How to Import Tea from Vietnam to USA: FDA, HTS and Duties

This guide is for US importers, blenders, tea-bag packers and private-label brands who want to import tea from Vietnam to USA ports in full containers. It covers FDA registration, Prior Notice and FSVP, HTS codes and duty rates, CBP filings for ocean freight, pesticide limits, labeling and transit times from Hai Phong.

It reflects the rules in October 2026 and is a practical overview, not legal advice: confirm the details with a licensed customs broker.

Step by step: importing bulk tea from Vietnam

1. Choose the supplier and approve samples. Agree grade, specification and packing; the approved sample sets the standard. See our tea grades and specifications and how to choose a Vietnamese tea exporter.
2. Check FDA status and set up your FSVP. Get the supplier's FDA registration number and US agent before you sign.
3. Agree the contract and Incoterms rule. Under FOB Hai Phong the seller delivers the tea on board your vessel; you arrange freight and insurance and carry the risk from there. Under CFR or CIF the seller also pays sea freight to your US port (and, under CIF, minimum cargo insurance), but the risk still passes when the tea is loaded in Vietnam. Under DAP the seller delivers to the address you name, and you clear US customs and pay any duties. Put the specification, US pesticide limits and documents in the contract.
4. Book freight and file the ISF. Your forwarder books the container; your broker files the ISF at least 24 hours before loading.
5. File the entry and Prior Notice. Your broker files both, then the entry summary with duties and fees within 10 working days.
6. Wait for FDA release. Most food entries are released after screening; some are held for documents, examination or sampling. Do not sell before release.

FDA requirements

Food facility registration

Foreign facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold food for US consumption must register with FDA: for tea, the factory that makes or packs it and any warehouse holding it before export. Each needs a US agent who is physically present in the United States. Registration is free, uses a DUNS number as the unique facility identifier, and must be renewed between 1 October and 31 December of each even-numbered year; the current window closes on 31 December 2026. Registered factories also fall under FDA's preventive controls rule and may be inspected.

When you check a supplier, remember:

• FDA issues no registration certificates, and a registration number is not FDA approval of the factory or its tea.
• Registration data are not public: the supplier gives its number to whoever files Prior Notice, but never its FDA account login.

Prior Notice

FDA must receive Prior Notice of each shipment at least 8 hours before an ocean vessel reaches the first US port. Your broker usually files it with the entry, naming the manufacturer and its FDA registration number. Without adequate Prior Notice, the tea can be refused and held at the port.

FSVP

The FSVP importer is the US owner or consignee at entry or, if there is none, a US agent of the foreign owner who has agreed in writing to the role. For each food and foreign supplier, the importer must:

• analyze the hazards; for tea, chemical ones such as pesticide residues and heavy metals;
• evaluate the risk and the supplier's performance, and approve the supplier;
• verify the supplier, for example by testing lots, reviewing its food safety records or auditing it;
• take corrective action when needed and reevaluate at least every three years;
• be identified on each entry line by name, email and unique facility identifier, and keep records for at least two years.

A qualified individual, staff member or consultant, must run the program (FDA's FSVP page).

Admissibility and import alerts

FDA can detain a shipment and, if the problem is not fixed, refuse it; the tea must then be exported or destroyed. An import alert lets FDA detain a firm's later shipments without examination; Import Alert 99-08, on pesticide residues, lists tea exporters from several countries.

Pesticide residues and lab reports

EPA sets tolerances, the maximum residue of each pesticide allowed in food, and FDA enforces them on imports; many tolerances in 40 CFR Part 180 list "tea, dried". A residue above tolerance, or of a pesticide with no US tolerance or exemption for tea, makes the tea adulterated. A report checked only against EU limits does not prove US compliance.

Ask for a multi-residue and heavy-metal report on the actual lot from an accredited third-party laboratory, checked against US tolerances. Brands selling in California may also ask about lead under Proposition 65.

HTS codes and duty rates for tea

Tea falls under HTSUS heading 0902. The subheading depends on the type of tea, whether green tea is flavored, and whether the immediate packing holds more than 3 kg, so bulk sacks go under 0902.20 or 0902.40. Vietnam has no free trade agreement with the United States, so the general rate applies. Rates: 2026 HTS, Revision 20 (October 2026).

Earl Grey stays in 0902.30 or 0902.40, as black tea has no flavored line. Jasmine green tea may count as flavored, and blends with herbs or extracts can fall outside heading 0902. Check your 10-digit number on the official HTS search and, if in doubt, ask your broker or request a CBP binding ruling.

Extra duties on goods from Vietnam, 2025–2026

Duty treatment changed several times:

• April 2025: an extra "reciprocal" duty under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) hit most goods from Vietnam, at 20% from 7 August 2025. Tea was exempted from 13 November 2025.
• 20 February 2026: the Supreme Court ruled in Learning Resources v. Trump that IEEPA does not authorize tariffs; CBP stopped collecting them on 24 February. Ask your broker about refunds on 2025 shipments.
• 24 February to 23 July 2026: a temporary 10% Section 122 surcharge applied to most imports, but not to tea.
• Since 24 July 2026: a 12.5% Section 301 duty applies to most products of Vietnam; all six tea subheadings are exempt (HTSUS 9903.05.86). The duty is being challenged in court.

So in October 2026, plain green and black tea from Vietnam are duty-free and flavored green tea pays 6.4%, plus CBP fees. Confirm with your broker before each order.

