Import duties and entry requirements for fresh fruit and vegetables: 16 markets

Every market below follows the same order. Doing the checks in this order avoids the most common surprise — a quote built on the wrong tariff line or on a preference the shipment does not qualify for.

• Product and condition — fresh or chilled, whole or cut, and the exact species or variety. Cut, peeled, frozen or dried produce usually moves to other lines, and in some markets to processed-food rules.
• National tariff line — the six-digit HS code plus the destination's own digits (8, 9, 10 or 12 digits depending on the market). Use the destination's tariff, not the exporter's.
• Origin and preference — whether a trade agreement applies to this origin, whether the product meets its rules of origin, and which proof of origin the importer must hold.
• Date — some markets split fruit lines by import period, and the EU applies an entry-price system to certain fruit and vegetables; the date of import changes the result.
• Everything that is not duty — VAT or GST, plant-health documents, food-safety registration or notification, marketing standards and labels.
• Cross-check, then confirm: WTO Tariff & Trade Data and the ITC Market Access Map show tariffs across markets, but the declaration uses the destination's official tariff — confirm the final line with your customs broker.

Use this table to open the right official tool for each market. The sections that follow explain what each one covers and what we could not confirm.

Japan publishes one tariff schedule with general, WTO and agreement rate columns, and runs plant quarantine and food-sanitation checks as two separate procedures.

• Tariff lookup — Japan Customs' "Japan's Tariff Schedule (Statistical Code for Import)": choose the edition in force on your import date; lines show the six-digit HS code plus a three-digit statistical code, with separate general, WTO and agreement columns.
• HS notes — chapter 07 covers edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers, chapter 08 edible fruit and nuts and citrus or melon peel, so both include non-fresh forms. Some chapter 08 fruit lines are divided by import period: use the exact line and date, not a chapter-wide figure.
• Plant health — MAFF's Plant Protection Stations require a phytosanitary certificate from the exporting government and an import inspection; some plants are prohibited from certain origins and others need additional measures. The importing-conditions database shows the conditions for each plant and origin.
• Food safety — food imported for sale or business use must be notified to an MHLW quarantine station each time, using the notification form for importation of foods; inspectors review the documents and decide whether testing is needed.
• Labelling — the Consumer Affairs Agency's guidance says fresh produce shows its common name and origin, with imported produce showing the country of origin.
• Not confirmed in this review — a general import permit, the proof-of-origin procedure for each agreement, and quota treatment.

Korea separates the tariff (Korea Customs Service), food-safety import declaration (MFDS) and plant quarantine (APQA).

• Tariff lookup — the Korea Customs Service Tariff D/B searches by ten-digit HS code or goods name; use the national line, not a chapter-wide figure.
• Food safety — MFDS states that a foreign food facility must be registered before the import declaration, and that business imports for sale or use need an import declaration to MFDS; both run through the Imported Food Information Maru portal.
• Plant health — APQA decides which product–origin combinations may enter. Its list of pre-clearance programmes in exporting countries is one public reference (for South Africa it lists oranges, lemons, mangoes and grapes), but it is not a full list of permitted origins.
• Not confirmed in this review — APQA's permitted and prohibited fruit lists (the pages did not open on 25 October 2026), Korean chapter notes, seasonal duties or quotas, and fresh-produce labelling rules. Ask APQA and your broker before planning a new origin.

For fresh fruit, market access is decided product by product and origin by origin by GACC, and the importer must hold a quarantine permit before contracting.

