Subheading · Chapter 12 · Heading 1211
1211.20: Plants and parts of plants: ginseng roots
Official description Ginseng roots
1211.20 is a six-digit subheading of heading 1211, plants and parts of plants, chapter 12.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 1211 20 00 00 Ginseng roots Free+2
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 1
- Additional dutyAdditional duties 35%
- Applies to goods from
- Belarus, Russia
- Legal act
- 2022 No. 376
- Documents
- 9008
Import requirements 5
- Prohibition or restrictionImport prohibition
- Applies to goods from
- North Korea
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/411
- Import control
- Applies to goods from
- Afghanistan, Åland Islands, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla and 212 more
- Legal act
- 2020 No. 1527
- Documents
- N851
- 901Y
- C085 Common Health Entry Document for Plants and Plant Products (CHED-PP) (as set out in Part 2, Section C of Annex II to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1715 (OJ L 261))
- Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
- Applies to goods from
- Ukraine
- Legal act
- S.I. 2022/395
- Documents
- 9009
- 9010
- 9017
- Import controlImport control - CITES
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- Legal act
- 2021 No. 54
- Documents
- C400 Presentation of the required "CITES" certificate
- Y900 Declared goods do not belong to the Washington Convention (CITES)
- Import controlImport control of organic products
- Applies to goods from
- all countries except Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/693
- Documents
- C644 Certificate of inspection for organic products
- Y929 Goods not concerned by Regulation (EU) 2018/848 (organic products)
Preferential rates by country
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| standard rate (no agreement) | — | Free |
| DCTS Comprehensive | Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin and 38 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, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia | Free |
| European Union (including code "EU") | Free | |
| DCTS Enhanced | Algeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville and 13 moreAlgeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville, Cook Islands, Kyrgyzstan, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Niue, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu | 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) | Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands and 7 moreAnguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands, St Helena, Turks & Caicos Islands | Free |
| Central America | Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama | Free |
| SADC EPA | Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia | Free |
| Eastern and Southern Africa States | Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe | Free |
| CPTPP | Brunei, Malaysia | Free |
| UK–Albania agreement | Albania | Free |
| UK–Australia agreement | Australia | Free |
| UK–Canada agreement | Canada | Free |
| UK–Switzerland agreement | Switzerland | Free |
| UK–Côte d’Ivoire agreement | Côte d’Ivoire | Free |
| UK–Chile agreement | Chile | Free |
| UK–Cameroon agreement | Cameroon | Free |
| UK–Colombia agreement | Colombia | Free |
| UK–Ecuador agreement | Ecuador | Free |
| UK–Egypt agreement | Egypt | Free |
| UK–Fiji agreement | Fiji | Free |
| UK–Faroe Islands agreement | Faroe Islands | Free |
| UK–Georgia agreement | Georgia | Free |
| UK–Ghana agreement | Ghana | Free |
| DCTS Standard | Indonesia | Free |
| UK–Israel agreement | Israel | Free |
| UK–India agreement | India | Free |
| UK–Iceland agreement | Iceland | Free |
| UK–Jordan agreement | Jordan | Free |
| UK–Japan agreement | Japan | Free |
| UK–Kenya agreement | Kenya | Free |
| UK–South Korea agreement | South Korea | Free |
| UK–Lebanon agreement | Lebanon | Free |
| UK–Liechtenstein agreement | Liechtenstein | Free |
| UK–Morocco agreement | Morocco | Free |
| UK–Moldova agreement | Moldova | Free |
| UK–North Macedonia agreement | North Macedonia | Free |
| UK–Mexico agreement | Mexico | Free |
| UK–Norway agreement | Norway | Free |
| UK–New Zealand agreement | New Zealand | Free |
| UK–Peru agreement | Peru | Free |
| UK–Papua New Guinea agreement | Papua New Guinea | Free |
| UK–Palestinian Territories agreement | Palestinian Territories | Free |
| UK–Serbia agreement | Serbia | Free |
| UK–Solomon Islands agreement | Solomon Islands | Free |
| UK–Singapore agreement | Singapore | Free |
| UK–San Marino agreement | San Marino | Free |
| UK–Tunisia agreement | Tunisia | Free |
| UK–Türkiye agreement | Türkiye | Free |
| UK–Ukraine agreement | Ukraine | Free |
| UK–Vietnam agreement | Vietnam | Free |
| UK–Samoa agreement | Samoa | Free |
| UK–XC agreement | XC | Free |
| UK–Kosovo agreement | Kosovo | Free |
| UK–XL agreement | XL | Free |
| UK–South Africa agreement | South Africa | Free |
UK: imports by month
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 China | £204k | 52.2% | -52.9% |
 South Korea | £126k | 32.2% | +147.9% |
 Germany | £26k | 6.8% | +94.2% |
 Netherlands | £16k | 4.1% | — |
 India | £11k | 2.9% | +63.8% |
 France | £3k | 0.8% | -74.1% |
 South Africa | £3k | 0.7% | — |
 United States | £931 | 0.2% | -95.8% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EU Free Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Türkiye 110% Statutory rate (Law 474) 1 tariff line USA Free – 6% General (MFN) 2 tariff lines · average 3% The Turkish schedule prints the statutory rate set under Customs Law 474. The rate applied at import is laid down in the Import Regime Decision and can be lower, or different by country of origin.
World trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$10.4kUS$10.4k+US$135.2k+US$2.9m+> US$58.5m
Exports: 87
- China: US$95.6m
- South Korea: US$83.6m
- Canada: US$58.5m
- United States: US$42.4m
- Taiwan: US$10m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$6.8m
- Singapore: US$2.9m
- Germany: US$1.1m
- Belgium: US$900.7k
- France: US$488.2k
- Syria: US$376.2k
- India: US$371.6k
- Morocco: US$333.2k
- Malaysia: US$268.9k
- Spain: US$178.1k
- Italy: US$170.7k
- Netherlands: US$166.3k
- Indonesia: US$135.2k
- Japan: US$130.4k
- Thailand: US$110.1k
- United Kingdom: US$89.4k
- Nigeria: US$84.1k
- Czechia: US$62.3k
- Brazil: US$45.4k
- Pakistan: US$44.5k
- Austria: US$38.8k
- Colombia: US$35.8k
- South Africa: US$35.1k
- Macao SAR China: US$32.4k
- Peru: US$29.7k
- Philippines: US$23k
- Guam: US$19.7k
- Sweden: US$19.1k
- Poland: US$14.3k
- Egypt: US$10.4k
- Vietnam: US$9.1k
- Latvia: US$8.7k
- Slovenia: US$7.8k
- Russia: US$7.3k
- Sri Lanka: US$7.2k
- Australia: US$6.6k
- Ireland: US$6.2k
- Kuwait: US$6.1k
- Guatemala: US$5.6k
- Serbia: US$4.9k
- Cambodia: US$4.7k
- Romania: US$4.4k
- Malawi: US$3k
- Mexico: US$2.3k
- Denmark: US$2.1k
- Algeria: US$1.6k
- Côte d’Ivoire: US$1.5k
- Senegal: US$1.4k
- Cameroon: US$800
- Switzerland: US$700
- Hungary: US$700
- Lesotho: US$700
- Benin: US$600
- Uganda: US$500
- Uzbekistan: US$500
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$17.9kUS$17.9k+US$142.8k+US$1.1m+> US$28.1m
Imports: 123
- China: US$115.3m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$73.1m
- Japan: US$46.3m
- Taiwan: US$28.1m
- United States: US$11.3m
- Canada: US$5.2m
- Malaysia: US$5.1m
- Singapore: US$4m
- Vietnam: US$3.1m
- Italy: US$2.4m
- France: US$1.7m
- Germany: US$1.1m
- Macao SAR China: US$776.5k
- United Kingdom: US$683.8k
- Spain: US$596.5k
- South Korea: US$512.4k
- Netherlands: US$490.1k
- Saudi Arabia: US$478.3k
- Türkiye: US$442k
- Iran: US$390.5k
- India: US$362.4k
- Australia: US$337.6k
- Poland: US$269k
- Russia: US$261.2k
- Thailand: US$209k
- Denmark: US$182.1k
- Indonesia: US$168.7k
- Czechia: US$166.5k
- Luxembourg: US$150.7k
- Belgium: US$142.8k
- United Arab Emirates: US$138.9k
- New Zealand: US$132.8k
- Austria: US$110.4k
- Sweden: US$101.6k
- Mexico: US$75.9k
- Switzerland: US$73.6k
- Slovakia: US$73.4k
- Morocco: US$58.4k
- Norway: US$58.3k
- Egypt: US$57.1k
- Chile: US$56.9k
- Kuwait: US$54.4k
- Bulgaria: US$53.6k
- Colombia: US$46.2k
- Slovenia: US$44.5k
- Myanmar (Burma): US$43k
- Algeria: US$38.2k
- Pakistan: US$36.7k
- Guatemala: US$36.5k
- Ukraine: US$35.8k
- Portugal: US$35.7k
- Iceland: US$34.4k
- Hungary: US$32.1k
- North Korea: US$28.7k
- Argentina: US$27.8k
- South Africa: US$25.9k
- Uruguay: US$24k
- Ireland: US$19.4k
- Paraguay: US$17.9k
- Trinidad & Tobago: US$16.6k
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$95.6m | 31.3% |
| 2 | South Korea | US$83.6m | 27.4% |
| 3 |  Canada | US$58.5m | 19.2% |
| 4 | United States | US$42.4m | 13.9% |
| 5 |  Taiwan | US$10m | 3.3% |
