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Sourcing & Supply · 2026
Importing matcha from Japan legally runs on three tracks: FDA paperwork (supplier registration, a Prior Notice per shipment, and your FSVP file), a US Customs entry (duty, fees, the right HTS code), and a compliant label before the tin reaches your shelf. None of it is exotic (Japanomars ships through this process monthly), but skipping a step is how a routine order becomes a held pallet at the airport. This guide walks a first-time buyer through each requirement, including the one line item, a temporary tariff surcharge, that's genuinely in flux right now.
Key takeaways
In this guide
Before a single tin of matcha can clear US Customs, two FDA requirements have to be satisfied: the Japanese processing facility needs an active FDA Food Facility Registration with a designated US Agent, and a Prior Notice has to be filed for that specific shipment. Both trace back to the Bioterrorism Act and FSMA, and missing either one is a fast route to a held or refused shipment.
Food Facility Registration. Any foreign facility that manufactures, processes, packs, or holds food for US consumption must register with FDA and hold an 11-digit registration number, plus a US Agent who is US-located and authorized to receive FDA notices. Registration renews every two years, October–December of even-numbered years, and 2026 is a renewal year, so ask a new supplier to confirm theirs is current before a first order.
Prior Notice. Filed for every shipment before it arrives, via CBP's ABI/ACE system (up to 30 days ahead) or FDA's Prior Notice System Interface (up to 15 days ahead). Per JETRO's export guidance for tea shippers, FDA must confirm the notice at least 4 hours before arrival by air or 8 hours by sea. Your forwarder or broker usually files this using the supplier's facility registration number, but confirming they have that number, before the first pallet moves, is your job.
The Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) puts legal responsibility on the US importer of record, not the Japanese supplier: if your business brings matcha into the US under its own name, you (or a broker acting for you) must document hazard analysis and supplier verification, not simply trust the supplier is compliant.
FSVP requires a hazard analysis specific to matcha and that supplier's facility, an evaluation of their food-safety compliance, ongoing verification (audit review, sampling, HACCP and pest-control records checks), and documentation kept on file for at least two years.
In practice, most small and mid-size cafes never carry this directly. Buy Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) from a US-based supplier and they're almost always the importer of record, carrying the FSVP file already. Buy EXW or FOB and clear it yourself, and FSVP is yours, so line up a broker before the first order ships, not after it's held at the port.
The base answer is no: unflavored green tea, the HTS category matcha falls under (heading 0902), has long entered the US duty-free under the US-Japan Trade Agreement, per JETRO's official guidance for tea exporters. Flavored green tea carries a 3.2% duty under the same agreement; unflavored tea, which covers essentially all straight matcha, is free at the base rate. That part is durable and well established.
But a temporary layer complicates it for shipments moving right now. Since February 24, 2026, CBP has collected an additional "Section 122" balance-of-payments surcharge (initially 10%, later raised) on many imports, under an exclusion list separate from the older reciprocal-tariff exemption that covers "coffee and tea" more broadly. Whether plain, powdered green tea like matcha qualifies for one of the Section 122 agricultural exemption codes isn't clearly settled in the public CBP guidance we reviewed, so treat any confident, flat "matcha is 0% duty, full stop" claim you read right now, ours included, as something to reverify at time of shipment.
The surcharge is also mid-litigation: the Court of International Trade ruled it unlawful in May 2026, but the Federal Circuit stayed that ruling pending appeal, so CBP is still collecting it. By statute it expires at 12:01am EDT on July 24, 2026 unless Congress extends it, so a shipment cleared in August could see a different bill than one cleared today. Confirm the exact HTSUS entry code with your broker for each shipment while this stays unresolved. (Weighing Chinese-origin matcha too? The tariff and quality picture there is entirely different, so see our Japanese vs Chinese matcha comparison.)
Beyond any duty, every commercial matcha shipment carries standard US Customs fees and paperwork: a Merchandise Processing Fee, a customs entry filing, a commercial invoice and packing list, and (ocean freight only) a Harbor Maintenance Fee and an Import Security Filing. None of these are matcha-specific, but they're easy to miss when budgeting a first order.
For a first order under a few hundred kilograms, air freight with a broker who bundles Prior Notice, ISF (where relevant), MPF, and entry filing into the service is simpler than sea freight, and most of these fees apply regardless of transport mode anyway.
Country of origin is central here, and it now carries extra weight: in 2026 Japan registered "Japanese Tea" as a Geographical Indication for tea grown, processed, and packed in Japan, so your commercial invoice and labels should consistently read Japan, not a third country where blending or repacking happened.
A compliant US matcha label needs five elements regardless of what the original Japanese packaging says: a Nutrition Facts panel, an ingredient statement, net weight in both metric and US customary units, the name and address of a US manufacturer, packer, or distributor, and a legible country-of-origin mark. Miss any of these and the product itself, not just the paperwork, is technically misbranded.
The Nutrition Facts panel is required under 21 CFR 101.9. Matcha's nutrient profile is simple, but the panel itself is still mandatory, and the small-business exemptions most buyers assume apply generally don't once you're selling wholesale into interstate commerce. Country-of-origin marking is a separate US Customs requirement under 19 CFR Part 134, enforced at entry rather than by FDA: "Product of Japan" or an equivalent phrase, conspicuous and durable enough to survive normal handling, is the accepted standard.
