Dry fruits and nuts · guide
For nuts and dried fruit the paperwork is half commercial and half scientific: the invoice gets you paid, but the test reports and certificates decide whether the goods are allowed in. This guide sorts each document by who issues it and why it exists.
| Market | Imports | Year |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $26.0B | 2024 |
| China | $20.2B | 2024 |
| Germany | $13.3B | 2024 |
| Netherlands | $8.5B | 2024 |
| United Kingdom | $7.2B | 2024 |
| France | $7.0B | 2024 |
| Market | Exports | Year |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $16.4B | 2024 |
| Spain | $11.2B | 2024 |
| Mexico | $9.5B | 2024 |
| Chile | $9.3B | 2024 |
| Netherlands | $8.8B | 2024 |
| China | $7.2B | 2024 |
Figures are for the whole of HS chapter 08 (edible fruit and nuts). Source: UN Comtrade.
Every paper in the file repeats the product description and its classification, so settle those first. Chapter 08 spreads nuts and dried fruit across several places: cashew nuts in 0801, with in-shell 080131 and shelled 080132; almonds in 0802, with in-shell 080211 and shelled 080212; pistachios in-shell 080251 and shelled 080252; walnuts in-shell 080231 and shelled 080232; dates 080410; figs 080420; dried grapes 080620; dried apricots 081310 and mixtures of nuts or dried fruits 081350. The in-shell and shelled forms carry separate lines, so the invoice must say which you are shipping.
A scope note: the market totals on this site are chapter-wide, covering edible fruit and nuts, fresh fruit included. The document requirements below are for dried and shelled goods, and they can differ from those for fresh fruit.
These are the documents your forwarder and the buyer’s broker use to clear the shipment. They must agree with each other field for field.
Nuts and dried fruit are commonly tested for moisture, insect damage and mould toxins, and buyers frequently require a certificate of analysis issued by an accredited laboratory for each lot. Aflatoxin is the best-known concern for tree nuts, groundnut-type products and some dried fruit, and importers in many countries screen for it at the border, so a laboratory report on the exact lot shipped is often a condition of purchase even where no law demands it.
Pesticide residue analysis is the second common request, especially for nuts sold to food manufacturers and retail chains. Confirm with the importer which parameters, which method and which limits it will apply, and sample the lot in a way that the laboratory can document. A report on a different lot, or one issued months earlier, is one of the quickest ways to have a shipment put on hold.
Nuts and dried fruit are plant products, so the importing country commonly asks for a phytosanitary certificate issued by the exporting country’s plant-protection authority. It states that the consignment was inspected and is considered free from quarantine pests. It is usually required, but the destination sets the conditions, so confirm the current rules and any additional declarations before packing.
Some destinations also ask for a fumigation or treatment certificate, because stored nuts and dried fruit can harbour insects. Where fumigation is used, the treatment, the date and the chemical or method are recorded, and the container may need to be identified as treated. Wooden pallets and crates are often subject to their own treatment marking, separate from the product, so ask your forwarder what the destination expects.
A certificate of origin states where the goods were produced. Buyers ask for it for valuation and statistics, or to claim preferential treatment under a trade agreement, and it is issued by a trade authority or chamber of commerce. Ask the importer whether preference is being claimed before you apply, because the form and the supporting evidence differ by agreement.
Status claims need their own paper. An organic shipment needs a transaction certificate from a certification body recognised by the destination, and the lot must be traceable to certified farms. Halal, kosher and food-safety scheme certificates apply when the buyer’s customers require them. Do not print an organic or halal claim on the packing without the certificate to back it, since customs and retailers treat an unsupported claim as a labelling offence.
Lot numbers on the laboratory report do not match the packing list. The product is described as nuts on one paper and as almonds, shelled, on another. The certificate is issued for a container that was later swapped. The crop year is missing where the buyer specified it. The seal number differs between the bill of lading and the phytosanitary certificate. And, under a letter of credit, a date or a weight differs by a small amount that the bank treats as a discrepancy.
Before release, put every document on a table and cross-check the description, weight, lot number, container number and dates. Send scans to the buyer before departure so that errors are caught while they can still be corrected.
Customs shipment records for your product’s code show real consignees, quantities and origins, which tells you how competitors describe their goods and how large a typical lot is. The largest importers in the chapter are the United States at $26.0B, China at $20.2B, Germany at $13.3B, the Netherlands at $8.5B, the United Kingdom at $7.2B and France at $7.0B, and their brokers may ask for different papers, so ask a target importer for its checklist before you agree a price. The free marketplace on this site is a convenient place to open that conversation.
Usually a certificate of analysis from an accredited laboratory, covering moisture, contaminants such as aflatoxin and, where requested, pesticide residues. It is often a buyer's requirement even where no law demands it, so ask the importer for its parameters.
It is usually required for plant-derived goods, but requirements depend on the destination and product form. Confirm the current rules with the plant-protection authority and the importer, and ask about any additional declarations.
Some destinations ask for one because stored nuts and dried fruit can harbour insects. Check whether the importing country expects it for the product, and separately for wooden pallets or crates, then confirm with your forwarder.
A transaction certificate from a certification body recognised by the destination, plus traceability to certified farms. Do not print an organic claim on the packing without the certificate, since unsupported claims are treated as a labelling problem.
Nuts in shell and shelled nuts are separate tariff lines, for example 080231 and 080232 for walnuts. Stating the form on the invoice prevents a classification mismatch between your papers and the buyer's customs declaration.
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