| 6 |  Hong Kong SAR China | US$6.8m | 2.2% |
| 7 |  Singapore | US$2.9m | 1% |
| 8 | Germany | US$1.1m | 0.4% |
| 9 |  Belgium | US$900.7k | 0.3% |
| 10 | France | US$488.2k | 0.2% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$115.3m | 37.8% |
| 2 | Hong Kong SAR China | US$73.1m | 24% |
| 3 |  Japan | US$46.3m | 15.2% |
| 4 | Taiwan | US$28.1m | 9.2% |
| 5 | United States | US$11.3m | 3.7% |
| 6 | Canada | US$5.2m | 1.7% |
| 7 |  Malaysia | US$5.1m | 1.7% |
| 8 | Singapore | US$4m | 1.3% |
| 9 |  Vietnam | US$3.1m | 1% |
| 10 |  Italy | US$2.4m | 0.8% |
Subheading 1211.20 is a single line in the UK Global Tariff, where the duty is duty-free.
The EU Combined Nomenclature has one tariff line for subheading 1211.20; the duty is duty-free.
Goods from 174 countries can enter the UK at a preferential rate instead of the standard Free; 174 of them pay no duty at all, for example under DCTS Comprehensive or European Union.
In the UK, additional duty of 35% applies on top of the customs duty to goods from Belarus and Russia.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the UK imported these goods worth £391.2k (down 28% on the year before), at an average of £22.10 per kg; China supplied 52%, followed by South Korea.
World trade in these goods reached US$305.2m in 2024, down 15.1% on 2023.
China was the largest exporter with 31.3% of the total, ahead of South Korea.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for plants and parts of plants: ginseng roots?
Plants and parts of plants: ginseng roots fall under HS subheading 1211.20, part of heading 1211, in section II of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on plants and parts of plants: ginseng roots in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 1211.20 from countries without a preferential agreement are free of duty. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
What is the import duty on plants and parts of plants: ginseng roots in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 1211.20 from countries without a preferential agreement are free of duty. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most plants and parts of plants: ginseng roots?
China, with US$95.6m in 2024 (31.3% of world exports).
Which countries can export these goods to the UK duty-free?
174 countries pay no duty under a trade agreement or preference scheme, among them partners under DCTS Comprehensive, European Union, DCTS Enhanced. The goods must meet the agreement’s rules of origin and the importer needs proof of origin; otherwise the standard rate of Free applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.
Is there anti-dumping duty on these goods?
The UK charges additional duty of 35% on goods from Belarus and Russia. Lower rates apply to the named exporters listed in the measure.
Where does the UK import these goods from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were China (52%), South Korea (32%) and Germany (7%), out of total imports of £391.2k.