Export wine to Hong Kong: the 2026 guide

The market in numbers

Hong Kong imported USD 838 million of wine in 2025, up 1.1%, against USD 1.36 billion in 2021. France supplies 42.5% of the value, the United Kingdom 12.7%, and Australia, down 35.0%, is third. Part of this wine is re-exported, so the figures measure trade through the city, not local consumption alone. Full ranking by country, 2025 data.

Duties and taxes

Wine pays no duty: 0% under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (Cap. 109, Schedule 1, Part I), for still, sparkling and fortified wine up to 30% alcohol. Duty was cut to zero on 27 February 2008, and the amending law took effect on 6 June 2008. Wine is now a zero-rated "specified good": not treated as a dutiable good, and free of Customs licences and permits (section 3AA and Schedule 4). Hong Kong has no VAT, GST or sales tax. Spirits above 30% still pay 100% on the first HK$200 of each bottle's value and 10% on the rest.

Origin and trade agreements change nothing: the 0% applies to every country. What still applies:

Control	For wine	Legal basis
Customs duty	0%, every origin	Cap. 109, Schedule 1, Part I
Customs licence and permit	Not needed since 6 June 2008	Cap. 109, section 3AA, Schedule 4
Import, export or re-export declaration	Within 14 days after the goods move	Import and Export (Registration) Regulations (Cap. 60E), regs 4 and 5
Declaration charge	HK$0.20 up to HK$46,000 of value, then HK$0.125 per extra HK$1,000; capped at HK$200	Cap. 60E, reg. 8
Food importer registration	Required	Food Safety Ordinance (Cap. 612), section 4

Rules in force on 14 November 2026. A HK$100,000 shipment pays a HK$7.00 declaration charge. Wine is not on the flat-rate food schedule, so the value scale applies.

Who imports, and what each side does

Any business can import wine without a Customs licence. It must register with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department as a food importer: the Food Safety Ordinance's "food" includes drink. Distributors register too. Registration costs HK$195 for three years.

The importer files the declaration and records the date, supplier, place shipped from, quantity and description of each import, kept 24 months for long shelf-life food. We found no registration of the foreign winery. You supply the invoice and shipping documents; Customs encourages traders to state the liquor type and alcoholic strength on them.

Labels

Wine of 10% alcohol or more is exempt from the labelling schedule of the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations (Cap. 132W, Schedule 4): no mandatory name, ingredients, date mark, volume, importer address or language.
An ingredient list printed voluntarily must still follow the rules (Schedule 3, section 3).
Drinks above 1.2% and below 10% need the full label except the date mark, in English, Chinese or both. Nutrition labelling does not apply above 1.2%.
No change for wine since 2025: the 2025 amendment concerns konjac jelly.

Documents and samples

Certificates: we found none required for wine.
Samples: no duty. No declaration is needed for an advertising sample worth under HK$1,000, or one clearly marked as a sample and given away free (Cap. 60E, reg. 3).

How the market works

Selling liquor for drinking on the premises needs a licence from the Liquor Licensing Board (Dutiable Commodities (Liquor) Regulations, reg. 25A). We found no licence for selling wine to take away.

Minors: since 30 November 2018, no business may sell or supply alcohol to anyone under 18, and alcohol vending machines are banned. Shops and online, phone or mail offers must show a notice in Chinese and English. Online sellers need the buyer's declaration of being 18 or over before the sale. A courier delivering for another seller is not the seller.

Advertising: no liquor advertising on free television from 4 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. (Communications Authority code, 2023).

Re-export: on the Hong Kong side, wine sent on to the Mainland or Macao needs only an export declaration; the destination's own import rules still apply. Since 9 November 2017, traders registered with the Trade and Industry Department under the Customs Facilitation Measures for Wine Entering the Mainland through Hong Kong get instant clearance in all 42 Mainland customs districts.

Fair: HKTDC Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, announced for 12 to 14 August 2027: check hktdc.com before you book.

Mistakes to avoid

Treating a spirit like wine: above 30% alcohol, licences, permits and duty apply.
Shipping to a buyer not registered as a food importer.
Assuming every wine is label exempt: under 10% alcohol, the full label applies.
A voluntary ingredient list that breaks Cap. 132W.
Selling online without the bilingual notice and age declaration.

How we work in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is covered from our Shanghai office. Meet the Shanghai office.

