Who does what
| Step | Who | When |
|---|---|---|
| FDA Food Facility Registration (with a US agent) | Exporter / Japanese facility | Once, renewed every two years |
| Prior Notice to FDA for the shipment | Exporter or courier | Before the goods arrive, every shipment |
| Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) | US importer | On file before importing; maintained |
| NOP Import Certificate (organic lots only) | Exporter's certifier | Every organic shipment |
| Customs entry, duty and HTS classification | Courier or customs broker | On arrival |
| Retail labelling (if sold packaged to consumers) | US brand / importer | Before sale |
On our side: registration and prior notice
Any foreign facility that manufactures, processes, packs or holds food for the US must be registered with the FDA and name a US agent. That includes the mill and the exporter's warehouse. Registration is renewed in the last quarter of every even-numbered year; ask any Japanese supplier for their registration number and check the renewal date. Then, for every shipment, someone must file a Prior Notice with FDA before it lands, listing the product, the manufacturer, the shipper, the importer and the arrival details. For courier shipments the courier usually files it from the commercial invoice; for freight, the broker does. We file our own so that the manufacturer and lot details are right, and we put the confirmation number on the shipping documents.
On your side: FSVP
Under FSMA, the US importer of record is responsible for verifying that its foreign supplier produces food as safely as a US producer would. For a café importing a few kilos this sounds heavier than it is: you need a file that identifies the supplier, a hazard analysis for matcha (a low-risk dry product), and evidence of verification, which in practice is the supplier's certificates (ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000 at the mill, a certificate of analysis per lot) and a record that you reviewed them. We send the mill's certificates and a per-lot COA with every shipment for exactly this file. Very small importers have modified requirements; a customs broker can tell you which apply.
Organic: the NOP import certificate
Since March 2024, every shipment of organic product into the US must be accompanied by an NOP Import Certificate generated in the USDA's Organic Integrity Database by the exporter's certifier, and the importer must be certified or exempt under the National Organic Program. Japanese JAS organic lots qualify under the US–Japan equivalence arrangement. We arrange the certificate for our organic lot, Jun, before it ships; without it, the shipment cannot be sold as organic. More on the standards in our organic guide.
Duty and the tariff situation
Matcha is classified as green tea, HTS heading 0902. Unflavoured green tea, in packages of any size, has a standard US duty rate of zero. Flavoured green tea is 6.4 percent. That is the base rate and it has not changed. What changed, repeatedly, in 2025 and 2026 were the additional country-level surcharges: a 15 percent reciprocal tariff on Japanese goods from August 2025 was struck down by the Supreme Court in February 2026, a temporary surcharge under a different law replaced it and excluded tea, and that in turn was challenged in court. The practical advice: unflavoured matcha's base duty is zero; confirm the surcharge in force on the day your shipment lands with your broker, and if you buy DDP from us, we do that and the price on the quote is the price you pay.
Labelling and residues
Bulk matcha for a café's own drinks needs a commercial invoice, the product name, net weight, country of origin and lot number on the bag, which our export bags carry. If you repack for retail, US labelling rules apply: statement of identity, net quantity in US and metric units, ingredient list, name and address of the responsible party, and a nutrition facts panel unless exempt. On pesticide residues, the US enforces EPA tolerances, and a few compounds used legally on Japanese tea have no US tolerance. That is why residue-tested lots exist. Our Kagoshima lot Tabi is residue-tested to US limits, and we can test any other lot to order for a fee.
Courier vs freight
Under about 30 kg, air courier from Osaka to any US city takes four to seven days, and the courier files the customs entry. Above about 100 kg, sea freight to Los Angeles or Oakland takes three to four weeks port to port and a broker handles the entry; the freight cost per kilo is a fraction of courier. Between 30 and 100 kg, air freight through a forwarder is usually the answer. Our wholesale page shows courier estimates by weight. If you are a first-time importer and would rather not think about any of this, ask for a DDP quote: one number, delivered, duty and prior notice included.
Questions buyers ask
Do I need an import licence to bring matcha into the US?
No licence, but the Japanese facility must be FDA-registered, a prior notice must be filed for each shipment, and the US importer must keep an FSVP file. For organic, an NOP Import Certificate is required per shipment.
Is there duty on matcha imported into the US?
The standard duty on unflavoured green tea (HTS 0902) is zero; flavoured green tea is 6.4 percent. Additional country-level surcharges changed several times in 2025–2026, so confirm the rate in force with your broker or buy DDP.
Who files the FDA prior notice?
The exporter, the courier or the customs broker can file it. We file it ourselves for every shipment and put the confirmation number on the documents.
What is FSVP and does a small café need it?
The Foreign Supplier Verification Program makes the US importer responsible for verifying its foreign supplier. A small café needs a simple file: supplier identity, a hazard analysis for matcha, the mill's certificates and a per-lot COA. Very small importers have modified requirements.
