Subheading · Chapter 16 · Heading 1604

1604.12: Fish, whole or in pieces, but not minced: herring

Official description Herring

Subheading 1604.12 belongs to heading 1604 (prepared or preserved fish) in chapter 16.

Importing into Country of origin

What you pay

Importing into UK

Customs duty 14% – 20% standard rate · across 8 national lines depends on the country of origin

Additional duties and charges 1 additional measure Import requirements: 5

VAT 0.00 % import VAT

Duty calculatorCalculate duty and taxes →

Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff

UK lines →

1604 12 00 00 Herring
1604 12 10 00 Fillets, raw, merely coated with batter or breadcrumbs, whether or not pre-fried in oil, frozen 14%
Other
1604 12 91 00 In airtight containers 20%
Of the species clupea harengus 20%
Spiced and/or vinegar-cured, in brine 20%
1604 12 91 13 For processing 20%
1604 12 91 15 Other 20%
1604 12 91 19 Other 20%
Other 20%
Spiced and/or vinegar-cured, in brine 20%
1604 12 91 93 For processing 20%
1604 12 91 95 Other 20%
1604 12 91 99 Other 20%
1604 12 99 00 Other 20%

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. 833
Documents
- 9018

Import requirements 5

Prohibition or restrictionImport prohibition

Applies to goods from
Cambodia, Comoros, North Korea, St Vincent & the Grenadines

Legal act
2014 No. 170, S.I. 2019/411
Import controlVeterinary control
Applies to goods from
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antarctica and 232 more

Legal act
S.I. 2019/782
Documents
- C084 Exemption by virtue of Articles 3 and 4 of regulation 2019/2122 (animals intended for scientific purposes, research and diagnostic samples, and samples for product analysis and quality testing).
- N853 Common Health Entry Document for Products (CHED-P) (as set out in Part 2, Section B of Annex II to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1715 (OJ L 261))
- Y058 Exemption by virtue of Article 7 of Commission Delegated Regulation 2019/2122 (Goods which form part of passengers' personal luggage and are intended for personal consumption or use) or Article 10 (small consignments of goods sent to natural persons which are not intended to be placed on the market) of Commission Delegated Regulation 2019/2122
- Y931 Goods benefitting from derogation to veterinary controls according to Article 3 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/630
Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
Applies to goods from
Ukraine

Legal act
S.I. 2022/395
Documents
- 9009
- 9010
- 9017
Import controlControl on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
Applies to goods from
all countries except Cambodia, Comoros, St Vincent & the Grenadines
Documents
- C673 Importer Declaration or Re-export Certificate, as foreseen in Annex II of Regulation (EC) 1005/2008 or Annex IV of Regulation (EC) 1010/2009
- Y927 The declared goods are not concerned by Council Regulation (EC) No. 1005/2008
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)	—	14% – 20%
DCTS Comprehensive	Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin and 38 more Afghanistan, 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")	Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia and 23 more Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden	Free
DCTS Enhanced	Algeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville and 13 more Algeria, 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 more Antigua & 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 more Anguilla, 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–Australia agreement	Australia	Free
UK–Canada agreement	Canada	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–Ceuta & Melilla agreement	Ceuta & Melilla	Free
UK–Ecuador agreement	Ecuador	Free
UK–Egypt agreement	Egypt	Free
UK–Fiji agreement	Fiji	Free
UK–Georgia agreement	Georgia	Free
UK–Ghana agreement	Ghana	Free
UK–Israel agreement	Israel	Free
UK–India agreement	India	Free
UK–Iceland agreement	Iceland	Free – 10%
UK–Japan agreement	Japan	Free
UK–Kenya agreement	Kenya	Free
UK–South Korea agreement	South Korea	Free
UK–Lebanon agreement	Lebanon	Free
UK–Morocco agreement	Morocco	Free
UK–Moldova agreement	Moldova	Free
UK–North Macedonia agreement	North Macedonia	Free
UK–Mexico agreement	Mexico	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–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–Kosovo agreement	Kosovo	Free
UK–South Africa agreement	South Africa	Free
UK–Faroe Islands agreement	Faroe Islands	Free
UK–Norway agreementQuota	Norway	Free
UK–Norway agreement	Norway	3%
UK–Albania agreement	Albania	7% – 10%
DCTS Standard	Indonesia	10.5% – 16.5%
UK–Serbia agreementQuota	Serbia	10.5% – 14%

UK: imports by month

last 12 months£11.6m+11.6% · previous 12 months

Average import price£4.38 per kg

Data up to August 2026 (provisional) · Monthly data: Eurostat Comext (CC BY 4.0), HMRC (OGL v3.0)