Sources

Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (Cap. 109): section 2 (wine, specified goods), section 3AA (zero-rated specified goods), section 17, Schedule 1 Part I (wine 0%, spirits over 30%) and Schedule 4 (version of 17 July 2026), Department of Justice, Hong Kong e-Legislation, link (primary)
Types and duty rates of dutiable commodities: wine 0%, liquor over 30% 100% on the first $200 and 10% on the remainder, Customs and Excise Department, link (primary)
Dutiable commodities: page linking the facilitation measures for wine and liquor of not more than 30%, Customs and Excise Department, link (primary)
Removal of Licensing/Permit Arrangements on Wine and Liquor with an Alcoholic Strength of not more than 30% (fact sheet, 2 June 2008: new law in effect 6 June 2008, interim arrangements since 27 February 2008), Customs and Excise Department, link (primary)
Legislative amendments on wine duty reduction (press release, 23 April 2008: duty cut to zero with immediate effect on Budget Day, 27 February 2008; no more licences or permits once amended), HKSAR Government, Information Services Department, link (primary)
Hong Kong and Macau Country Commercial Guide: Import Tariffs (published 5 June 2026: wine 0% since February 2008, spirits over 30% duty structure since October 2024), US International Trade Administration, link (official, secondary)
Unique advantages: no sales tax or VAT, Brand Hong Kong, HKSAR Government, link (official, secondary)
Tax benefits: no sales tax or VAT, Department of Justice, Legal Hub, link (official, secondary)
Import and Export (Registration) Regulations (Cap. 60E), regulations 3 (exemptions, samples), 4 and 5 (declarations within 14 days) and 8 (charges, HK$200 cap) (version of 11 July 2025), Department of Justice, Hong Kong e-Legislation, link (primary)
Import and Export Declaration: lodgement within 14 days, charge rates, HK$200 cap from 1 August 2018, flat rate for food items in Appendix I, Customs and Excise Department, link (primary)
Import and export declaration charge to be capped at $200 from tomorrow (press release, 31 July 2018), HKSAR Government, Information Services Department, link (primary)
Hong Kong Imports and Exports Classification List, Appendix I: Schedule of Food Items, 2022 edition (flat 20 cents per import declaration; Chapter 22 limited to heading 2209, vinegar), Census and Statistics Department, link (primary)
Commodity Classification Publications (current schedules and 2026 amendments), Census and Statistics Department, link (primary)
Food Safety Ordinance (Cap. 612): section 2 (food includes drink), sections 4 and 5 (registration), 9 (three years), 22 and 26 (records), Schedules 2 (other alcoholic beverages) and 3 (fees HK$195 and HK$180) (version of 1 July 2022), Department of Justice, Hong Kong e-Legislation, link (primary)
Registration scheme for food importers and food distributors, Centre for Food Safety, link (primary)
A Guide to the Registration Scheme for Food Importers and Food Distributors under the Food Safety Ordinance (fees, three-year term, food category: other alcoholic beverages), Centre for Food Safety, link (primary)
Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations (Cap. 132W): Schedule 3 (labelling, section 3, section 8 language), Schedule 4 (exemptions for drinks above 1.2% and of 10% or more), Schedule 6 (nutrition labelling exemption), L.N. 159 of 2025 (konjac) (version of 17 September 2026), Department of Justice, Hong Kong e-Legislation, link (primary)
Food Labelling and Nutrition Labelling of Prepackaged Food, Trade Consultation Forum, 19 September 2025 (alcoholic drink exemptions under Schedules 4 and 6), Centre for Food Safety, link (primary)
FAIRS Export Certificate Report Annual, Hong Kong, HK2025-0028, 23 June 2025 (certificates required by Hong Kong; wine not listed), US Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service (copy hosted by APEDA, Government of India), link (official, secondary)
Dutiable Commodities (Liquor) Regulations (Cap. 109B): regulation 25A (liquor licence for consumption on the premises) and Part 5, regulations 35 to 42 and Schedule (minors, vending machines, remote distribution, prescribed notice) (version of 1 July 2022), Department of Justice, Hong Kong e-Legislation, link (primary)
Guide on Types of Licences Required: liquor licence from the Liquor Licensing Board for sale of liquor for consumption on the premises, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, link (primary)
DH to enforce new alcohol legislation starting tomorrow (press release, 29 November 2018), HKSAR Government, Department of Health, link (primary)
LCQ21: Regulating alcohol consumption among adolescents (written reply, 25 February 2026), HKSAR Government, Health Bureau, link (primary)
Generic Code of Practice on Television Advertising Standards, 15 December 2023, Chapter 6 paragraph 2 (alcoholic beverages), Communications Authority, link (primary)
Customs Facilitation Measures for Wine Entering the Mainland through Hong Kong (instant clearance at all 42 Mainland customs districts since 9 November 2017), Customs and Excise Department, link (primary)
Wine re-exported from Hong Kong to enjoy instant customs clearance in all customs districts of the Mainland (press release, 9 November 2017), HKSAR Government, Information Services Department, link (primary)
HKTDC Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair: next edition 12 to 14 August 2027, HKCEC, Hong Kong Trade Development Council, link (primary)

This guide summarises official texts for exporters; it is not legal or tax advice. Rules change: check with your importer or with us before shipping.