Sourcing fresh cut alstroemeria from China

Alstroemeria duty and import controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 0603 covers cut flowers and flower buds for bouquets or ornamental use, fresh or prepared. Fresh cut alstroemeria fits the other fresh flowers description under 0603 19 70 90. The companion-flower rows provide comparison for buyers ordering separate flower varieties.

The supplied tariff record lists an 8% third-country duty and a 0.00% autonomous suspension, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measure recorded. The suspension excludes mixtures, preparations or products made up of different components containing these products. Have your broker confirm eligibility for the actual shipment, particularly assembled mixed bouquets.

The UK Trade Tariff attaches an organic import control; confirm its application and documentation with your customs broker before ordering flowers described as organic. Confirm the commodity code using the botanical identity and presentation. For wider heading context, see our fresh cut lilies guide.

Specify the alstroemeria stems and bud stage

Specify the botanical identity, cultivar, colour mix, stem length, stem strength, flower-bearing branches, bud opening stage and bunch composition. Agree acceptable leaf yellowing, petal damage and broken stems against a sample. Ask the grower or packing supplier to describe hydration, cooling, sleeves and carton ventilation, and agree an arrival vase-life assessment.

Use the official plant-health checking service with the botanical name and China as origin before dispatch. For high or medium risk goods, the exporter must obtain a phytosanitary certificate for each consignment from the exporting country's plant-health authority. Confirm the applicable category and border arrangements rather than treating the tariff control list as the complete plant-health check.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 2,000 bunches of fresh cut alstroemeria; illustrative FOB and freight values under 0603 19 70 90, invoiced at £6,000 free on board, with £900 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £6,900. Duty at 8% is £552. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £7,452, so it is £1,490.40. Import taxes total £2,042.40; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £552 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Identity and bunching: check cultivar, colour allocation, stem length and bunch contents against the order.

Flower condition: check bud stage, crushed petals, snapped branches, bent stems and loose flower heads.

Leaves and hydration: check yellowing, wilting, mould, insects and the condition of stem ends.

Packing and records: check damp or crushed cartons, sleeve damage, cooling records and shipment documents against the declared flowers. Use our quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

Alstroemeria can arrive with yellow leaves, bruised petals or broken flower-bearing branches even when the outer carton looks intact. Uneven bud maturity makes bunches open at different times. Assess flowers after the agreed rehydration procedure and retain a sample for the agreed vase-life check.

An order described only as assorted flowers can conceal cultivar substitutions and make classification harder. Keep varieties identifiable on the packing list, confirm suspension eligibility for the shipped presentation, and check plant-health documents before dispatch.

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.