Main suppliers, last 12 months

Country	Value	Share	Change
Norway	£3.5m	30.4%	-6.6%
Poland	£3.4m	29.2%	+80.1%
Denmark	£1.8m	15.3%	+16.3%
Latvia	£1.1m	9.4%	-18.3%
Lithuania	£1.1m	9.4%	+16.5%
Germany	£202k	1.7%	+51%
Ireland	£179k	1.5%	-45.3%
Sweden	£179k	1.5%	-5.1%

Same subheading in other tariffs

EU 15% – 20% Third-country duty 3 tariff lines · average 18.3%

Türkiye 80% Third-country duty 3 tariff lines

USA Free – 4% General (MFN) 3 tariff lines · average 1.3%

World trade in 2024

1604.12 · US$521m

Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$156kUS$156k+US$2m+US$21m+> US$38m

Exports: 80

Poland: US$178m
Denmark: US$93m
Norway: US$38m
Lithuania: US$34m
Germany: US$34m
Latvia: US$29m
Sweden: US$22m
Canada: US$21m
Belarus: US$13m
Netherlands: US$12m
China: US$10m
Russia: US$5m
Czechia: US$4m
United States: US$4m
Japan: US$3m
Spain: US$2m
United Kingdom: US$2m
Belgium: US$2m
Iceland: US$2m
Estonia: US$1m
Vietnam: US$1m
Austria: US$969k
South Africa: US$901k
Italy: US$778k
Ukraine: US$766k
Thailand: US$754k
France: US$699k
Ireland: US$648k
Argentina: US$478k
Bulgaria: US$452k
Greece: US$436k
Romania: US$415k
Türkiye: US$408k
Ecuador: US$288k
Philippines: US$278k
India: US$216k
Hungary: US$191k
Slovakia: US$156k
Egypt: US$154k
Finland: US$153k
Portugal: US$126k
Croatia: US$124k
Moldova: US$122k
Myanmar (Burma): US$106k
Australia: US$87k
Indonesia: US$81k
Jamaica: US$66k
Slovenia: US$59k
Malaysia: US$42k
Peru: US$21k
Luxembourg: US$16k
Taiwan: US$16k
South Korea: US$16k
Chile: US$9k
Kazakhstan: US$8k
Lebanon: US$8k
Ghana: US$8k
Dominican Republic: US$6k
Sri Lanka: US$5k
United Arab Emirates: US$4k

Top exporters

Rank	Country	Value	Share
1	Poland	US$178m	34.2%
2	Denmark	US$93m	17.8%
3	Norway	US$38m	7.2%
4	Lithuania	US$34m	6.5%
5	Germany	US$34m	6.4%
6	Latvia	US$29m	5.6%
7	Sweden	US$22m	4.3%
8	Canada	US$21m	4.1%
9	Belarus	US$13m	2.6%
10	Netherlands	US$12m	2.2%

Top importers

Rank	Country	Value	Share
1	Germany	US$198m	38.1%
2	Poland	US$67m	12.9%
3	United States	US$39m	7.4%
4	Netherlands	US$16m	3%
5	Austria	US$14m	2.6%
6	Sweden	US$13m	2.4%
7	United Kingdom	US$12m	2.3%
8	Finland	US$12m	2.2%
9	Romania	US$11m	2.2%
10	France	US$8m	1.6%

The UK Global Tariff divides subheading 1604.12 into 8 tariff lines; the duty is between 14% and 20% (average 19.3%).

In the EU Combined Nomenclature, subheading 1604.12 covers 3 tariff lines and the duty is between 15% and 20%.

164 countries pay no duty in the UK thanks to trade agreements and preference schemes such as DCTS Comprehensive and European Union, against a standard rate of 14% – 20%.

In the UK, additional duty of 35% applies on top of the customs duty to goods from Belarus and Russia.

Imports of these goods into the UK came to £11.6m between September 2025 and August 2026 (up 12% on the year before); Norway supplied 30%, followed by Poland.

In 2024, countries exported these goods worth US$521m (+2.9% year on year).

The largest exporter was Poland (US$178m), followed by Denmark.

Products classified here

herring - canned, prepared or otherwise preserved

Questions and answers

What is the HS code for fish, whole or in pieces, but not minced: herring?

Fish, whole or in pieces, but not minced: herring fall under HS subheading 1604.12, part of heading 1604, in section IV of the Harmonized System.

What is the import duty on fish, whole or in pieces, but not minced: herring in the UK?

Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 1604.12 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 14% to 20%, depending on the line. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.

What is the import duty on fish, whole or in pieces, but not minced: herring in the EU?

Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 1604.12 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 15% to 20%, depending on the line. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.

Which country exports the most fish, whole or in pieces, but not minced: herring?

Poland, with US$178m in 2024 (34.2% of world exports).

Which countries can export these goods to the UK duty-free?

164 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 14% – 20% 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 Norway (30%), Poland (29%) and Denmark (15%), out of total imports of £11.6m.