Sourcing dried fish maws from China

12% on the supplied dried-maw lines

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 9 November 2026, heading 0305 includes dried fish maws within edible fish parts. The supplied dried-maw lines carry 12% duty for goods from China, with no recorded anti-dumping duty, countervailing duty or suspension. The herring variants in the table share a commodity line; the table does not cover every commercially traded maw species.

These lines carry veterinary, illegal fishing, organic import and CITES export controls. Ask your customs broker or port health authority to confirm approval for the exporting country and establishment, any pre-notification through IPAFFS and the appropriate border control post. Medium-risk animal products require an export health certificate. Ask your broker to confirm catch documentation and any farmed-fish exemption, and whether organic food from China needs a certificate of inspection for each consignment. Check protected-species permits with APHA.

Confirm the scientific species, drying process and salt treatment before choosing the commodity code. Do not use a named-species line for unidentified maws or treat a salted, undried product as dried. Ask your broker to confirm the veterinary entry document and any CITES export requirement attached to the code. See the wider dried, salted and smoked fish guide. These border arrangements concern Great Britain.

Specify species, dryness and rehydrated texture

Ask for the scientific species name, raw-fish origin, wild or farmed status and processing establishment. Specify whole or split maws, size and thickness grade, acceptable broken pieces, salt treatment, moisture, declared additives and packaging. Agree whether the product needs soaking and cooking before use.

Keep an approved sample and agree a soaking method for comparing usable yield, swelling, odour and texture. Ask the supplier to disclose bleaching or other treatments and arrange laboratory checks against the agreed specification. Verify the establishment before production through factory verification.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative hypothetical order: 2 tonnes of dried, salted Atlantic cod maws under 0305 72 00 10, 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 12% is £2,100. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £19,600, so it is £3,920. Import taxes total £6,020; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £2,100 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 species, processing establishment and batch markings across the specification, cartons and shipping documents.

Dry condition: check for mould, insects, foreign matter, damp patches, unusual odour and inconsistent colour; compare moisture and salt results with the specification.

Yield and grade: weigh unpacked product, compare whole and broken pieces with the agreed grade, and rehydrate samples using the approved method.

Packs and labels: check seals, batch identification and storage instructions. Ask the relevant food authority to confirm the English information needed on retail labels, including species, catch or production method and area, allergens and a UK address.

What goes wrong

A trading name can conceal a different species or mixed grades. Thick and thin maws may soak unevenly, while excess moisture or salt distorts the comparison of usable product. Damaged seals and damp cartons can accompany mould or insect contamination. Hold affected stock for assessment and compare it with the approved sample using the inspection guide.

A tariff code does not establish permission to import. Check the exact product and establishment, including any China-specific conditions, with the port health authority before ordering. At entry, all goods face documentary checks. Resolve mismatches between species, batch descriptions and certificates before dispatch; check protected-species requirements before committing to a purchase.

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.