Sourcing chilled tilapia from China

8% duty on chilled tilapia

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, chilled tilapia under 0302 71 00 00 carried 8% duty for goods from China. No anti-dumping duty, countervailing duty or suspension is recorded for this line. Heading 0302 covers fresh or chilled fish, excluding fillets and other fish meat of heading 0304.

The tariff attaches veterinary and organic import controls. For Great Britain, check that the exporting country and establishment are approved for the fishery products concerned. Ask your broker or port health authority to confirm health certification, advance notification through IPAFFS, entry through a designated border control post and the Common Health Entry Document. For organic food from China, confirm the certificate of inspection requirements for each consignment with your organic control body or broker. Confirm Northern Ireland arrangements separately.

The table shows buying forms sharing the same tariff line, rather than separate commodity codes. Confirm species, chilled condition and preparation using our commodity code guide. For other species, see the fresh and chilled fish guide.

Specify tilapia form, freshness and packing

Specify the scientific species, farmed or wild origin, individual fish weight grade, and whether heads, scales, gills and guts remain. Agree how fish weight is measured after draining, separately from packing ice. Record harvest, packing and dispatch information, the required remaining shelf life on arrival, and a method for checking it.

Agree chilled transport conditions, temperature logging, insulated packaging, drainage and handling at each transfer. Ask your broker and port health authority to confirm the Chinese authority residue-testing declaration and supporting results for the proposed farmed tilapia consignment before shipment. Review the supplier's treatment records and agree independent residue and microbiological testing.

For retail packs, check English labelling for species, production method and area, allergens, storage instructions and a UK address. Review these alongside the batch details before approving artwork.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative hypothetical order: 2 tonnes of chilled whole tilapia under 0302 71 00 00, invoiced at £16,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £17,500. Duty at 8% is £1,400. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £18,900, so it is £3,780. Import taxes total £5,180; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £1,400 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 and preparation: match species, batch markings, head condition, scaling and gutting against the order and shipping documents.

Freshness and temperature: review the journey logger and measure arrival temperature against the agreed specification. Inspect eyes, gills where present, flesh firmness, odour and belly condition.

Fish weight and packing: drain sampled fish before weighing, compare the size grade with the order, and inspect liners, seals, ice condition and leakage.

Documents and labels: match the plant approval details, health certificate and batch records to the load. Check retail label information and review agreed laboratory results before releasing stock.

What goes wrong

A shipment can match the ordered weight yet contain undersized fish or excess packing ice. Incomplete gutting leaves blood and viscera; rough handling damages bellies and skin. Include drained fish weight, preparation photographs and an agreed sampling method in the purchase specification.

Warm transfers, leaking boxes and clearance delays can leave insufficient saleable life. A clean appearance cannot establish residue compliance or replace document checks. Agree an arrival acceptance procedure and segregate suspect stock while investigating. Use our inspection guide to prepare the inspection brief.

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.