Because the product is imported, the label also needs a "Distributed by" or "Imported by" line with a US name and address, since the Japanese producer's address alone doesn't satisfy this. If your supplier ships private-label tins directly, get in writing who owns getting this right; it's usually cheaper to buy from a US-based importer who already re-labels for the US market than to retrofit compliant labels yourself.
Only if it's backed by real certification. JAS, Japan's organic standard, is not automatically recognized as USDA Organic in the US, but a 2014 US-Japan Organic Equivalency Arrangement lets JAS-certified operations sell into the US as USDA Organic without separate NOP certification, provided the arrangement's specific conditions are met for that product and shipment.
This is narrower and more technical than most buyers expect, and deserves its own scrutiny. We cover JAS versus USDA certification, and how to verify a supplier's paperwork, in How to Find and Vet a Japanese Matcha Wholesale Supplier. The labeling takeaway: don't print "USDA Organic" until you've seen the certificate and confirmed it covers this specific product and shipment, not just the farm in general.
No. FDA lifted the Fukushima-era import restrictions on Japanese food, including tea, in 2021, and by 2024 even the narrower radiation-certificate requirement for tea grown outside the five most-affected prefectures, including Shizuoka, had been dropped in favor of standard proof-of-origin documentation. Some older buyer questions still treat radiation certificates as a current requirement, but for most of Japan's tea-growing regions today, they aren't. What's actually worth verifying is routine heavy-metal testing (lead, cadmium) as part of ordinary supplier quality control; our supplier-vetting guide covers which lab tests to request from any producer or growing region.
Here's the realistic order of operations for a first direct import order, from initial supplier conversation to matcha on the shelf. Most of these steps run in parallel with sourcing and sampling, not strictly after it.
Importing is the final step of sourcing, not the whole of it. For choosing a supplier and the wholesale price, MOQ, and lead-time picture, see our wholesale and bulk matcha for cafes guide, and for where sourcing fits your whole cafe program, the Matcha for Cafes guide. And for what the raw material actually costs at auction this year, our US matcha wholesale price index keeps the numbers current.
No single "import license" exists. What you actually need is your supplier's active FDA Food Facility Registration, a Prior Notice filed for each shipment, and an FSVP file naming the importer of record. Most first-time cafe buyers get all three handled through a customs broker or by buying from a US-based importer who already carries this compliance.
Beyond the matcha itself, budget for base duty (0% on unflavored green tea, though a temporary surcharge may currently apply, so confirm with your broker), a Merchandise Processing Fee (0.3464% of value, $33.58–$651.50), freight, and broker fees. On a small first order, broker and freight costs often outweigh the duty itself.
Whoever's name is on the customs entry is legally responsible for duties, FSVP, and compliance. If you buy Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) from a US-based supplier, they're usually the importer of record. If you import directly under EXW or FOB terms, you are, and you'll need a customs broker of your own.
Yes, if it's sold as a packaged retail product for resale: a Nutrition Facts panel (21 CFR 101.9), ingredient statement, net weight, and a US distributor statement are required regardless of what the original Japanese packaging shows. Matcha poured from bulk as a bar ingredient, never resold in its original package, carries different labeling exposure; check with your supplier or a food-labeling consultant if you're unsure which applies to you.
Yes. FDA lifted the Fukushima-related import restrictions on Japanese food, including tea, in 2021, and by 2024 dropped the narrower radiation-certificate requirement for most tea-growing regions outside the five closest prefectures. Standard FSVP food-safety verification, not radiation-specific testing, is what applies to a matcha shipment today.
Only if the certification and shipment fall under the 2014 US-Japan Organic Equivalency Arrangement's specific terms, since JAS certification alone doesn't automatically transfer into a USDA Organic claim. Ask to see the actual certificate and confirm it covers this specific product before using "USDA Organic" on your menu or packaging.
Importing matcha into the US isn't harder than importing any other specialty food: the FDA paperwork is well-defined, the base duty has long been zero, and the safety worries some buyers still carry, radiation chief among them, were resolved years ago. The one place this genuinely gets complicated right now is the temporary Section 122 surcharge, which is exactly why the smartest move for a first order is a broker, or a supplier who's already the importer of record, rather than winging it solo.
We handle FDA registration, Prior Notice, and duty classification on every shipment we send. Request current wholesale pricing and we'll walk you through what a landed cost actually looks like at your volume.
Request wholesale pricingHiroshi Asami is the founder of Japanomars, exporting single-origin Japanese matcha directly from farms in Sayama, Ibi, Ureshino, Yame, Kirishima, and Chiran to specialty cafes across the US and Canada. He has led four sourcing tours bringing overseas cafe owners to Japanese tea farms.
Sources: FDA, Prior Notice of Imported Foods · FDA, FSVP Final Rule At-A-Glance · FDA, Registration of Food Facilities and Other Submissions · JETRO (日本貿易振興機構), 茶の輸入規制・輸入手続き（米国）export guide, 2026 · CBP, CSMS #67844987: Imposing Temporary Section 122 Duties · US Court of International Trade ruling on Section 122 tariffs, May 2026, and Federal Circuit administrative stay · 19 CFR Part 134, Country of Origin Marking · FDA, Fukushima Daiichi import response · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, notice on lifted US import restrictions · CBP CROSS rulings on matcha tariff classification (HTS 0902)
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