• Tariff lookup — we could not open an official Chinese tariff query on 25 October 2026, so no line length or rate is given here. Use the WTO and ITC cross-checks and confirm the line with your customs broker.
• Plant health — under GACC's imported-fruit measures, the importer applies for an Entry Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit before signing the contract; each consignment needs the exporting authority's original phytosanitary certificate, and cartons must show in Chinese or English the fruit name, origin and packhouse name or code. GACC Order No. 283 amends these measures from 1 November 2026.
• Access lists — GACC's Department of Animal and Plant Quarantine publishes the list of agricultural products permitted for import, including the catalogue of fresh fruit species and exporting countries with quarantine access (page updated 19 October 2026). A fruit–origin pair missing from the catalogue has no confirmed access.
• Registration — GACC Announcement 2025 No. 219 (in force 15 December 2025) requires importers of products on GACC's registration catalogue to buy from overseas enterprises with normal registration status and to enter each enterprise's Chinese registration number in the declaration. Order No. 280 replaced Order No. 248 for overseas food manufacturers on 1 June 2026 and leaves primary edible agricultural products to separate rules.
• Not confirmed in this review — the official tariff query, the fresh-vegetable access list, and whether national label standards apply to whole fresh produce.

India's food-import clearance is run by FSSAI alongside customs; the plant-quarantine side is a separate procedure.

• Food safety — FSSAI's Food Imports Manual states that food importers need a central licence, and that FSSAI's Food Import Clearance System (FICS) is integrated with customs (ICEGATE) for consignments referred for food-safety clearance.
• Labelling — the manual treats packaging and labelling compliance as part of the clearance examination; check the labelling regulations for your product.
• Not confirmed in this review — the official customs tariff (CBIC/ICEGATE) and India's plant-quarantine import pages could not be opened on 25 October 2026, so no tariff line length, rate, permit or certificate list is given here. Ask your customs broker and India's plant-quarantine authority before contracting.

Singapore is the one market here whose customs authority states plainly that food is not a dutiable category — the work is in the food-agency rules.

• Duty — Singapore Customs lists four dutiable categories (intoxicating liquors, tobacco products, motor vehicles, and petroleum products and biodiesel blends) and states: "Goods not subject to customs or excise duty are non-dutiable, although GST may still apply unless exempted." (page updated 9 March 2026).
• Scope — the Singapore Food Agency treats whole fresh produce as fresh fruits and vegetables, while cut, peeled, canned or frozen produce falls under processed-food requirements.
• Entry — SFA allows fresh fruits and vegetables from any country, subject to its pesticide and chemical-residue requirements, and requires compliance with the Control of Plants (Import and Transhipment of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables) Rules before an import permit is applied for.
• Importer — businesses importing SFA-regulated food must be registered with ACRA, activate a customs account and complete SFA's GIRO arrangement; licence and permit needs depend on the food's classification.
• Labelling — each carton or basket of fresh fruit or vegetables must show the producer's name and address, a product description and the export or packing date.
• Verify — SFA's food classification tool and pesticide search tool.

The UAE applies a GCC-based tariff and runs plant-health release through MOCCAE; food registration is handled at emirate level (Dubai Municipality in Dubai).

• Tariff lookup — ICP's Central Customs Tariff System builds national and GCC digits on the six-digit HS code, up to twelve digits.
• Duty statement — the official UAE Government portal states that customs duty in Dubai is generally 5% of the CIF value, with stated exceptions for alcohol and cigarettes (page updated 14 September 2026). This is a general statement, not a check of any fresh-produce line — confirm your line in the tariff.
• Plant health — MOCCAE's release service for imported agricultural products covers fresh fruit and vegetables: inspection on arrival, a phytosanitary certificate from the exporting country's authority, transport and customs documents and an invoice or contents list; a certificate of origin is needed if the phytosanitary certificate does not show origin. Pesticide-residue certificates are required for exporting countries named in MOCCAE circulars.
• Food registration and labels — Dubai Municipality's system separates food-item registration, label assessment and the combined service; label assessment checks the label against UAE standards.
• Not confirmed in this review — a fresh-produce line in the tariff, food-line exemptions, and the exact Arabic labelling standard for loose produce.

Saudi Arabia uses the GCC integrated tariff and requires both the importer and each product to be registered with SFDA.

