EU Combined Nomenclature · CN code · HS 1206.00
Sunflower seeds
✓ Can be used in a customs declaration Data: EU Combined Nomenclature, in force from 1 January 2026 · checked on 24 October 2026
Importing into EU
Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.
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.
Austria 10% reduced rate 
Belgium 6% reduced rate 
Bulgaria 20% 
Croatia 5% reduced rate 
Cyprus 5% reduced rate 
Czechia 12% reduced rate 
Denmark 25% 
Estonia 24% 
Finland 13.5% reduced rate 
France 5.5% reduced rate 
Germany 7% reduced rate 
Greece 13% reduced rate 
Hungary 27% 
Ireland 23% 
Italy 4% / 10% reduced rate 
Latvia 12% reduced rate 
Lithuania 21% 
Luxembourg 3% reduced rate 
Malta 0% reduced rate 
Netherlands 9% reduced rate 
Poland 5% / 8% reduced rate 
Portugal 23% 
Romania 11% reduced rate 
Slovakia 19% reduced rate 
Slovenia 9.5% reduced rate 
Spain 10% reduced rate 
Sweden 6% reduced rate TEDB · 26 October 2026
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| standard rate (no agreement) | — | 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 |
| SADC EPA | Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia | Free |
| Eastern and Southern Africa States | Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe | Free |
| EU–Andorra agreement | Andorra | Free |
| EU–Côte d’Ivoire agreement | Côte d’Ivoire | Free |
| EU–Cameroon agreement | Cameroon | 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–Ghana agreement | Ghana | Free |
| EU–Israel agreement | Israel | Free |
| EU–Iceland agreement | Iceland | Free |
| EU–Jordan agreement | Jordan | 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–Mexico agreement | Mexico | Free |
| EU–Papua New Guinea agreement | Papua New Guinea | Free |
| EU–Solomon Islands agreement | Solomon Islands | Free |
| EU–San Marino customs union | San Marino | Free |
| EU–Samoa agreement | Samoa | Free |
Duty applicable, except for products originating in or exported directly or indirectly from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, where an ad valorem duty of 50 % applies.
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina | €467.9m | 45.3% | +1,056.1% |
 Moldova | €189.1m | 18.3% | +2.9% |
 Türkiye | €148.1m | 14.3% | +0.1% |
 China | €145.1m | 14% | +22.9% |
 Serbia | €30.3m | 2.9% | -19.7% |
 United States | €20.3m | 2% | -21% |
 Ukraine | €18.6m | 1.8% | -58.6% |
 Chile | €5.6m | 0.5% | -63.3% |
1206.00 Sunflower seeds, whether or not broken
UK Free Third-country duty 3 tariff lines Türkiye Free – 20% Third-country duty 5 tariff lines · average 9.2% USA Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Canada Free Third-country duty 5 tariff lines 
Mexico Free Third-country duty 2 tariff lines 
Brazil Free – 7.2% Third-country duty 2 tariff lines · average 3.6% Argentina Free – 7.2% Third-country duty 8 tariff lines · average 6.3% 
Peru Free Third-country duty 2 tariff lines 
New Zealand Free Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Japan Free Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Taiwan Free Third-country duty 2 tariff lines 
GCC 5% Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Switzerland Free Third-country duty 16 tariff lines · 14× specific or compound duty 
Norway Free Third-country duty 2 tariff lines · 1× specific or compound duty 
North Macedonia Free Third-country duty 3 tariff lines 
Nigeria 5% Third-country duty 1 tariff line Decisions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CROSS) and HMRC (Advance Tariff Rulings) on goods classified here. A ruling binds only its holder, but shows how the authorities classify similar goods. The descriptions are the authorities’ own, in English.
Dried sunflower seeds Dried sunflower seeds for human consumption. The sunflower seeds are harvested from mature sunflower plants, cleaned thoroughly, and dehulled to remove the outer shell. Afterward, the seeds are gently dried, with no added ingredients and then packaged in a 100g pouch.
Bird food 100% Black Sunflower seeds. The seeds are for feeding wild garden birds. Comprises of the whole seeds mainly black but some have white stripes, they are not shelled. The end consumer places the sunflowers in a bird seed feeder, or bird feeding table, or on the ground to attract a variety…
Sunflower seed hearts. 100% Sunflower seed hearts, the seeds are for feeding of wild garden birds. Comprises of de-hulled (shelled) sunflower seeds which are broken and unbroken in the hulling process. The end consumer places the sunflower hearts in a bird seed feeder, or bird feeding table, or on…
The product is a grow your own sunflower set. It consists of a polypropylene plastic flowerpot. This contains a soil disc which is made of bamboo powder, coconut Fibre, corn starch and water and contain sunflower seeds (Helianthus annuus). They are then packaged in a paper Bag package.
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.
This subheading includes sunflower seeds for the production of oil for human consumption. They are normally delivered in their shell which is of uniform black colour. In general, the length of the seeds and the shells is almost identical. These seeds normally have an oil content of approximately 40 to 45 % by weight.
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 | Other | Free | — |
| 2025 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2024 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2023 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2022 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2021 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2020 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2019 | Other | Free | — |
In the EU Combined Nomenclature, 1206 00 99 is one of 3 lines under subheading 1206.00, sunflower seeds, whether or not broken.
The third-country duty is free, and quantities are declared in —.
Goods from 57 countries can enter the EU at a preferential rate instead of the standard Free; 57 of them pay no duty at all, for example under CARIFORUM or OCTs.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the EU imported sunflower seeds (HS 1206.00) worth €1bn (up 59% on the year before), at an average of €0.71 per kg; Argentina supplied 45%, followed by Moldova.
For the same subheading, the UK duty is free, the Türkiye duty is 0%–20%, the US duty is free, the Canada duty is free, the Mexico duty is free, the Brazil duty is 0%–7.2%, the Argentina duty is 0%–7.2%, the Peru duty is free, the New Zealand duty is free, the Japan duty is free, the Taiwan duty is free, the GCC duty is 5%, the Switzerland duty is free, the Norway duty is free, the North Macedonia duty is free and the Nigeria duty is 5%.
EU member states imported goods of subheading 1206.00 worth US$3bn in 2024; the largest supplier from outside the EU was Moldova.
The third-country duty in the EU Combined Nomenclature is free; the supplementary unit is —. Preferential rates for goods from agreement countries, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
57 countries have a preferential rate on this line, 57 of them at 0%, under CARIFORUM, OCTs and SADC EPA 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 1206.00 as a whole, the largest supplier from outside the EU in 2024 was Moldova (US$239m), followed by Türkiye.