For a first vanilla import out of Indonesia
You’ve agreed a price. Now the cargo has to arrive legally.
Eight authorities can touch a vanilla shipment, and several of them won’t act until another has finished. The certificate of origin can’t exist until the goods are on the vessel. Extract travels as dangerous goods on an aircraft. None of it is difficult, but every piece is expensive to learn on a live order.
The First Vanilla Import Checklist is organised the way the shipment is: what you’re actually importing, who has to approve it, which papers prove it, what each destination does at the border, and what you sign off before the cargo leaves Indonesia. Read it once end to end, then keep it as a reference.
- 4destination markets: US, EU, UK and Australia
- 8authorities that can touch a shipment, in the order they act
- A–Isections in the pre-shipment checklist
- 2026.2edition, sources checked 30 August 2026
Look inside
Sample pages from the book. Click a page to enlarge it.
What changes once you’ve read it
- Classify the goods before you price themSix different products travel as “vanilla”. A decision tree for HS 0905.10, national codes and headline duty, and four traps, including extract as a flammable liquid.
- Get registrations done before they’re urgentWhat has to exist before anything ships, and the one sequencing fact that catches nearly everybody.
- Check the paperwork before the vessel sailsInvoice, packing list, bill of lading, phytosanitary certificate, certificate of origin and REX statement, with the fields to check and the advance-filing deadlines that pass before you notice.
- Know what happens at your borderA chapter each for the United States (FDA, FSVP, prior notice, duty), the EU (official controls, preference, import VAT), the UK and Australia (BICON, imported food, GST).
- Land it without surprisesClearance, the four numbers that decide the duty bill, charges that aren’t duty, labelling in all four markets, and what to do on day one if the cargo is held.
When a buyer writes “send me the certificate of origin before you load”, the honest supplier says it cannot be done and the dishonest one sends something that is not a certificate of origin.
What’s covered, part by part
- Part oneBefore you orderWhat you are actually importing · Who regulates what, and in which order · Incoterms, payment and where risk changes hands · Can your exporter actually export?
- Part twoThe documentsThe document map · Commercial invoice and packing list · Bill of lading, air waybill and release · The phytosanitary certificate · Certificates of origin · Fumigation and wood packaging · CITES · Analysis certificates
- Part threeThe four marketsUnited States · European Union · United Kingdom · Australia
- Part fourMoving the cargoPacking and transit · Clearance, duty and landed cost · Holds, detention and refusal
- Part fiveSelling it once it landsLabelling in four markets
- Part sixThe checklistsPre-shipment checklist · The countdown · Failure modes and what they cost · Where to verify everything in this book
What you get
- PDFThe First Vanilla Import ChecklistThe full book, edition 2026.2, set for A4 printing.
A good fit if
- You’ve found a supplier and agreed a price, and now need the shipment to clear
- You’re importing whole cured beans, or deciding between beans and extract
- Your destination is the US, the EU, the UK or Australia
Not the right fit if
- You’re still choosing a supplier. Start with the Supplier Vetting Scorecard.
- You want a customs ruling on your goods. This tells you which questions to ask your broker, and where the answer of record lives.
How current are the rules?
This is edition 2026.2. Every rule, rate and regulation number was checked against its primary source on 30 August 2026, and US duties, US customs fees and EU preference status were re-checked on 7 October 2026. Anything likely to change is marked [V] for verify, and the last chapter lists where to check each one yourself.
Can I send the checklists to my supplier?
Yes. The licence expressly lets you copy the pre-shipment checklist and send it to your own suppliers and service providers. That’s what it’s for.
Does it cover extract or vanilla powder?
It explains how they’re classified and why they’re harder to import (extract is a flammable liquid for air freight), and recommends whole cured beans for a first import. The detailed procedures assume whole beans.
Is this legal or customs advice?
No. It’s a procedural manual that tells you which question to ask and where to look. Confirm classification and duty with your broker before you price the order.
What does the licence allow?
Licensed to one purchaser, for use in your own business. You may print it and send the checklist pages to your own suppliers and service providers. You may not share, upload, resell or republish the manual, or use it as part of a paid service.