• Tariff lookup — ZATCA's Integrated Tariffs page states that the GCC integrated tariff at twelve digits applies from 1 January 2025; chapter titles are for reference only and classification follows the heading terms and notes.
• Plant health — SFDA's clearance conditions for fresh vegetables and fruits require a phytosanitary certificate (or re-export certificate) from the official authority of the origin or exporting country, with the customs declaration, invoice, packing list and certificate of origin. Shipments must meet the GCC agricultural quarantine law, and consignments can be sampled.
• Registration — SFDA requires the importer and the products to be registered in its electronic systems; its fresh-produce guide describes the account, the commercial register and the product details and images.
• Labelling — SFDA refers fresh-produce declarations to the SFDA/GSO labelling and packaging standards; its registration guide lists the item name, weight, Arabic text (with English where applicable), country of origin and producing company, with "fresh" next to the item name.
• Not confirmed in this review — a separate advance permit from the agriculture ministry (MEWA) and a list of approved origins per product.

The four EU markets share one customs tariff, one plant-health regime and one set of marketing standards; VAT and the national inspection services differ.

• Tariff lookup — use TARIC for the product code, origin and import date; the Combined Nomenclature has eight-digit codes and TARIC adds EU measures at ten digits. Access2Markets shows the same route by origin. A preferential rate needs the agreement's rules of origin and proof of origin, not just the country of dispatch.
• Entry prices — the Commission describes an entry-price system for certain fruit and vegetables, using standard import values; check the date-specific TARIC measures rather than one chapter-wide duty.
• Plant health — fruit and vegetables from non-EU countries generally need a phytosanitary certificate under Regulation (EU) 2019/2072; the Commission lists five fruits without that requirement — pineapples, coconuts, durians, bananas and dates. Official controls under Regulation (EU) 2017/625 use the Common Health Entry Document for controlled consignments, and some product–origin pairs face prohibitions or special conditions.
• Food safety — food businesses register their establishments with the competent authority (Regulation (EC) No 852/2004); pesticide residues must stay within the limits of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, which a phytosanitary certificate does not cover.
• Marketing standards and labels — Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2429 sets the marketing standards (replacing Regulation 543/2011, applying from 1 January 2025 per Germany's BLE) and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2430 governs risk-based conformity checks. Fresh produce must show its origin and, under the specific standards, details such as class, variety or size.
• VAT — set by each member state and separate from customs duty.
• National contacts — Germany: BLE for marketing standards; Spain: MAPA plant-health entry points; Italy: the Servizio Fitosanitario Nazionale and its border control posts. France's import-inspection pages could not be opened on 25 October 2026.

Great Britain uses its own tariff and its own risk categories for plant health, with separate dates for EU and non-EU goods. Northern Ireland is not covered here.

• Tariff lookup — the UK Trade Tariff gives commodity codes, duty, VAT and import measures; HMRC notes that only the first six digits are common internationally.
• Plant health — the Plant Health Portal (updated 14 October 2026) sets four risk levels: high and medium A need a phytosanitary certificate, IPAFFS pre-notification and checks at a border control post or control point; medium B needs a certificate without pre-notification; low risk is exempt from plant-health controls. An easement for medium-risk fruit and vegetables from the EU, Switzerland and Liechtenstein is planned to end on 31 January 2028.
• Marketing standards — direct non-EU imports under the specific marketing standards need a certificate of conformity; GOV.UK (updated 17 September 2026) says marketing-standard controls on EU fruit and vegetables are not expected before 1 February 2027 — a different regime and date from the plant-health easement.
• Food business — food businesses register with their local authority before they start operating; registration is separate from border notification.
• Labelling — the country of origin is shown in full, not as a flag or abbreviation, with class and variety where the standard requires them.

US entry for fresh produce combines the tariff (USITC), plant-health conditions (USDA APHIS), food-safety rules (FDA) and, for some commodities, grade rules (USDA AMS).

• Tariff lookup — the USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule (2026 edition) online search and chapter files; chapters 7 and 8 also include non-fresh products.
• Plant health — APHIS sends fresh fruit and vegetable importers to its Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements (ACIR) database, where requirements differ by commodity and origin; permits are applied for through APHIS eFile. A commodity not yet approved needs a commodity import request.
• Grade rules — under Section 8e, certain imports such as avocados, grapefruit, table grapes, kiwifruit, onions, oranges, Irish potatoes and field-grown tomatoes must meet comparable domestic grade, size, quality and maturity standards and are inspected.
• Food safety — FDA says importers are responsible for safe, sanitary, correctly labelled food, and describes food-facility registration (with exemptions, including farms), prior notice of shipments and the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP).
• Labelling — CBP requires foreign articles to be marked with the English name of the country of origin unless an exception applies; food has additional FDA labelling rules.

