Sourcing courgette seeds for sowing from China

Courgette seed duty and the conditional suspension

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 1209 covers seeds, fruit and spores of a kind used for sowing. Courgette seeds fall within other vegetable seeds. The table shows product variants sharing code 1209 91 80 10, rather than separate tariff lines. See our cucumber seed guide for the wider heading.

The supplied tariff record gives this line a 2% base duty for goods from China and an autonomous suspension at 0.00 %. The suspension excludes mixtures, preparations and products made up of different components containing these seeds. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty is recorded. The tariff attaches an organic-product import control; confirm the certificate of inspection requirement with your customs broker. Such certificates are issued by the exporter's control body.

Before dispatch, confirm the exact goods and suspension eligibility using the commodity code guide. Check the official plant-health risk category for the seeds and ask APHA to confirm the requirements for the Chinese-origin lot. The supplied tariff record alone does not settle plant-health or seed-marketing eligibility.

Specify the courgette variety and seed lot

Specify the botanical identity, variety name, hybrid or open-pollinated status, fruit colour and shape, and intended growing conditions. Agree germination, varietal purity, physical purity and moisture acceptance criteria without relying on a catalogue photograph. Identify every seed treatment and coating, and request test reports tied to the actual lot.

APHA's technical guidance permits standard vegetable seed imports from any third country. Confirm that the proposed lot fits that category. In England and Wales, your business needs a licence to market seed. New plant varieties require entry on the relevant variety lists before marketing. Ask APHA to confirm the variety's eligibility, labelling and import-reporting arrangements before ordering.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 20 kg of courgette seeds for sowing under 1209 91 80 10, invoiced at £2,500 free on board, with £900 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £3,400. Duty at 2% is £68. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £3,468, so it is £693.60. Import taxes total £761.60; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £68 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 the variety name and lot reference across the order, packaging and test reports; retain a sample for a grow-out comparison.

Germination: test a representative arrival sample against the agreed acceptance criteria; record weak seedlings as well as seeds that fail to germinate.

Condition: check for damp packaging, mould, insects, cracked seeds and foreign material; compare treatment or coating with the specification.

Traceability: reconcile pack counts and net weights with the packing list, and keep each lot separate until checks are complete. Plan the sampling through our inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A visually similar seed can produce the wrong fruit colour, shape or growth habit. Germination evidence may describe a different lot, while damp transit conditions can leave arrival performance below the agreed specification. Approve lot-specific evidence and use a grow-out check when varietal identity matters.

A supplier's certification claim does not establish the correct marketing category or variety eligibility. Resolve those questions before printing retail packs. For organic stock, have your broker confirm the tariff control and certificate requirement before dispatch; buying seeds in small packs should not replace that check.

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.