0303 · Fish, frozen, excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading 0304
The provisions of the explanatory notes to the subheadings of heading 0302 apply, mutatis mutandis, to the subheadings of this heading.
EU Combined Nomenclature · CN code · HS 0303.45
✓ Can be used in a customs declaration Data: EU Combined Nomenclature, in force from 1 January 2026 · checked on 22 October 2026
Importing into EU
Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.
Prohibitions, licences, controls and sanctions that apply when these goods leave the EU.
| Export measures | Destination | Legal act | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing | ERGA OMNES (except Cameroon, Cambodia, Comoros, Trinidad & Tobago, St Vincent & the Grenadines) | Regulation 1005/08 | 10 January 2026 |
| Control on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing | Cameroon, Cambodia, Comoros, Trinidad & Tobago, St Vincent & the Grenadines | Regulation 1005/08 | 11 December 2013 – 9 January 2027 |
TARIC data as of 24 October 2026
The rate each member state applies to goods of this code, from the Commission’s Taxes in Europe Database. A reduced rate can cover only part of the goods under a code: check the national VAT law.
TEDB · 24 October 2026
Entry under this subheading is subject to the conditions laid down in the relevant provisions of the European Union (see Article 254 of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 269, 10.10.2013, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/952/oj)).
Autonomous duty: Free.
WTO tariff quota.
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| €151k | 100% | — | |
| €1 | 0% | — | |
| €0 | 0% | -100% |
0303.45 Atlantic and Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus, Thunnus orientalis)
The European Commission's explanatory notes on how to classify goods in these CN codes. They are not legally binding but customs authorities follow them; they complement the HS Explanatory Notes of the World Customs Organization.
The provisions of the explanatory notes to the subheadings of heading 0302 apply, mutatis mutandis, to the subheadings of this heading.
General
1. Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates which have been deep-frozen are classified in the same way as fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates which have been frozen.
2. Simple scalding (blanching), consisting of a light heat treatment which does not entail cooking as such does not affect the classification. It is often used before freezing, particularly for tunny fish and the flesh of crustaceans or molluscs.
3. The following are excluded from Chapter 3:
(a) fish maws (air bladders), raw, dried or salted, unfit for human consumption (heading 0511);
(b) lightly salted fish, dried or smoked and steeped in a vegetable oil in order to ensure provisional preservation — products known as ‘semi-preserved’ — (heading 1604);
(c) fish, simply pickled in oil or vinegar, whether or not further prepared (heading 1604);
(d) molluscs which have undergone heat treatment that is sufficient to bring about the coagulation of their proteins (heading 1605).
Explanatory Notes to the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union, Official Journal C (consolidated text and later amendments) · © European Union
The Combined Nomenclature of each year, as published in the Official Journal: description, third-country duty and supplementary unit.
| Year | Description | Third-country duty | Supplementary unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | For the industrial manufacture of products of heading 1604 | 22% | — |
| 2025 | unchanged | 22% | — |
| 2024 | unchanged | 22% | — |
| 2023 | unchanged | 22% | — |
| 2022 | unchanged | 22% | — |
| 2021 | unchanged | 22% | — |
| 2020 | unchanged | 22% | — |
| 2019 | For the industrial manufacture of products of heading 1604 | 22% | — |
In the EU Combined Nomenclature, 0303 45 91 is one of 4 lines under subheading 0303.45, atlantic and Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus, Thunnus orientalis).
The third-country duty is 22%, and quantities are declared in —.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the EU imported goods of subheading 0303.45 worth €151k (up 3401% on the year before), at an average of €1.04 per kg; Tunisia supplied 100%, followed by China.
For the same subheading, the UK duty is 20%, the Türkiye duty is free and the US duty is free.
EU member states imported goods of subheading 0303.45 worth US$11.5m in 2024; the largest supplier from outside the EU was Morocco.
The third-country duty in the EU Combined Nomenclature is 22%; the supplementary unit is —. Preferential rates for goods from agreement countries, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
For subheading 0303.45 as a whole, the largest supplier from outside the EU in 2024 was Morocco (US$9.2m).