Sourcing dried basil from China

Dried basil duty and organic controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 0910 covers other spices alongside ginger, saffron, turmeric, thyme, bay leaves and curry. For dried culinary basil, the relevant other-spice lines distinguish goods that are neither crushed nor ground from crushed or ground goods. The mixture rows are relevant only where the basil-containing formulation qualifies as a spice mixture.

The selected lines carry 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. It attaches an organic import control. Organic basil needs an inspection certificate for release as organic; the exporter’s control body in the country of export issues it. Confirm the consignment paperwork with your customs broker before shipment.

Confirm the commodity code using the actual leaf form and full formulation. Do not classify a blend from its basil content alone. See the dried oregano guide for related heading coverage. Confirm the applicable VAT treatment for your culinary herbs with HMRC or your customs broker; the import duty and VAT guide explains the calculation.

Specify basil leaves, cut and aroma

Specify the basil species, growing origin, leaf form, cut size, acceptable stems and dust, colour, aroma, moisture limit and packaging. Approve a representative sample for comparison with production. Ask the processor to describe drying, cleaning and any microbial treatment, and agree batch testing for pesticide residues and microbiology.

Confirm food-business registration requirements with your local authority and applicable GB maximum residue levels with the relevant food safety authority. Ask Trading Standards to confirm the retail-pack requirements for the name, net weight, best-before date, storage information, business address and language. For blends, check the ingredient list and emphasised allergens. Settle the label artwork before packing.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of bulk bags of dried basil for a small food wholesaler under 0910 99 91 00, invoiced at £16,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £18,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £18,000, so it is £3,600. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. 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: compare the leaves and aroma with the approved sample; investigate unfamiliar leaf fragments or excessive stems.

Condition: check moisture against the specification, leaf colour, dust, insects, mould and foreign matter.

Batch evidence: match pesticide residue and microbiology reports to the lot being shipped; arrange testing where evidence is missing.

Packing: check sealed liners, bag weights, lot markings and retail artwork through quality inspection; retain a sample from the inspected lot.

What goes wrong

A sample can look leafy while production contains more stems, dust or a different cut. Crushing makes leaf identity harder to assess. Compare production samples with the approved material and investigate a weak or unfamiliar aroma before accepting the batch.

Damp or damaged bags can leave basil clumped or mouldy. Visual inspection cannot establish pesticide residue or microbiological compliance. Review the lot reports before shipment and check arrival condition before releasing stock. Resolve missing organic paperwork before presenting the goods as organic.

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.