Chinese tea entering Great Britain is currently treated as high-risk food of non-animal origin (HRFNAO) under special conditions for pesticide-residue controls. A buyer should confirm that the exact consignment falls under commodity code 0902, obtain the required official certificate and official sampling-and-analysis evidence, route it through an approved border control post, submit a CHED-D notification in IPAFFS at least one working day before arrival, and hold the lot until border, customs and private quality decisions are each complete.
The current Great Britain list places “tea, whether or not flavoured” from China in Annex II of assimilated Regulation 2019/1793. Identity and physical checks are set at 5%. That is a control-plan frequency across consignments, not a promise for one container. A private certificate of analysis is not the prescribed official evidence or border clearance.
Use five gates for a Great Britain tea entry
| Gate | Evidence to retain | Stop condition |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Scope confirmed | Destination, country of origin, product description, ingredient list, commodity code and dated Annex II entry | Great Britain is confused with Northern Ireland, or the tea identity does not match the legal entry |
| 2. Route accepted | Approved BCP, arrival mode, port-health contact, booking and contingency route | The selected point of entry cannot handle the relevant HRFNAO consignment |
| 3. Official pack and CHED-D filed | Official certificate, official laboratory report, commercial papers, filed Part I, submission time and CHED-D reference | Evidence is missing, expired, mismatched, late or inconsistent |
| 4. Official controls complete | Document outcome, any identity/physical check or sample record, authority messages and finalised CHED-D | The authority decision, sampling result, charge or instruction remains open |
| 5. Customs and buyer release | Customs outcome, landed-lot reconciliation and signed private quality release | Legal entry or the purchase specification is unresolved |
Build an eight-step GB import file
1. Write “Great Britain” before writing “UK”
This workflow covers England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland follows a different legal and notification route, including TRACES NT rather than the GB IPAFFS workflow. Record the destination, point of entry and final delivery address before asking a supplier or broker for documents. A container booked to the wrong regime cannot be repaired by changing a heading on the invoice.
2. Freeze the exact tea identity
Describe the product as plain or flavoured tea, green or other tea, loose leaf, broken leaf, powder or extract, and list every added ingredient. The current Annex II entry covers tea, whether or not flavoured, from China under commodity code 0902. Do not assume that a tea extract, instant preparation, botanical blend or composite product belongs to the same code or control route. Start with the contract product specification, then obtain a written classification decision from the importer or broker.
3. Capture a dated legal snapshot
Save the jurisdiction-specific Annex II row and its effective version. On 6 October 2026, the England, Wales and Scotland tables effective from 1 January 2026 list Chinese tea under code 0902 for pesticide residues at a 5% frequency of identity and physical checks. Annex II applies special entry conditions as well as increased checks. The lists are risk-based and can change, so recheck them before every shipment.
The 5% figure is not a supplier limit, sampling plan or maximum residue level. Legal pesticide limits and residue definitions are a separate question; apply the dated method in the MRL verification guide, but use current GB values.
4. Confirm the BCP before the carrier booking
HRFNAO consignments must enter through a border control post approved for the relevant goods. Ask the port health authority to confirm capability, notification timing, document route, charges and what happens if the vessel, port or estimated arrival changes. Keep that response with the booking. A familiar commercial port is not automatically an approved control route for every commodity and temperature condition.
5. Assign the person responsible for the load
Name the GB importer or agent who owns the IPAFFS filing and remains responsible for the consignment until official checks are complete. Define who creates the CHED-D, who reviews it, who monitors authority messages and who can correct arrival details. If an agent files, the importer should still approve a frozen dataset and receive the submitted record back. Use a controlled broker instruction and copy-back checklist.
6. Build and submit the official evidence pack
Because Chinese tea is currently in Annex II, obtain the prescribed official certificate and sampling-and-analysis results for pesticide residues. Confirm the current GB model, issuing authority, signature, report linkage, sampling identity, laboratory, methods, analytes, reporting limits, dates and validity before loading. Do not relabel a private COA as official evidence.
