Dried apricots

What has to exist before it sails

These have to be obtained while the goods are still with you. A certificate of origin cannot be got after the vessel has left, and finding that out at the destination is the expensive way to learn it.

• Commercial invoiceUnited States · United KingdomSeller · Must state HTS code, country of origin, incoterm, and a defensible transaction value.
• Packing listUnited States · United KingdomSeller · Carton count, net and gross weight, marks and numbers.
• Bill of lading / air waybillUnited StatesCarrier · Consignee details must match the entry exactly or the release is delayed.
• Customs bondUnited StatesSurety, via broker · Single-entry or continuous. Continuous is cheaper above roughly four entries a year.
• ISF 10+2 filingUnited StatesImporter or broker · Ten data elements from the importer, two from the carrier.
• FDA Prior Notice confirmationUnited StatesFiler, via FDA · Minimum 8 hours before arrival by vessel, 4 hours by air.
• Food facility registration numberUnited StatesFDA, held by the producer · Foreign facilities must renew every two years and name a US agent.
• Aflatoxin test certificateUnited StatesAccredited laboratory · Lot-specific, sampled to a recognised plan. Test the lot you are shipping, not a prior one.
• Sulphur dioxide analysisUnited States · United KingdomAccredited laboratory · Standard for sulphured apricots, which are the bright-orange ones buyers usually want.
• Bill of lading / CMRUnited KingdomCarrier · CMR for road movements via the Balkans, which is common on this lane.
• GB EORI numberUnited KingdomHMRC, held by the importer · Must exist before the first declaration. Issued in a few days, not instantly.
• Entry Summary Declaration (ENS)United KingdomCarrier or appointed filer · Filed to the S&S GB service before the goods arrive.
• EUR.1 movement certificateUnited KingdomExporter, endorsed by Turkish customs · Required to claim any preference that is available for the specific commodity.
• VAT registration or postponed VAT accounting electionUnited KingdomImporter · Postponed VAT accounting moves the charge onto the VAT return instead of the border.

What actually holds a consignment

• ISF is due 24 hours before the container is loaded — not on arrivalUnited StatesFiled at the origin port, before the vessel loads. It is the single most common penalty on first-time US importers, because everyone assumes customs paperwork happens at the destination.Liquidated damages of USD 5,000 per late filing, plus holds on subsequent shipments.
• The US importer carries the FSVP duty, and most first-timers do not know they have itUnited StatesForeign Supplier Verification is a legal obligation on the US importer of record — supplier approval, hazard analysis, documented verification activities. It is checked on entry and audited afterwards.Refusal of entry, and FSVP inspection findings that follow the importer across all future shipments.
• Turkish nuts and dried fruit are on FDA’s watch list for aflatoxinUnited StatesFDA action level is 20 ppb total aflatoxins. Turkish hazelnuts, figs and pistachios have a long detention history, and repeat findings put a producer on an import alert.Detention Without Physical Examination: every future shipment held at the importer’s cost until cleared by private lab analysis.
• Valuation must be defensible, not convenientUnited StatesCBP values on transaction value. Related-party pricing, free samples, tooling and assists all have to be declared and are a standard audit target.Retroactive duty demand plus penalties, often years later.
• Facility registration lapses silentlyUnited StatesBiennial renewal falls in the last quarter of even-numbered years. A lapsed registration at the producer stops a shipment that was otherwise perfect.Entry refused on arrival. Nothing can be fixed while the container sits.
• Sulphites above 10 ppm must be declared on the labelUnited StatesUndeclared sulphites are a labelling violation and an allergen issue. Nearly all Turkish apricots exported bright orange are sulphured.Refusal of entry, and recall exposure if the goods reach retail.
• No GB EORI, no importUnited KingdomThe importer of record needs a GB EORI before anything can be declared. First-time importers routinely discover this with the goods already on the water.Goods held at the port until the number is issued, accruing storage.
• ENS is filed before arrival, and the deadline depends on the modeUnited KingdomDeep-sea containers require the declaration 24 hours before loading; short-sea and road movements have much tighter windows. Responsibility sits with the carrier but the liability lands on the importer.Penalties and a hold on arrival while the declaration is corrected.
• Agricultural goods do not get the blanket 0% that industrial goods doUnited KingdomThe UK–Türkiye FTA liberalises industrial products broadly, but agricultural and processed agricultural goods have concessions that are partial and in some cases quota-limited. The rate depends on the specific commodity code.A landed-cost model assuming 0% because "there is an FTA" understates the duty.
• Import VAT is charged on value plus freight plus duty, not on the goods aloneUnited KingdomAt 20% it is usually the largest single line at the border. A VAT-registered importer reclaims it, but it still leaves the bank account first unless postponed VAT accounting is in place.A cash-flow hit of roughly a fifth of the landed value on every shipment until it is reclaimed.
• Sulphites above 10 mg/kg must be declared and emphasised on the labelUnited KingdomUK food information rules require the allergen to be emphasised in the ingredients list, in English, on retail packs.Withdrawal from sale and a Food Alert for Action if it reaches retail undeclared.