Vietnamese tea is classified under HS heading 0902, “Tea, whether or not flavoured”. Green (unfermented) tea is 0902.10 when each immediate packing holds 3 kg or less and 0902.20 when it holds more; black and partly fermented tea split the same way into 0902.30 and 0902.40. Digits seven and eight are set by each country, so the 8-digit code on a Vietnamese export declaration is not automatically the code your broker should enter at import. Tea extracts belong to 2101.20, and herbal “teas” made without the tea plant fall outside 0902 altogether.
| Product | HS subheading (6 digits, worldwide) | Vietnam’s 8-digit lines |
|---|---|---|
| Green tea, immediate packings of 3 kg or less (loose-leaf boxes, tins, tea bags) | 0902.10 | 0902.10.10 Leaves / 0902.10.90 Other |
| Green tea in larger packings (bulk cartons, sacks) | 0902.20 | 0902.20.10 Leaves / 0902.20.90 Other |
| Black or partly fermented tea, 3 kg or less | 0902.30 | 0902.30.10 Leaves / 0902.30.90 Other |
| Black or partly fermented tea, larger packings | 0902.40 | 0902.40.10 Leaves / 0902.40.90 Other |
| Tea extracts, essences, concentrates and instant tea | 2101.20 | e.g. 2101.20.20 tea extracts in powder form for making tea preparations |
| Herbal infusions containing no tea leaf | Not 0902: usually 1211 (single plant) or 2106 (mixtures) | Depends on composition |
How heading 0902 is structured
The World Customs Organization’s Harmonized System (2022 edition) sorts tea by two questions: has the leaf been fermented, and how much does each immediate packing hold? The 3 kg threshold applies to the pack in direct contact with the tea, not to the shipment: a carton of forty 100 g boxes of green tea is 0902.10, while a 20 kg lined carton of the same tea is 0902.20.
- 0902.10 – Green tea (not fermented) in immediate packings of a content not exceeding 3 kg
- 0902.20 – Other green tea (not fermented)
- 0902.30 – Black tea (fermented) and partly fermented tea, in immediate packings of a content not exceeding 3 kg
- 0902.40 – Other black tea (fermented) and other partly fermented tea
Thai Nguyen green tea is unfermented and therefore lands in 0902.10 or 0902.20. Vietnamese black tea goes to 0902.30 or 0902.40, and partly fermented teas such as oolong share those subheadings. The words “whether or not flavoured” in the heading mean that scented green tea, for example jasmine or lotus tea, stays in 0902 at the six-digit level.
Vietnam’s 8-digit codes, and why yours may differ
Vietnam’s list of exported and imported goods is issued by the Ministry of Finance in Circular 31/2022/TT-BTC, which follows the ASEAN Harmonised Tariff Nomenclature 2022. Under each of the four tea subheadings Vietnam adds two lines: .10 “Lá chè” (leaves) and .90 “Loại khác” (other). A 100 g box of whole-leaf green tea leaving Thai Nguyen is therefore normally declared as 0902.10.10 on the Vietnamese side.
The same eight digits mean something different in other national tariffs:
- United States (HTS 2026, Revision 22): 0902.10.10 is flavored green tea in packings up to 3 kg, with a general duty of 6.4%; 0902.10.90 “Other” is duty-free in the general column.
- Canada (Customs Tariff T2026): 0902.10.10 covers green tea “in bags for individual servings” and 0902.10.90 covers other packings, both with an MFN rate of Free.
So 0902.10.10 is plain leaf tea in Vietnam, flavoured tea in the United States and bagged tea in Canada. Your broker should take the six-digit subheading from our documents and choose the national line from your own tariff. General-column rates exclude any additional duties on Vietnamese-origin goods, so check the current position before pricing a container.
Tea bags, scented tea and blends
Putting tea into bags does not take it out of 0902. Our Broken Needle Tea Bags are green tea in single-serve bags packed in retail boxes, so they belong to 0902.10.
Blends are where classifications diverge. One US Customs and Border Protection ruling shows both sides:
- Ruling N250549 (12 March 2014) classified an oolong-based blend that also contained maté, ginger and other botanicals under 0902.30.0090, as partly fermented tea.
- The same ruling placed a mixed herbal blend (senna, peppermint, fenugreek and others) under 2106.90.9987, food preparations not elsewhere specified, at 6.4%.
The outcome depends on what gives the product its character. If your recipe adds fruit pieces, flowers or herbs to Vietnamese green tea, send us the full formula with percentages by weight before you order, so your broker can assess it in advance.