Submit the IPAFFS notification at least one working day before the expected arrival at the point of entry. Complete the relevant part of the CHED-D and upload the official evidence plus commercial documents, normally the invoice, packing list and bill of lading or equivalent transport record. Match exporter, importer, origin, product, code, lot, package count, net weight, container, seal, transport and arrival details across every file.
The buyer may also require a wider private pesticide screen or quality COA under the purchase contract. Review its lot link, method and reporting limits with the COA evidence checklist, but keep it separate from the official certificate, official analysis and authority release.
7. Treat selection and clearance as separate events
Authorities perform documentary checks and may select the consignment for identity and physical checks, including sampling and laboratory analysis. Build time and cost contingencies for holds, access, movement to a control point, sampling and storage. Preserve every message and the finalised CHED-D. Do not release cargo merely because the shipment was not expected to fall within the 5% frequency or because a previous container was not sampled.
Reconcile the CHED-D reference and authority outcome with the customs declaration and transport record. A completed border-food control is not the same as customs release, and customs release does not prove compliance with the buyer's sensory, packing or contract specification.
8. Release the landed lot privately
After the official and customs statuses are complete, identify the landed lot, inspect seals and packs, reconcile quantities and marks, take any contractual sample and review the agreed test and cup results. Keep it segregated until the authorised buyer signs the arrival inspection and private release. Record any discrepancy through the post-entry reconciliation rather than silently correcting the purchasing file.
Separate six kinds of requirements
- Legal requirement: current GB official-controls, food, pesticide and customs law governs the consignment within its scope.
- Official operational instruction: the active IPAFFS record and the written BCP, port-health or customs direction control the named entry.
- Trade reference: a supplier HS code, old entry, carrier schedule or prior CHED-D can help preparation but does not prove current admissibility.
- Voluntary standard: accredited testing or a food-safety certification can strengthen evidence but is not a CHED-D or authority decision.
- Buyer specification: defines the accepted tea, residue screen, packaging, evidence and private release rule.
- Contract requirement: allocates filing, testing, delay, change-notice and remedy duties but cannot override law or an authority hold.
Common buyer mistakes
- Using “UK” without deciding whether the destination is Great Britain or Northern Ireland.
- Assuming every tea-like product belongs under commodity code 0902.
- Booking a port before confirming that its BCP can handle the consignment.
- Treating a 5% control frequency as a probability guarantee for one shipment.
- Requesting only a CHED-D and commercial papers even though Chinese tea is in Annex II.
- Accepting a private supplier COA in place of the prescribed official certificate and analysis.
- Submitting IPAFFS data that conflicts with the official evidence, invoice, packing list, bill of lading, container or seal.
- Failing to update the notification when the vessel, point of entry or arrival changes.
- Confusing border-food control, customs clearance and private quality release.
- Copying last shipment's Annex status without a new effective-date check.
Conclude with a four-question release check
Before authorising use or sale, ask: Was the exact Chinese tea classified against the current Annex II list? Does the official certificate match the official analysis and shipment? Did it enter through an approved route with a timely CHED-D? Are border, customs and private quality releases all complete? If any answer is missing, keep the lot on hold.
For the supply-side file, review Yunjing Tea's sample-to-shipment quality controls and send the tea, ingredients, packing and Great Britain document requirements before contracting.
Sources checked 6 October 2026: the current Great Britain text of assimilated Regulation 2019/1793 and the England amending instrument S.I. 2025/1162, Schedule 2, which place tea from China under commodity code 0902 in Annex II for pesticide-residue controls at 5%; GOV.UK's current IPAFFS guidance and non-EU HRFNAO import guidance, including the Annex II official-document pack and notification at least one working day before arrival; and the current Official Controls Regulation, Article 56 on CHED use and finalisation. The Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority's 2026 product guidance was used to cross-check the Annex II certificate-and-analysis boundary. Recheck the active GB annex, certificate model, BCP approval, IPAFFS instructions, pesticide rules and written authority requirements for the exact consignment before shipment.
