Star anise, cumin and fennel seeds from China
Seeds of coriander, cumin, anise, badian (star anise), caraway and fennel, and juniper berries from China, whole or ground, pay 0% UK duty on all six lines of heading 0909, with no anti-dumping duty. Culinary spices are zero-rated for VAT. Buyers check for adulteration, including toxic Japanese star anise mixed into star anise, moisture, foreign matter and microbiology.
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0% duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, heading 0909 covers seeds of anise, badian, fennel, coriander, cumin or caraway, and juniper berries. All six leaves, coriander, cumin, and anise, badian, caraway, fennel and juniper, each neither crushed nor ground or crushed or ground, carried 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure, no registration and no suspension.
Ginger, turmeric and other spices of heading 0910 are covered in our spices guide, and seasoning mixes in our soy sauce and condiments guide; confirm the commodity code. For pepper and dried chillies, see our pepper and dried chillies guide.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coriander seeds, whole | 0909 21 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Coriander seeds, crushed or ground | 0909 22 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Cumin seeds, whole | 0909 31 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Cumin seeds, crushed or ground | 0909 32 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Anise, star anise, caraway, fennel, juniper, whole | 0909 61 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Anise, star anise, caraway, fennel, juniper, crushed or ground | 0909 62 00 00 | 0% | None |
VAT and food rules
VAT Notice 701/14 lists culinary herbs and spices as zero-rated. Spices are food, so the importer needs food business registration and traceability, and retail packs need labels under the retained Food Information Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. Organic spices need an inspection certificate to be released as organic.
Specifying spice seeds
Specify species and origin, whole or ground and mesh, cleanliness and foreign matter limits, moisture, volatile oil content, broken pieces, microbiological limits (such as salmonella absent), pesticide residue compliance, and packing in lined bags.
Worked duty example
An invented example rather than a quote: 10 tonnes of whole star anise under 0909 61 00 00, bought for £30,000 free on board with £2,000 of freight and insurance, so customs value is £32,000. There is no duty. VAT Notice 701/14 lists culinary herbs and spices as zero-rated, so no import VAT is due on spice for food use. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.
Inspection checklist
Identity: check star anise lots for Japanese star anise and other adulterants by visual and laboratory checks.
Quality: check moisture, foreign matter, broken pieces and volatile oil against the specification.
Safety: check microbiology and pesticide residue reports for the lot.
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What goes wrong
Spice seed orders fail on purity and contamination. Star anise is mixed with look-alike species, cumin carries stones, stems or other seeds, moisture leads to mould, and lots fail microbiological or pesticide residue checks.
Test samples before shipping. See our quality inspection guide.
Cambridge China Bridge sources star anise, cumin and fennel for UK spice packers, food manufacturers and Asian grocery buyers, checking the processor first. See factory verification.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on star anise from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, star anise under 0909 61 00 00 whole and 0909 62 00 00 ground carried 0% from China.
Is there VAT on spices?
No. VAT Notice 701/14 lists culinary herbs and spices as zero-rated.
Are ginger and turmeric in heading 0909?
No. They are heading 0910.
What fails most often?
Adulteration of star anise, foreign matter and moisture, and microbiological failures.