Extracts and juices of meat, fish or crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates (heading 1603): importing markets

Fact sheet

Code

1603

Chapter

16 · Meat, fish, crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, or insects; preparations thereof

Subheadings

1

What to know before exporting under heading 1603

Heading 1603 belongs to chapter 16 of the Harmonized System, which groups preparations of meat, fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates. It is a four-digit heading with a single subheading, so classification inside it is simple. The difficulty is deciding whether your product belongs here or in a neighbouring heading.

Classification comes first. An extract or juice is not the same as a prepared or preserved product, which falls under other headings of the same chapter. Check the explanatory notes of the Harmonized System and, if there is doubt, request a binding tariff information decision from the customs authority. For a company exporting from Spain, that is the AEAT.

Demand is spread across several regions. The table shows the United States and Japan almost level, followed by Hong Kong SAR China, South Korea and Germany. The figures are imports declared by each country from the world, so they measure the size of the market and not the share open to a Spanish supplier.

The tariff depends on the destination, the full national code of the product and the agreement in force between the EU and that country. For a company exporting from Spain, the applicable duty and the origin rules are consulted in Access2Markets. Do not rely on a general rate for the heading.

Products of animal origin usually face sanitary controls at the border. The documents required, such as health certificates, and any prior registration of the establishment are set by the importing country. Check them for each destination before quoting, because they affect lead times and cost.