1212 21 00 and 1212 29 00 · Seaweeds and other algae
See the HS Explanatory Note to heading 1212, (A).
EU Combined Nomenclature · CN code · HS 1212.21
1212 21 00
1212 21 00: Fit for human consumption
✓ Can be used in a customs declaration Data: EU Combined Nomenclature, in force from 1 January 2026 · checked on 24 October 2026
- 1212 Locust beans, seaweeds and other algae, sugar beet and sugar cane, fresh, chilled, frozen or dried, whether or not ground; fruit stones and kernels and other vegetable products (including unroasted chicory roots of the variety Cichorium intybus sativum) of a kind used primarily for human consumption, not elsewhere specified or included:
- Seaweeds and other algae:
- 1212 21 00 Fit for human consumption
What you pay
Importing into EU
Customs duty Free standard rate depends on the country of origin
Additional duties and charges 3 additional measures Import requirements: 4 VAT standard rate of the member state of import, 17% to 27%
Duty calculatorCalculate duty and taxes → Additional duties and import rules
Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.
Additional duties and charges 5
- Additional dutyAdditional duties 50% with document Y-155 (Products exported directly or indirectly from the Russian Federation or Belarus) · otherwise free
- Applies to goods from
- all countries except Belarus, Russia
- Legal act
- Regulation 1227/25
- Documents
- Y155 Products exported directly or indirectly from the Russian Federation or Belarus
- Additional dutyAdditional duties 50%
- Applies to goods from
- Belarus, Russia
- Legal act
- Regulation 1227/25
- Duty on low-value parcelsLow-value consignment customs duty 3 EUR
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- In force
- until 31 October 2026
- Legal act
- Regulation 0382/26
- Duty on low-value parcelsLow-value consignment customs duty 3 EUR
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- In force
- from 1 November 2026
- Legal act
- Regulation 0382/26
- Handling feeUnion handling fee 2 EUR
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- In force
- from 1 November 2026
- Legal act
- Regulation 2108/26
- Documents
- Y126 Goods sold in distance sales
Import requirements 4
- Prohibition or restrictionImport prohibition
- Applies to goods from
- North Korea
- Legal act
- Regulation 0285/18
- Import controlImport control of organic products
- Applies to goods from
- all countries except Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway
- Legal act
- Regulation 2306/21
- Import control
- Applies to goods from
- Ukraine
- Legal act
- Regulation 0692/14
- Import control
- Applies to goods from
- Ukraine
- Legal act
- Regulation 0263/22
- Documents
- Y984 Goods not originating from or not destined for the non-government controlled areas of Ukraine in the oblasts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia
- N954 Movement certificate EUR.1
- N864 Invoice declaration or origin declaration made out by any exporter on invoice or any other commercial document
Import VAT in the EU member states
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 20% -
Belgium 6% reduced rate -
Bulgaria 20% -
Croatia 25% -
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 10% reduced rate -
Latvia 12% reduced rate -
Lithuania 21% -
Luxembourg 17% -
Malta 0% reduced rate -
Netherlands 9% reduced rate -
Poland 5% / 8% reduced rate -
Portugal 6% reduced rate -
Romania 11% reduced rate -
Slovakia 19% reduced rate -
Slovenia 9.5% reduced rate -
Spain 10% reduced rate -
Sweden 6% reduced rate
TEDB · 30 October 2026
EU: imports by month · HS 1212.21
last 12 months€45.1m+5.5% · previous 12 months
Average import price€4.81 per kg
Preferential rate0%
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 China | €21.8m | 48.4% | +13.2% |
 South Korea | €7.7m | 17.1% | -0.1% |
 Chile | €4.5m | 10.1% | +91.7% |
 Tanzania | €2.7m | 6% | +23.5% |
 Japan | €1.8m | 4% | -26% |
 United States | €1.6m | 3.6% | +11.8% |
 United Kingdom | €1.1m | 2.6% | -37.6% |
 Madagascar | €651k | 1.4% | +13.6% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
1212.21 Fit for human consumption
UK Free Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Türkiye Free Third-country duty 3 tariff lines USA Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Canada Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Mexico Free – 20% General (MFN) 3 tariff lines · average 10% 
Brazil 5.4% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Argentina 5.4% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Peru 6% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
New Zealand Free General (MFN) 3 tariff lines Japan 10.5% – 40% General (MFN) 7 tariff lines · average 16.2% · 1× specific or compound duty 
Taiwan 3% – 15% General (MFN) 15 tariff lines · average 9.5% 
GCC 5% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Switzerland Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Norway Free General (MFN) 2 tariff lines · 1× specific or compound duty 
North Macedonia Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Nigeria 5% General (MFN) 1 tariff line Binding rulings for similar goods
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.
