How to import green coffee into the EU: duties, EUDR, food safety and organic

Duties

Import VAT is charged at the national rate of the country where the coffee is cleared and is usually recoverable by VAT-registered businesses. Trade agreements can remove duty on roasted coffee from some origins with proof of preferential origin.

Customs and food safety

• An EORI number is required for anyone dealing with EU customs, and an import declaration is filed, usually by a customs broker.
• Importers are food businesses: they register with the national food authority, keep a food safety plan based on HACCP and keep traceability records of suppliers and customers.
• EU law sets maximum levels for contaminants such as pesticide residues and ochratoxin A in roasted and soluble coffee, so buy dry, well-stored coffee and test when in doubt.
• Green coffee beans need no phytosanitary certificate in the EU; coffee berries (whole fruit) do.

Organic coffee

Organic coffee must be certified under the EU organic regulation, and every shipment needs an electronic Certificate of Inspection in the EU's TRACES system before release. See our certifications guide.

EUDR

Under the EU Deforestation Regulation as amended in December 2025, large and medium operators and all traders must comply from 30 December 2026, and micro and small operators from 30 June 2027. Importers must collect plot geolocation and other data and file a due diligence statement; downstream traders keep the reference number. Read the full EUDR guide.

Tips for exporters selling to the EU

• Prepare plot geolocation for every lot now; buyers will ask for it before contracting.
• Ship coffee dry and use liners for long voyages to avoid mould; see shipping green coffee.
• European buyers usually use the European Coffee Federation contract and cash against documents.