CBP basics for an ocean shipment

• Customs broker: optional, but most importers use a licensed broker to file in CBP's ACE system.
• Customs bond: shipments over US$2,500 need a formal entry, which CBP releases only against a single-entry or continuous bond.
• ISF (10+2): eight data elements, including seller, buyer, manufacturer, country of origin and HTS number, are due at least 24 hours before the container is loaded in Hai Phong; the stuffing location and consolidator follow at least 24 hours before arrival. Errors can cost US$5,000 per violation (CBP's ISF page).
• Entry: due within 15 calendar days of arrival, often filed before the vessel arrives.
• Fees: a merchandise processing fee of 0.3464% of value, with a minimum and maximum, and for ocean cargo a harbor maintenance fee of 0.125%.

Shipping times from Hai Phong

Approximate port-to-port ranges from 2025–2026 carrier schedules, excluding loading, customs clearance and inland delivery:

Labeling: bulk versus retail packs

Bulk tea for blending or repacking. Each sack or carton must show the country of origin in English, such as "Product of Vietnam"; grade, lot number and net weight help too. Most FDA label rules apply to the retail pack made in the United States, and bulk tea sent to your own plant, or to a packer under a written agreement, can be exempt from several of them. Repacked tea must still show its origin.

Retail or private-label packs made in Vietnam. These need a full FDA label on arrival: name of the food, net quantity, ingredients if more than one (such as black tea and bergamot flavor), name and address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor, any major allergen, and country of origin. Plain tea needs no Nutrition Facts panel unless the label makes nutrition claims.

Document checklist

• Commercial invoice with HTS number, value and Incoterms rule
• Packing list with weights and lot numbers
• Bill of lading
• Certificate of origin
• Phytosanitary certificate, where requested
• Certificate of analysis for each lot
• Laboratory and third-party inspection reports, if agreed
• The supplier's FDA registration number and US agent
• ISF data: manufacturer, seller, container stuffing location and consolidator
• Your side: FSVP records, customs bond, broker's power of attorney

Buying direct from a Vietnamese tea manufacturer

Goo Farm Tea Vietnam is a manufacturer: we run two factories of our own in Phu Tho and Yen Bai, northern Vietnam, each of 7,000 m². The Yen Bai factory is certified to ISO 22000:2018 by Vinacontrol (certificate No. 31905-FSV). Annual capacity is about 7,000 tons, and our team brings more than 40 years of experience in tea.

We make 47 grades: orthodox black tea, CTC black tea (BOP, BP, PF, PD), green tea, tea dust and fannings, Earl Grey and jasmine, oolong, yellow tea and matcha. See our guides to CTC black tea and Vietnamese green tea grades.

• Terms: FOB Hai Phong, CFR or CIF to US ports, or DAP to your address; minimum order one 40-foot high cube (40HC) container, which holds about 13–28 tons depending on the grade (packing and loading).
• Quality: samples with a specification sheet on request, every order matching the approved sample, and a certificate of analysis for each lot.
• Testing: third-party inspection by SGS or Dai Viet Control and pesticide and heavy-metal reports, arranged per shipment on request.
• Documents: invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin and phytosanitary certificate.
• US experience: our tea has already reached the United States, mostly exported by Vietnamese trading companies that buy from our factories, with SGS residue test reports that met US import requirements.
• FDA status: Goo Farm has not yet registered a food facility with FDA. A direct shipment to the US needs the factory's registration and a US agent in place first, so tell us early if you plan to import directly from us.
• Packing: PP/PE bags, kraft paper sacks, export cartons or vacuum aluminum bags; private label available.

From any Vietnamese supplier, ask before the first US order for the FDA registration number of the site that makes or packs your tea, proof that it is current, its US agent, a recent residue report against US tolerances, and timely ISF data. Read how we sell wholesale tea and how to import tea from Vietnam, or send us an enquiry with grade, quantity, packing and destination port.

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Do I need an FDA license to import tea into the United States? No. FDA does not license importers, but the supplier's facility must be registered, each shipment needs Prior Notice, you need an FSVP, and FDA can detain or refuse a shipment.

What is the HTS code for black tea from Vietnam? 0902.40.00 for bulk black tea in packings over 3 kg and 0902.30.00 for packings up to 3 kg, such as tea bags; both have a general duty rate of free.

Does the 12.5% tariff on Vietnamese goods apply to tea? Not as of October 2026: all tea subheadings of heading 0902 are exempt from the Section 301 duty on most products of Vietnam. Rules change often, so check hts.usitc.gov and your broker before each order.

Does a Vietnamese tea supplier need an FDA certificate? No: FDA does not issue registration certificates. The supplier needs a current FDA food facility registration and a US agent; ask for the number and confirm it has not expired.

How long does shipping take from Vietnam to the US? From Hai Phong, roughly 17–30 days port to port to Los Angeles or Long Beach and 35–50 days to New York or Savannah.

What is the minimum order from Goo Farm Tea Vietnam? One 40-foot high cube container, about 13–28 tons depending on the grade, sold FOB Hai Phong, CFR or CIF to US ports, or DAP to your address, with samples and a specification sheet on request.

Has Goo Farm tea already been imported into the US? Yes, mostly through Vietnamese trading companies that exported tea made in our factories, with SGS residue test reports that met US import requirements. For a direct import, our factory's FDA registration and US agent must be in place first.