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 0303.54
Frozen mackerel
✓ 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
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| standard rate (no agreement) | — | 15% |
| GSP-EBA (Special arrangement for the least-developed countries - Everything But Arms) | Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin and 42 moreAfghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo - Kinshasa, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia | Free |
| CARIFORUM | Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize and 10 moreAntigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago | Free |
| OCTs (Overseas Countries and Territories) | Antarctica, Aruba, Caribbean Netherlands, Curaçao and 8 moreAntarctica, Aruba, Caribbean Netherlands, Curaçao, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Greenland, New Caledonia, Sint Maarten, St Barthélemy, St Pierre & Miquelon, Wallis & Futuna | Free |
| GSP+ (incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance) | Bolivia, Cape Verde, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and 4 moreBolivia, Cape Verde, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan | Free |
| Central America | Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama | Free |
| Mercosur | Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay | Free |
| SADC EPA | Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia | Free |
| Eastern and Southern Africa States | Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe | Free |
| EU–Andorra agreement | Andorra | Free |
| EU–Albania agreement | Albania | Free |
| EU–Bosnia & Herzegovina agreement | Bosnia & Herzegovina | Free |
| EU–Canada agreement | Canada | Free |
| EU–Côte d’Ivoire agreement | Côte d’Ivoire | Free |
| EU–Chile agreement | Chile | Free |
| EU–Cameroon agreement | Cameroon | Free |
| EU–Colombia agreement | Colombia | Free |
| EU–Algeria agreement | Algeria | Free |
| EU–Ecuador agreement | Ecuador | Free |
| EU–Egypt agreement | Egypt | Free |
| Preferential origin in accordance with the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco on the amendment of Protocols 1 and 4 to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Kingdom of Morocco, of the other part. | Western Sahara | Free |
| EU–Fiji agreement | Fiji | Free |
| EU–United Kingdom agreement | United Kingdom | Free |
| EU–Georgia agreement | Georgia | Free |
| EU–Ghana agreement | Ghana | Free |
| EU–Israel agreement | Israel | Free |
| EU–Japan agreement | Japan | Free |
| EU–Kenya agreement | Kenya | Free |
| EU–South Korea agreement | South Korea | Free |
| EU–Lebanon agreement | Lebanon | Free |
| EU–Morocco agreement | Morocco | Free |
| EU–Moldova agreement | Moldova | Free |
| EU–Montenegro agreement | Montenegro | Free |
| EU–North Macedonia agreement | North Macedonia | Free |
| EU–Mexico agreement | Mexico | Free |
| EU–New Zealand agreement | New Zealand | Free |
| EU–Peru agreement | Peru | Free |
| EU–Papua New Guinea agreement | Papua New Guinea | Free |
| EU–Palestinian Territories agreement | Palestinian Territories | Free |
| EU–Serbia agreement | Serbia | Free |
| EU–Singapore agreement | Singapore | Free |
| EU–San Marino customs union | San Marino | Free |
| EU–Tunisia agreement | Tunisia | Free |
| EU–Türkiye agreement | Türkiye | Free |
| EU–Ukraine agreement | Ukraine | Free |
| EU–Vietnam agreement | Vietnam | Free |
| EU–Samoa agreement | Samoa | Free |
| EU–Kosovo agreement | Kosovo | Free |
| EU–South Africa agreement | South Africa | Free |
| GSP - General arrangements | Congo - Brazzaville, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia and 6 moreCongo - Brazzaville, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, Micronesia, Nigeria, Niue, Syria, Tajikistan, Vanuatu | 11.5% |
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| €100.9m | 26.5% | +31.5% | |
| €94.9m | 25% | +38.3% | |
| €55.9m | 14.7% | +21.6% | |
| €49m | 12.9% | +300.4% | |
| €36.3m | 9.5% | +1,025.7% | |
| €29.5m | 7.8% | +61.8% | |
| €7.2m | 1.9% | -23.4% | |
| €3.6m | 1% | +45.7% |
0303.54 Mackerel (Scomber scombrus, Scomber australasicus, Scomber japonicus)
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 | Of the species Scomber australasicus | 15% | — |
| 2025 | unchanged | 15% | — |
| 2024 | unchanged | 15% | — |
| 2023 | unchanged | 15% | — |
| 2022 | unchanged | 15% | — |
| 2021 | unchanged | 15% | — |
| 2020 | unchanged | 15% | — |
| 2019 | Of the species Scomber australasicus | 15% | — |
CN code 0303 54 90 is a line of the EU Combined Nomenclature under HS subheading 0303.54 (mackerel (Scomber scombrus, Scomber australasicus, Scomber japonicus)).
The third-country duty is 15%, and quantities are declared in —.
136 countries pay no duty in the EU thanks to trade agreements and preference schemes such as GSP-EBA and CARIFORUM, against a standard rate of 15%.
Imports of frozen mackerel (HS 0303.54) into the EU came to €380.4m between September 2025 and August 2026 (up 59% on the year before); United Kingdom supplied 27%, followed by Faroe Islands.
For the same subheading, the UK duty is 14%–20%, the Türkiye duty is 30% and the US duty is free.
EU member states imported goods of subheading 0303.54 worth US$427.5m in 2024; the largest supplier from outside the EU was the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom ranked 1st with US$101.7m.
The third-country duty in the EU Combined Nomenclature is 15%; the supplementary unit is —. Preferential rates for goods from agreement countries, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
146 countries have a preferential rate on this line, 136 of them at 0%, under GSP-EBA, CARIFORUM and OCTs and other arrangements. The rate applies only to goods that meet the rules of origin of the agreement, with proof of origin. Choose the country of origin on this page to see its rate.
For subheading 0303.54 as a whole, the largest supplier from outside the EU in 2024 was the United Kingdom (US$101.7m), followed by Norway.