Guides / Tea and herbal infusions · Updated 30 September 2026

Importing tea and herbal infusions into Great Britain

Heading 0902 covers tea from the tea plant. Chamomile, rooibos and fruit blends are a different question, and getting it wrong affects duty, controls and origin claims.

Why tea is a classification problem, not a paperwork problem

Most people who import tea into Great Britain assume the hard part will be the declaration. In practice the harder decision comes earlier: which commodity code the product belongs to. The UK Trade Tariff treats "tea" narrowly. Heading 0902 covers tea from the tea plant, whether or not flavoured. A great deal of what shops sell as "tea", such as chamomile, rooibos, peppermint, hibiscus or fruit blends, is not tea in the tariff sense at all. If a product is declared under the wrong heading, the duty, the import controls and any preference claim can all be wrong at the same time.

This guide looks at the pitfalls between true tea, maté, herbal infusions and fruit blends, and at the checks that sit alongside the customs declaration. For the codes and duty under heading 0902 in more detail, see a breakdown of HS codes for tea imports.

Heading 0902: what counts as tea

The UK Trade Tariff splits heading 0902 by two factors: whether the tea is fermented, and the size of the immediate packing.

At the time of writing the tariff shows a third-country duty of 2% on 0902 10 00 00 and 0% on the other three codes. Duty rates change, so check the live tariff on the day you import rather than relying on a figure copied into a spreadsheet months ago.

Two practical points follow from the structure. First, the packing size is the size of the immediate packing, so the same green tea shipped in bulk sacks and in retail pouches can fall under different codes. Second, "partly fermented" teas such as oolong sit with black tea, not with green tea.

Flavoured tea is still tea

The heading text for 0902 reads tea "whether or not flavoured". An Earl Grey or a jasmine green tea therefore normally stays in 0902. The Chapter 9 notes add a general rule about added substances: products keep their classification in the chapter if the resulting mixture retains the essential character of the goods of that heading. The judgement question is whether the tea leaf still gives the product its character. A blend that is mostly apple pieces and hibiscus with a small amount of black tea may not pass that test, and should be reviewed rather than declared as tea by default.

Maté has its own heading

Yerba maté is not tea for tariff purposes. The UK Trade Tariff gives it a separate heading, 0903 (maté). Importers who stock "tea and maté" together sometimes put both under 0902 on the invoice; that is a mistake worth catching before the declaration is made.

Herbal and fruit infusions: where the pitfalls are

Herbal and fruit infusions are where most classification errors happen, because the product name tells you very little. The tariff structure gives several signposts:

• Single-plant herbs. Heading 1211 covers plants and parts of plants of a kind used primarily in perfumery, in pharmacy or for insecticidal, fungicidal or similar purposes, and its subheadings list items such as mint, basil and dried oregano. Whether a given herb belongs here depends on the plant and the heading wording, not on the fact that it is sold as a drink.
• Spices and spice mixtures. Chapter 9 also covers spices such as ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Its notes say mixtures of products of the same heading stay in that heading, while mixtures of products of different Chapter 9 headings go to heading 0910. A "chai spice" blend without tea leaves raises exactly this question.
• Mixed infusions. Blends combining herbs, dried fruit, flavourings and possibly a little tea do not fit neatly anywhere. The classification depends on the ingredients, their proportions and which one gives the essential character.

Food import controls that may apply

Tea and infusions are food, so customs is only one part of the picture. Some food and feed of non-animal origin is classed as high risk (HRFNAO). GOV.UK explains that for HRFNAO from the EU you must submit an import notification on IPAFFS at least one working day before the goods are expected to arrive, and that the goods must enter through a point of entry with the relevant border control post. Products that need laboratory reports and health certificates are identified by reference to specific listing regulations.

Whether your particular product, from your particular country of origin, is on those lists has to be checked against the current listings, and the answer can change. Checking this early matters, because the commodity code and the country of origin are what connect a product to the list.

Labelling basics for prepacked products

If you import tea or infusions already packed for sale, the labels have to meet UK food labelling rules. GOV.UK guidance says prepacked food must show the name of the food, an ingredients list and allergen information, and that label information must be clear, permanent, easy to understand, easily visible and not misleading. Further mandatory particulars are set out in the detailed guidance on what food labels must show. Relabelling after arrival is possible but usually costs more time than getting it right with the supplier.

Preferential origin

Where the standard duty is already 0%, a preference claim makes no difference to the duty. Where duty applies, as it can for green tea in small packings or for some infusion codes, a trade agreement may reduce it, provided the goods meet the rules of origin and you hold valid proof of origin. GOV.UK explains that goods are "wholly obtained" if produced exclusively in a country covered by an agreement without materials from elsewhere, while goods using materials from other countries must be sufficiently worked or processed. Tea blended or packed in a third country from leaves grown elsewhere needs particular care. GOV.UK also notes that an Advance Origin Ruling can be requested for imports into Great Britain.

A short pre-shipment checklist

• Confirm whether each product is true tea (0902), maté (0903), or a herbal, spice or fruit infusion.
• For 0902, record whether it is green or black/partly fermented and the immediate packing size.
• For blends, obtain the ingredient list with percentages and decide which component gives the essential character.
• Check the live UK Trade Tariff for duty, VAT and any measures on the chosen code.
• Check whether the product and origin are subject to HRFNAO controls and IPAFFS pre-notification.
• For prepacked goods, check the labels against UK food labelling rules.
• If claiming a preference, confirm the rules of origin and that proof of origin is in place.

You will also need an EORI number and a declaration in CDS. If you are weighing up whether to file yourself or use an agent, see do you need a customs broker, or our guide to the CDS import declaration.

Related guides

• Importing coffee into the UK: commodity codes, duty and VAT

• Statement on origin: claiming zero duty under the UK–EU TCA

• Importing fish and seafood into Great Britain

Sources

• Heading 0902: Tea, whether or not flavoured (UK Trade Tariff, GOV.UK)
• Chapter 9: Coffee, tea, maté and spices (UK Trade Tariff, GOV.UK)
• Import high risk food and feed of non-animal origin from the EU to Great Britain (GOV.UK)
• Food labelling and packaging (GOV.UK)
• Check your goods meet the rules of origin (GOV.UK)

General information, not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules change; confirm current requirements on gov.uk or with a registered agent before you ship.