Sourcing fresh lychees from China

Fresh lychee duty and classification

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, fresh lychees under 0810 90 20 90 carried 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension for this line. Heading 0810 covers other fresh fruit.

Lychees fall within the residual line of the named tropical-fruit group. The supplied facts contain only this commodity line for fresh lychees. Confirm the presentation and commodity code before ordering. See the berries and exotic fruit guide for the wider heading.

The UK Trade Tariff attaches an import control for organic products. If buying organic lychees, confirm the consignment requirements with your customs broker and approved organic control body before shipment. The exporter’s control body issues the certificate of inspection. This guide addresses purchases for Great Britain.

Specify the lychee flesh, skin and handling

Agree the variety, growing area, harvest maturity, size grading, seed size and acceptable flesh texture. Describe acceptable skin browning separately from flesh spoilage. Record whether fruit is supplied loose or in bunches, the stem allowance, pack weight and carton ventilation.

Ask for the grower’s spray records and details of any post-harvest treatment. Agree lot sampling for pesticide residues against the applicable UK crop limits, as described in the supplied food guides. Set loading and arrival temperature targets with the supplier and carrier, and request temperature records.

Importers must check whether the product requires phytosanitary certification for entry into Great Britain. Confirm the current requirements for Chinese fresh lychees with the plant-health authority before booking transport; the absence of a phytosanitary measure in the supplied tariff extract does not settle that check.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 5 tonnes of fresh lychees for wholesale distribution, illustrative only under 0810 90 20 90, invoiced at £20,000 free on board, with £3,800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £23,800. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £23,800, so it is £4,760. 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

Fruit: inspect across cartons for split skins, browning, mould and leakage; peel sample fruit to check flesh colour, firmness and fermented odour.

Handling: compare arrival temperatures and transport records with the agreed targets; check ventilation, crushed cartons and wet liners.

Lot records: match carton identifiers to the packing list, harvest records and laboratory reports. Keep samples from disputed lots.

Retail display: in England and Wales, loose produce covered by the general marketing standard must display its country of origin. Check the lychee display identifies China.

What goes wrong

A red skin can hide watery or fermented flesh, while skin browning alone does not describe the condition inside. Warm handling, delayed unloading and damaged cartons can leave fruit arriving with leakage or mould. Inspect peeled fruit as well as the outside, and photograph defects against the agreed acceptance criteria.

A generic residue report may cover another orchard or harvest lot. Ask the supplier to explain the sample identity and treatment history before accepting the report. Agree who assesses disputed fruit, how samples are retained and who authorises disposal. Use the quality inspection guide to organise the inspection.

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.