Canned tuna, surimi and prepared fish

12% to 25%, with tuna suspended to 0%

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, prepared or preserved fish of heading 1604 from China had standard rates of 20% for canned tuna and skipjack, surimi preparations, eels, caviar and caviar substitutes, 25% for prepared anchovies, bonito, sardines and mackerel, 14% for other prepared fish, and 12% for sardinella and sprats in airtight cans, with no anti-dumping measure.

From 21 June 2026 to 31 December 2028 an autonomous suspension gives 0% to every line of subheading 1604 14, which covers prepared tunas, skipjack and bonito whole or in pieces, in oil or not, and to the minced tuna, skipjack and bonito lines of 1604 20 70, without a document condition; it does not apply to mixtures or preparations made up of different components. Fish balls, fish cakes and other minced fish products are classified as other prepared fish. Confirm the commodity code from the species, the medium and whether the fish is whole, in pieces or minced.

Plant approval, histamine and labelling

Prepared fish is a product of animal origin, so it must come from an establishment approved to export fishery products from China to Great Britain, with a health certificate, pre-notification and border control post checks, and wild-caught tuna needs a catch certificate. Canned products must be commercially sterile, and species such as tuna and mackerel are tested for histamine against the food safety criteria in retained Regulation 2073/2005. For canned meat sourcing, see our canned luncheon meat guide. For cooked poultry sourcing, see our cooked duck meat guide. For shellfish sourcing, see our cooked shrimp and shellfish guide. For chicken nugget sourcing, see our fully cooked chicken nuggets guide. For chicken meatballs, see our guide to sourcing fully cooked chicken meatballs. For pâté sourcing, see our chicken liver pâté guide. Check plant approval, health paperwork and the wild-catch certificate before arranging UK customs clearance for canned tuna.

Labels must give the species name, the medium such as brine or oil, net weight and, where the product is solid food presented in a qualifying liquid medium, drained weight, allergens, storage and a UK address. Detached shark fins and products containing them are banned under the Shark Fins Act 2023, so shark fin soup and similar products cannot be imported.

Worked duty example

A hypothetical order, not a quote: surimi seafood sticks under 1604 20 05 00, bought for £30,000 free on board with £4,000 of freight and insurance, so the customs value is £34,000. Duty at 20% is £6,800. Prepared fish is food and zero-rated for VAT, so no import VAT is due, and the landed cost before border control post charges is £40,800. The same value of canned skipjack tuna, not in vegetable oil, under 1604 14 28 00 would pay no duty under its suspension. See UK import duty and VAT for the method. 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.

What goes wrong

Canned fish fails on seams, histamine and weight. Cans with poor double seams leak or swell, histamine rises when fish is held too long before processing, drained weight is below the label, and oil-packed tuna is declared as the brine-packed line to claim the suspension. Surimi products change texture or colour when the cold chain breaks, and plants lose approval without the importer noticing.

Check the plant's approval and certificates before each order, test each lot for histamine, heavy metals and commercial sterility at an accredited lab, tear down and measure can seams on samples, check drained and net weights against the label, confirm the packing medium matches the code declared, and log temperatures for frozen surimi. For the reverse trade route, see our guide to exporting UK prepared seafood to China.

Cambridge China Bridge sources canned tuna, surimi and prepared fish for retailers and foodservice buyers, from trial pallets to full containers. See our container programme service.