Sourcing dried schisandra berries from China

Dried schisandra berries: duty and controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 2 October 2026, heading 1211 covers plants and plant parts, including fruits, primarily used in pharmacy, perfumery or similar purposes. The residual line 1211 90 86 90 carries 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measure and no suspension listed. The table repeats this line for different physical forms; these are provisional classifications.

The line attaches CITES and Home Office controlled-drug import and export controls, plus organic import control. Their application to the specified schisandra product should be confirmed with your customs broker before shipment. If the goods contain controlled drugs or precursor chemicals, an import licence is required. For organic paperwork, the certificate of inspection is issued by the exporter’s control body in the country of export; confirm the consignment requirements with your broker and organic control body.

Have your broker check the botanical species, dried fruit form and intended use using finding your commodity code. Do not apply this provisional code automatically to extracts, mixtures or finished supplements. See the ginseng and medicinal herbs guide for the wider heading.

Specify the berry, processing and intended use

Put the botanical name, fruit part, growing origin and harvest information in the purchase specification. Agree whole berries, cut fruit, crushed fruit or powder, and retain an approved sample. Record drying method, any sulphur fumigation, added ingredients, moisture acceptance criteria and packaging. Colour alone should not decide identity or acceptance.

Decide whether the berries will become a food ingredient, supplement ingredient or medicinal product before ordering. For food use, establish the novel-food status of the exact species, preparation and intended use; novel foods require authorisation before sale in Great Britain. For medicinal claims, confirm the appropriate registration or marketing authorisation requirements with MHRA. Chinese medicinal use alone does not establish suitability for your proposed UK food use.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 500 kg of whole dried schisandra berries; FOB and freight values are illustrative, not a quotation under 1211 90 86 90, invoiced at £6,180 free on board, with £900 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £7,080. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £7,080, so it is £1,416. 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 berries and seeds with the approved reference sample; arrange botanical identification where appearance is inconclusive, particularly for powder.

Condition: check moisture against the agreed specification, mould, insects, stalks, stones, excessive broken fruit and signs of damp storage.

Testing: obtain batch-linked results for pesticide residues, heavy metals, sulphite and aflatoxins; agree microbiological testing suited to the intended use.

Packing and records: check sealed liners, dry cartons, batch identification and matching invoice, packing list and laboratory reports; resolve tariff-control paperwork before dispatch.

What goes wrong

A common-name order leaves the species and processing unclear. Powder makes substitution harder to detect, while a supplier’s retained sample may differ from the shipment. Damp fruit can develop mould; sulphur treatment and agricultural contamination can remain undetected without batch testing. Hold suspect stock while identity and test discrepancies are investigated.

Another failure is approving labels before deciding the sales route. A supplier’s description of the berries as a traditional remedy does not settle the UK food or medicine question. Agree the intended use and evidence before printing packaging, and have your broker resolve the controls attached to the tariff line before shipment.

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.