and who takes responsibility for the completed vehicle's approval. Government guidance provides individual vehicle approval for a single bus or coach, or a very small batch.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative batch of bus bodies for a bodybuilder under 8707 90 90 00, invoiced at £150,000 free on board, with £20,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £170,000. Duty at 4% is £6,800. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £176,800, so it is £35,360. Import taxes total £42,160; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £6,800 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Chassis fit: measure mounting locations and clearances against the agreed drawings; record body mass and inspect attachment brackets.

Structure: inspect welds, panel bonding, floor joints and corrosion protection; compare seat and equipment mountings with the signed specification.

Doors and sealing: operate doors and hatches, check glazing retention and seals, and water-test roof joints, windows and entrances.

Arrival condition: inspect lifting damage, distorted brackets and cracked glazing; reconcile loose fittings and documents with the packing list before installation.

What goes wrong

A shell can match the advertised chassis model yet miss the agreed mounting points or foul wheel movement. Layout changes can leave doors, seats and wiring inconsistent with the drawings. Leaking roof seams, poorly bonded panels and damaged lifting points are useful targets for inspection.

Approval paperwork can describe a different finished vehicle from the body delivered. Check document scope with the bodybuilder before production, and record agreed design changes. Use testing and certification support to arrange a review of the evidence needed for the completed bus.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For machinery and equipment, see machinery imports.