- H312097 U.S. CBP
Application for Further Review of Protest No. 1001-19-100242; Classification of Calcified Seaweed Powders
- H272093 U.S. CBP
Internal Advice Request; Classification of Dried (Roasted) Seaweed, Thai Jasmine Rice, and Rice Cakes; US – Korea Free Trade Agreement.
- 600016700 HMRC
A frozen seaweed dish intended for use as a side dish, an appetiser, or an ingredient in commercially prepared foods, and Sushi dishes. Once defrosted, it is ready for consumption. The seaweed is mixed with black fungus, sesame seed, and chilli pepper. It is made by harvesting farmed seaweed,…
- 600012888 HMRC
Frozen seaweed (Undaria pinnatifida) The ingredients are: Seaweed (wakame), Black fungus, Agar-agar, Sesame oil, Sesame seeds, Chili, Rice Vinegar, Salt, high Fructose Corn Syrup, Mirin, Sugar, Flavour enhancer E621, Hydrolyzed, Vegetable Protein, Colouring E133 & Colouring E102. It is packed in…
- 600009799 HMRC
Product is 100% natural dried seaweed for human consumption, used as a raw material for making sushi. The seaweed is washed and dried at 160-350°C for approximately 5 seconds, it is then cooled and packaged in plastic bags. Available in various quantities.
Legal notes
Notes
1. Heading 1207 applies, inter alia, to palm nuts and kernels, cotton seeds, castor oil seeds, sesamum seeds, mustard seeds, safflower seeds, poppy seeds and shea nuts (karite nuts). It does not apply to products of heading 0801 or 0802 or to olives (Chapter 7 or 20).
2. Heading 1208 applies not only to non-defatted flours and meals but also to flours and meals which have been partially defatted or defatted and wholly or partially refatted with their original oils. It does not, however, apply to residues of headings 2304 to 2306.
3. For the purposes of heading 1209, beet seeds, grass and other herbage seeds, seeds of ornamental flowers, vegetable seeds, seeds of forest trees, seeds of fruit trees, seeds of vetches (other than those of the species Vicia faba) or of lupines are to be regarded as ‘seeds of a kind used for sowing’.
Heading 1209 does not, however, apply to the following, even if for sowing:
(a) leguminous vegetables or sweetcorn (Chapter 7);
(b) spices or other products of Chapter 9;
(c) cereals (Chapter 10); or
4. Heading 1211 applies, inter alia, to the following plants or parts thereof: basil, borage, ginseng, hyssop, liquorice, all species of mint, rosemary, rue, sage and wormwood.
Heading 1211 does not, however, apply to:
(a) medicaments of Chapter 30;
(b) perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations of Chapter 33; or
(c) insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, disinfectants or similar products of heading 3808.
5. For the purposes of heading 1212, the term ‘seaweeds and other algae’ does not include:
CN Explanatory Notes
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.
Explanatory Notes to the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union, Official Journal C (consolidated text and later amendments) · © European Union
This line in earlier years
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 | Fit for human consumption | Free | — |
| 2025 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2024 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2023 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2022 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2021 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2020 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2019 | Fit for human consumption | Free | — |
In the EU Combined Nomenclature, 1212 21 00 is one of 1 line under subheading 1212.21, fit for human consumption.
The third-country duty is free, and quantities are declared in —.
In the EU, additional duty of 50% applies on top of the customs duty to goods from Belarus and Russia.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the EU imported goods of subheading 1212.21 worth €45.1m (up 6% on the year before), at an average of €4.81 per kg; China supplied 48%, followed by South Korea.
For the same subheading, the UK duty is free, the Türkiye duty is free, the US duty is free, the Canada duty is free, the Mexico duty is 0%–20%, the Brazil duty is 5.4%, the Argentina duty is 5.4%, the Peru duty is 6%, the New Zealand duty is free, the Japan duty is 10.5%–40%, the Taiwan duty is 3%–15%, 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 1212.21 worth US$87m in 2024; the largest supplier from outside the EU was China.
Questions and answers
What is the EU import duty for CN code 1212 21 00?
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.
Do anti-dumping or other extra duties apply to 1212 21 00?
Additional duty of 50% on goods from Belarus and Russia. These are charged on top of the customs duty.
Where does the EU import these goods from?
For subheading 1212.21 as a whole, the largest supplier from outside the EU in 2024 was China (US$13m), followed by South Korea.
Typical products
Everyday names, not part of the legal text.