Sourcing dried sea cucumbers from China

10% duty does not establish import permission

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 0308 covers aquatic invertebrates other than crustaceans and molluscs in various conditions. Dried sea cucumbers fall within the supplied other sea cucumber line, 0308 19 00 00, carrying 10% duty for goods from China. No anti-dumping duty, countervailing duty or suspension is recorded. The table shows buying descriptions sharing this tariff line, rather than separate classifications.

The tariff attaches veterinary, CITES import and export, illegal fishing and organic controls. Ask your customs broker to confirm whether veterinary clearance involves a Common Health Entry Document, whether organic food from China needs a certificate of inspection for each consignment and whether protected species need CITES documents. Ask your customs broker to confirm catch-certificate applicability and any aquaculture exemption. Check country approval for food imports separately with the port health authority; obtaining documents does not itself establish eligibility.

Confirm the scientific species, dried condition and processing description using our commodity code guide. Ask your broker to check cooked, seasoned or otherwise prepared products separately. See the aquatic invertebrates guide for the wider heading. The import restriction discussed here concerns Great Britain; confirm Northern Ireland arrangements separately.

Specify species, salt and rehydrated texture

For product assessment, specify the scientific species, whole or cut form, cleaning, size grade, moisture, salt and every added ingredient. Agree dry net weight, the soaking and cooking method, and the texture and usable weight expected after rehydration. Keep a reference sample so the supplier cannot substitute a different grade while retaining the same general description.

Sea cucumbers are echinoderms. The approved-country rule covers processed echinoderms intended for human consumption. Ask the port health authority to confirm China's current status on the relevant country list and whether dried sea cucumbers from China can be imported into Great Britain for food use. A factory's general seafood approval does not itself establish country eligibility. Resolve eligibility before commissioning production or paying a deposit.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative hypothetical wholesale batch of 10 kg; calculation only, not an authorised food import under 0308 19 00 00, invoiced at £4,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £5,500. Duty at 10% is £550. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £6,050, so it is £1,210. Import taxes total £1,760; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £550 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 scientific species, whole or cut form, size grade and batch markings to the specification and documents.

Composition: compare laboratory results for moisture and salt with the agreed specification; reconcile declared ingredients with the supplier's process description.

Condition and packs: inspect for mould, insects, sand, damaged bodies, damp cartons and broken seals; check dry net weight and storage instructions.

Rehydration: use the agreed preparation method to compare usable weight, firmness and consistency with the reference sample. Arrange checks using our inspection guide.

What goes wrong

The first failure is treating a tariff code or a general seafood approval as permission to import dried sea cucumbers from China. Confirm country approval for the echinoderm category and the product's eligibility with the port health authority. The worked figures are hypothetical calculation inputs; confirm whether an order can currently be shipped into Great Britain for food use before proceeding.

High salt or moisture can make dry weight a poor guide to usable product. Mixed grades may rehydrate unevenly, while sand, damaged bodies and mould can escape a superficial carton check. Compare prepared samples and batch results before accepting the supplier's specification. Inspection cannot make an unauthorised import route lawful.

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.