Tea extracts and instant tea: 2101.20
Once tea has been extracted, as instant tea powder, liquid concentrate or essence, it leaves Chapter 9. Subheading 2101.20 covers extracts, essences and concentrates of tea or maté and preparations based on them. Vietnam’s tariff, for example, has a line 2101.20.20 for tea extracts in powder form used to manufacture tea preparations.
Herbal teas are not classified in 0902
Products sold as “tea” but made without leaves of the tea plant are classified elsewhere. In ruling HQ 950483 (9 January 1992), US Customs noted that the Explanatory Notes to heading 0902 exclude herbal infusion products and send them to headings 08.13, 09.09, 12.11 or 21.06; the mixed herbal blend in that case went to 2106. Single-plant products often sit in 1211. Rooibos, for instance, is classified in subheading 1211.90, a decision approved by the HS Committee at its 71st session in March 2023 and set out in a UK tariff notice published on 19 January 2024.
Gift sets add one more layer. In a UK Advance Tariff Ruling valid from 16 July 2026, a box of 20 individually wrapped infusion bags sold with a stainless steel spoon was classified as a single item under 2106.90: the infusion gave the set its essential character, so the spoon did not receive a code of its own.
A checklist before you book the shipment
- Confirm the fermentation status (green, black or partly fermented) and the net weight per immediate packing on the proforma invoice. These two facts decide the six-digit subheading.
- List every ingredient and its percentage if the product is flavoured or blended.
- Ask your customs broker to select the national 8- or 10-digit line from your own tariff, not from the Vietnamese declaration.
- Check current duties and any additional measures on Vietnamese-origin goods.
- For a new or borderline product, apply for a binding ruling from your customs authority, such as the UK Advance Tariff Ruling service or a US CBP ruling.
TRAVINA, the brand of Tam Tra Viet Cooperative in Dai Tu, Thai Nguyen, sources green tea from a 40.5 ha raw-material area farmed under VietGAP procedures, and our La Bang processing facility holds ISO 22000 certification. Our export documents state the six-digit subheading, the Vietnamese eight-digit line and the product facts your broker needs.
Need the HS details for a specific product before you order. Importers can request samples of Traditional Northern Green Tea, Special Green Tea or Broken Needle Tea Bags through our Contact page, or message our export team on Zalo/WhatsApp at +84 855 318 678. Tell us your destination market and pack size, and we will confirm the subheading we intend to declare.
FAQ
What is the HS code for Vietnamese green tea?
Green tea from Vietnam is 0902.10 when each immediate packing holds 3 kg or less and 0902.20 for larger packings. On the Vietnamese export side, whole leaf is declared under the .10 line (for example 0902.10.10) and other forms under the .90 line.
Are tea bags classified differently from loose-leaf tea?
Not at six digits. Green tea in bags stays in 0902.10. Some countries, such as Canada, create a separate national line for tea in bags for individual servings, so the 8-digit code may change while the subheading does not.
Is jasmine or lotus scented tea still under 0902?
Yes, heading 0902 covers tea whether or not flavoured. Some tariffs, such as the US schedule, separate flavoured tea at national level and apply a different rate.
What HS code applies to Vietnamese black tea?
Black (fermented) tea is 0902.30 in immediate packings of 3 kg or less and 0902.40 in larger packings. Partly fermented teas such as oolong use the same two subheadings.
Can I copy the code from the Vietnamese export declaration onto my import entry?
Use the first six digits as a cross-check. The seventh digit onwards belongs to each national tariff, so your broker must choose the line from your own country’s schedule.
Sources
- World Customs Organization, Harmonized System 2022, heading 09.02 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Circular 31/2022/TT-BTC on Vietnam’s list of exported and imported goods (VCCI legal database), issued 8 June 2022 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Vietnam HS code lookup 0902.10.10 (caselaw.vn), also 0902.10.90, 0902.30.10 and 0902.40.90 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Vietnam tariff line 2101.20.20, tea extracts in powder form (HSCIQ, updated 9 August 2026) (accessed 3 November 2026)
- US Harmonized Tariff Schedule 2026, Revision 22 (30 October 2026), subheading 0902.10 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Canada Border Services Agency, Customs Tariff T2026, Chapter 9 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- US CBP ruling N250549, tariff classification of tea products, 12 March 2014 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- US CBP ruling HQ 950483, herbal infusions in heading 2106, 9 January 1992 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- GOV.UK, Rooibos tea: tariff notice 7, published 19 January 2024 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- HMRC Advance Tariff Ruling 600015714, infusion bags with spoon, valid from 16 July 2026 (accessed 3 November 2026)
