How a tea export order works, from enquiry to payment
A tea export order runs through twelve steps: enquiry and buyer check, samples, quotation, contract, deposit and production, pre-shipment sample and laboratory report, pre-export supervision and inspection at origin, loading and declaration, bill of lading and certificates, balance against documents, foreign-exchange receipt and rebate, arrival and claims. Tea is a food export and a statutorily inspected commodity in China, so the middle steps are fixed by regulation rather than by preference. This guide names each step, who does it, what it produces and which certificate each market asks for.
Los pasos
01
01
Enquiry and buyer check
Confirm the buyer type (importer, packer, brand, wholesaler or broker), the destination's import registration (ONSSA approval in Morocco, an FDA-registered facility chain for the United States) and the grade, pack and Incoterms rule wanted.
02
02
Muestras
A sample of each grade goes by courier, labelled with batch, date and moisture; an identical sealed sample is retained so the shipment can be judged against it later.
03
03
Quotation
Price per kilogram under a named Incoterms 2020 rule (FOB, CFR or CIF for sea freight), tier breaks, packing, loading window, payment terms and a validity date. Our figures are stated per quotation.
04
04
Proforma invoice and contract
Grade, sensory and physical specification, the residue standard the lot is tested against (named by destination), packing and shipping marks, ports, payment, claims window and arbitration.
05
05
Deposit and production
Deposit received; blending, refining and packing begin. Private-label artwork and the destination's mandatory label content are approved before the packing run.
Pre-shipment cupping
The pre-shipment sample is cupped against the sealed approved sample before it leaves.06
Pre-shipment sample and laboratory report
A sample is drawn from the finished lot, cupped against the retained approved sample and sent to the buyer. Where testing is contracted, the lot is tested at an accredited laboratory against the destination's list and the report is issued before loading.
07
07
Pre-export supervision and inspection at origin
The exporter files the pre-export supervision declaration; customs at origin check the plantation and factory registrations, sample where required and issue the health or phytosanitary certificate the destination asks for.
08
08
Booking, loading and export declaration
Container booked and loaded at the factory with photographs and the seal number recorded. The broker lodges the export declaration under HS 0902 with the 13-digit code, processing method, net weight per package and brand.
09
09
Bill of lading and certificates
The vessel sails. Bill of lading (telex release or original), certificate of origin, insurance policy under CIF and the laboratory report make up the document pack.
10
10
Balance against documents
Under T/T the balance is paid against a copy of the bill of lading; under a letter of credit the documents are presented to the bank.
11
11
Foreign-exchange receipt and VAT rebate
On the exporter's side only: the receipt is registered with the bank and the export VAT rebate is filed once customs data and purchase invoices match.
12
12
Arrival and claims
Clearance support at destination. Any claim on weight, moisture, foreign matter or residue is settled against the retained samples and the loading record within the contract's claims window.
The document pack of a tea export order
Documento
Emitido por
Purpose
factura comercial y lista de embalaje
Exportador
Declaration, clearance, payment; must match the proforma and the customs entry
Conocimiento de embarque
Carrier or forwarder
Title to the goods; telex release common with established buyers
Certificado de origen
Customs or CCPIT
Clearance; RCEP certificate for Japan, general certificate for Morocco, West Africa and Russia
Certificado de salud
Customs at origin
Required by Morocco and other markets that ask for an official sanitary document
Certificado fitosanitario
Customs at origin
Required by many African destinations
Laboratory report
Laboratorio acreditado
Residue and physical results against the destination's list; travels with the lot
Insurance policy
Insurer
Under CIF or CIP, usually for 110% of invoice value
Export customs declaration
Customs broker
VAT rebate and foreign-exchange receipt
Loading photographs and seal number
Exportador
Evidence in any claim
Market-specific
Various
EAEU declaration of conformity and Russian label; FDA facility registration and prior notice; ONSSA-approved importer
01
Guide
How long does a first order take?
Plan for five stages — samples, production and packing, inspection and certificates, transit, and documents. As an illustration only, not a lead time for any order: one to two weeks for samples, two to four weeks for production and packing, one to two weeks for inspection and certificates, three to six weeks at sea and about a week for documents, or two to four months from enquiry to balance payment on a sea shipment. The loading window for a specific order is stated per quotation.
Production and the laboratory report run in parallel, but the pre-export supervision declaration and the inspection at origin add one to two weeks that a first-time buyer rarely plans for. The ocean leg varies more than any other step: Ningbo to Casablanca is a shorter voyage than Ningbo to Dakar, and rail through Khorgos–Altynkol to Tashkent follows a different calendar again.
02
Which certificate does each market ask for?
Morocco asks for an official sanitary document with the lot and tests against ONSSA limits under Order 156-14; the Eurasian Economic Union asks for a declaration of conformity under TR CU 021/2011 and a Russian-language label under TR CU 022/2011; the United States requires the producing facility to be registered with the FDA and a prior notice for each consignment; the European Union applies Regulation (EU) 2019/1793, with documentary checks on every consignment of Chinese tea and identity and physical checks at a set frequency.
The certificate is issued at origin only when the plantation and the factory are registered with customs as export food operations, which is why the registrations come before the first enquiry, not after it.
03
What is registered before the first shipment?
On the exporter's side: customs registration as a consignor, entry in the foreign-exchange directory, the VAT-rebate filing, registration of the processing plant as an export food producer and, where required, filing of the tea plantation with customs. On the buyer's side: whatever the destination requires of an importer, such as ONSSA approval in Morocco.
Preguntas frecuentes
What is a pre-shipment sample?
A sample drawn from the finished lot, cupped against the sealed approved sample and sent to the buyer before loading, so the shipment is accepted on the tea it actually contains.
Who issues the health certificate for Chinese tea?
Customs at origin, after the pre-export supervision declaration and inspection, for destinations that require an official sanitary document.
Which HS heading does tea ship under?
Heading 0902: 0902.10 and 0902.30 for packages of 3 kg or less, 0902.20 and 0902.40 for larger packages; China declares a 13-digit code with the processing method, net weight per package and brand.
When is the balance paid?
Under T/T against a copy of the bill of lading; under a letter of credit on presentation of the documents to the bank. Terms for a specific order are stated per quotation.
How do you buy tea wholesale?
Define the tea by grade and destination, request samples against that specification, approve one as the reference, then agree a written quotation covering quantity, packing, Incoterm, payment terms, documents and testing. The steps on this page follow the order from enquiry to balance payment.
