Onion · guide
A container of onions can be perfect and still be stuck at the border because a certificate names the wrong lot or a weight does not match. Here is each document you will handle, who issues it, and the mistakes that cause rejections.
| Market | Imports | Year |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $16.5B | 2024 |
| Germany | $8.8B | 2024 |
| United Kingdom | $5.2B | 2024 |
| India | $5.1B | 2024 |
| France | $4.8B | 2024 |
| Canada | $4.1B | 2024 |
| Market | Exports | Year |
|---|---|---|
| China | $12.3B | 2024 |
| Mexico | $10.7B | 2024 |
| Netherlands | $9.7B | 2024 |
| Spain | $9.4B | 2024 |
| Canada | $6.7B | 2024 |
| United States | $5.9B | 2024 |
Figures are for the whole of HS chapter 07 (edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers). Source: UN Comtrade.
Almost every document in an onion shipment repeats the same identifiers: exporter, consignee, product description, quantity, weight and the classification code. Fresh or chilled onions and shallots are classified under 070310, in heading 0703 alongside garlic (070320) and leeks and other alliaceous vegetables (070390). If the invoice, the certificate and the bill of lading describe the goods differently, customs at the destination treats it as a discrepancy, and a discrepancy on fresh produce costs days you do not have.
A scope note on the statistics that surround this topic: the trade totals published on this site cover the whole of chapter 07, edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers, not onions alone. The document list below is specific to onions, but the market figures you use to pick a destination are chapter-wide.
These are the papers that any exporter of goods produces. They are issued by you or your forwarder, and the buyer, the bank and customs at both ends will read them side by side, so consistency matters more than presentation.
Onions are a fresh plant product, so the importing country normally wants official assurance that the lot has been inspected and is free from quarantine pests. That assurance is the phytosanitary certificate, issued by the exporting country’s plant-protection authority after an inspector examines the consignment or a sample of it. It is usually required, but the current rules, including any additional declarations about pests or growing area, are set by the destination, so confirm them with the importer and the authority before you pack.
Timing is the practical problem. The inspection happens near loading, the certificate names the lot and the container, and a change of container or a split of the lot after issue can invalidate it. Agree with the inspector how the lot will be identified, and do not re-pack after the inspection unless you ask for the certificate to be reissued.
A certificate of origin states where the goods were produced. Buyers request it for customs valuation, for statistics, or to claim preferential treatment under a trade agreement where one applies; ask the importer or its customs broker whether preference is intended and which form is accepted. It is usually issued by a chamber of commerce or a trade authority, and the exporter’s name and product description have to match the invoice exactly.
Beyond that, retail chains and some importers ask for a quality or grading report from the packhouse, a pesticide residue analysis from an accredited laboratory, and evidence of a food-safety or farm-assurance scheme. None of these is a universal legal requirement, but a buyer who has asked for them in the purchase order will refuse payment if they are missing, so treat the purchase order as part of the document checklist.
If the sale is on a letter of credit, the bank examines the documents strictly against the credit’s wording. A description that says red onions on the credit but onions on the invoice, a gross weight that differs between the packing list and the bill of lading, or a certificate dated after the shipment date can each be a discrepancy that lets the bank refuse payment. Read the credit line by line the day you receive it and ask the buyer to amend anything you cannot meet, rather than hoping the bank will overlook it.
On open account or advance payment the bank is not checking, but the buyer’s customs broker is. The same rule applies: identical descriptions and weights on every paper.
Onion paperwork fails in predictable places. The certificate is issued for one lot and the container carries another. The net weight on the packing list ignores shrinkage between packing and loading. The container seal number on the bill of lading differs from the one on the certificate. A shipment is described as onions when it also contains garlic or shallots that need their own codes. And a document arrives after the goods, leaving fresh produce sitting in a port while the buyer waits for the paper.
Build a one-page check before release: compare every field that appears twice, confirm the lot and seal numbers, and send scanned copies to the buyer before the vessel sails so that errors are found while they can still be fixed.
Customs shipment records for onions show the consignee, code, quantity, declared value and origin of real shipments. Reading a handful of records from your target market tells you the typical lot size and how competing origins describe their goods, which helps you write an invoice that will read naturally to the destination broker. The free marketplace on this site is a practical place to ask a prospective importer which documents they need before you commit to a price.
For fresh onions it is usually the phytosanitary certificate, because the destination relies on it to admit a plant product. It is normally required, but the details vary by importing country, so confirm the current conditions with the authority and the buyer.
Not always. Buyers ask for it for customs valuation or to claim preferential treatment where an agreement applies. Ask the importer or its broker whether it is needed and which issuing body and form the destination accepts.
Fresh or chilled onions and shallots use 070310. Garlic uses 070320 and leeks and other alliaceous vegetables use 070390, so a mixed load needs a separate line for each product.
Banks compare the documents to the credit word for word. Differences in product description, weight, dates or seal numbers between the invoice, packing list, certificate and bill of lading are the usual reasons for a discrepancy.
Doing so can invalidate it, because the certificate identifies the lot and often the container. If the container or lot changes, ask the issuing authority to amend or reissue the certificate before the goods are shipped.
Keep exploring