Canada requires a licence to import fresh fruit and vegetables, and its reference tool AIRS combines commodity, origin and end use.

• Tariff lookup — the CBSA customs tariff in force from 1 January 2026; advance rulings give a ten-digit classification. Preferential treatment depends on origin rules, proof of origin and shipping conditions.
• Plant health — CFIA says some fruit and vegetables need phytosanitary certification or an import permit; AIRS shows the requirements for a commodity, origin, destination province and end use, and is a reference tool rather than the law itself.
• Importer licence — fresh fruit and vegetable importers need a licence under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations and, with listed exceptions, membership of the Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation. Apples, onions and potatoes need an inspection certificate showing minimum Canadian quality, labelling and packaging.
• Labelling — consumer-prepackaged fresh produce generally carries its required information in English and French; other prepackaged produce needs at least one official language, with net quantity, common name, grade and country of origin addressed in CFIA's guide.

Mexico's tariff and plant-health requirements are both published online; importer registration and food-safety rules were not confirmed in this review.

• Tariff lookup — the LIGIE tariff on SNICE: an eight-digit tariff fraction plus a two-digit NICO commercial-identification number, with national notes, tariff-quota material and amendments to read alongside the line.
• Plant health — SENASICA's module for phytosanitary import requirements for plant-origin goods (MCRFI) is searched by product and origin combination.
• Labelling — SNICE's commercial-information NOM portal leads from the tariff fraction to the labelling standards that apply; do not assume prepackaged-food rules apply to all fresh produce.
• Not confirmed in this review — the SAT importer register (the page refused access on 25 October 2026), COFEPRIS requirements and the scope of NOM-051 for fresh produce.

Brazil classifies goods in the Mercosur NCM and lets importers check taxes and administrative treatment in one Receita Federal tool; plant-product access is decided by MAPA.

• Tariff lookup — Receita Federal's Sistema Classif shows the NCM, its tax treatment, legal notes and the administrative treatment (licences, permits and prohibitions); NCM codes have eight digits, the first six following the HS.
• Plant health — MAPA runs international agricultural inspection through Vigiagro; regulated plant products must appear on its list of products authorised for import (PVIA), and a product–origin pair that is missing generally needs a pest risk analysis first.
• Classification standards — where an official Brazilian classification standard exists for a plant product, MAPA says imported product must be classified against it.
• Not confirmed in this review — importer accreditation, any ANVISA role for fresh produce, and the Portuguese-language label particulars for each product.

• Product, variety and condition (fresh or chilled, whole or cut) and the six-digit HS code you believe applies
• Destination market and port, and the national tariff line your broker has confirmed — or a note that it is still to be confirmed
• Origins you accept, and whether you intend to claim a trade-agreement preference (and which proof of origin you will need)
• Import window by week, so date-split lines, seasonal measures or entry prices can be checked
• Plant-health route for each origin: access confirmed in the destination's official list, permit needed or not, phytosanitary certificate wording
• Registration the destination requires (exporter, facility, orchard or packhouse) and the numbers you will ask suppliers for
• Residue limits to test against — the destination's limits, not the origin's
• Marketing standard, class and size, and the label language and particulars for cartons and consumer packs
• Incoterms® and who pays duty, VAT or GST and clearance fees
• Volumes per shipment and per season or year (programmes start from USD 250,000 per year or season)
• Who acts as importer of record and which customs broker will clear the goods

Our team turns these points into one reviewed request and approaches suitable suppliers on your behalf. Buyers pay nothing; sourcing programmes start from USD 250,000 per year or season, and every requirement is confirmed per shipment rather than assumed.