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Sourcing from France

Sourcing French seafood in Hong Kong:import rules, documents, flights and ordering times

Importing fresh French seafood into Hong Kong: CFS and FEHD rules, importer registration, health certificates, CDG flights, ordering across time zones.

Updated 7 min readLiveCriée editorial team

Contents
  1. What does Hong Kong require to import fresh seafood?
  2. Which French species to look for?
  3. How does fish travel from a French auction to Hong Kong?
  4. What does the time difference change for ordering?
  5. How do Hong Kong importers compare French suppliers?
  6. Frequently asked questions

Importing fresh French seafood into Hong Kong means flying chilled fish and shellfish from Paris Charles de Gaulle (about 12 hours nonstop, according to the carriers' published flight times), clearing them under the food-safety rules of the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), and selling them on to restaurants, hotels and retailers. Hong Kong charges no import duty on food, and a health certificate for marine products is strongly encouraged rather than mandatory. The real constraints are freshness, documents that hold up to inspection, and a six or seven hour time difference with the French ports.

What does Hong Kong require to import fresh seafood?

RequirementAuthorityWhat it means for a French shipment
Registration as a food importerFEHD, under the Food Safety Ordinance (Cap. 612)Any business importing or distributing food must register. Registration lasts three years and is renewable
Transaction recordsFEHD (Cap. 612)Keep records of where the food came from and to whom it was supplied ("one step back, one step forward"). For food with a shelf life of three months or less, records are kept for three months
Health certificate from the country of originCFS (guide to the import of marine products)Strongly encouraged for marine products, which the CFS treats as high-risk food. From France: export health certificate signed by the official veterinary services
Inspection and sampling on arrivalFEHD, at the entry pointConsignments may be inspected or sampled for bacteriological and chemical tests on a risk basis. The FEHD pays the market price of samples
Fit for human consumptionPublic Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), section 54No food intended for sale may be unfit for human consumption: the importer is responsible for compliance
Import declarationCustoms and Excise DepartmentLodged within 14 days after import, through a government-appointed electronic service provider. For food, the charge is HK$0.20 per declaration, whatever the value
Raw oystersCFS and FEHDClosely watched. In 2026 the authorities told the trade to suspend imports and sales of raw oysters from given suppliers or batches, French ones included, after food poisoning cases or alerts. Selling oysters to be eaten raw requires a restricted food permit or a written permission from the FEHD, with storage between 0 and 4 °C

Sources: CFS guide to the import of marine products, Food Safety Ordinance pages, FEHD and CFS press releases, Customs and Excise Department.

  • 14 daysto lodge the import declaration
  • 3 yearsof registration as a food importer, renewable
  • 3 monthsof records for food with a shelf life of three months or less

Source : Customs and Excise Department; Centre for Food Safety, 2011.

On the French side, the mareyeur or the forwarder requests the export health certificate through Expadon 2, the French Ministry of Agriculture's platform, which has been the only route for fishery products to non-EU countries since 3 June 2025; the département's official veterinary services sign it. A catch certificate is only needed if the destination requires one: ask your clearing agent. See the sourcing guide for the full list of French documents.

Which French species to look for?

French product competes on wild catch, freshness and a few signature species. Among the French species often found on export price lists:

  • Oysters from Brittany, Normandy and the Atlantic coast, for raw consumption: the most closely controlled product on arrival.
  • Brittany blue lobster (homard bleu), May to July at its best, still good in August.
  • Langoustine, April to July, with a peak in May.
  • Turbot, Dover sole, John Dory (Saint-Pierre), line-caught sea bass (bar de ligne): whole fish for hotels and fine dining.
  • King scallops (coquille Saint-Jacques) in the shell, October to April; French fishing is closed from 15 May to 30 September.

Seasons, closures and size grades are in our sourcing guide and, in French, the calendrier de saison.

How does fish travel from a French auction to Hong Kong?

Nonstop flights link Paris CDG and Hong Kong International Airport in about 12 hours eastbound, according to the carriers' published flight times. Days and departure times vary by carrier and season: your forwarder knows the current ones.

StepFrench timeHong Kong time (UTC+8)
Morning auction (Boulogne 5 or 6 am, Le Guilvinec offshore sale 5:30 am)Day D, 5 to 6 amDay D, 11 am to 12 noon (summer) / 12 noon to 1 pm (winter)
Mareyeur's price list receivedDay D, after the saleDay D, early afternoon
Order cut-off for the flightSet by the supplier and the forwarder
Truck reaches CDG, hand-over to forwarderBefore departure; cut-off set by the forwarder
Flight from CDGAbout 12 hours nonstop
Clearance, cold room, delivery to kitchensUsually the next day or the day after, local date, depending on the supplier, the carrier and the flight

Hong Kong is 6 hours ahead of France from late March to late October (French summer time), 7 hours ahead the rest of the year. Sale times: Port Boulogne Calais and Société des pêches de Cornouaille. Departure and arrival times vary by carrier and day.

What does the time difference change for ordering?

The French morning is the Hong Kong afternoon. In practice:

  • Price lists arrive after lunch in Hong Kong. French mareyeurs send their daily list early in the morning, French time, once they know what landed: that is early afternoon in Hong Kong.
  • The decision window is short. Between the arrival of the lists and the cut-off set by the supplier and the forwarder, a Hong Kong buyer has a few hours, at the end of the local business day, to compare, check stock and customer orders, and confirm.
  • Questions are answered the same day. A call to a mareyeur at 4 pm in Hong Kong reaches them at 9 or 10 am in France, while the day's orders are being prepared.
  • Plan the weekend. French auctions do not sell every day: Boulogne-sur-Mer sells Monday to Saturday, Le Guilvinec Monday to Friday, and neither sells on Sunday. Orders for the Hong Kong weekend need planning.

How do Hong Kong importers compare French suppliers?

Importers who carry French fish often buy from several mareyeurs, sometimes in different ports, and compare them with other origins they already import. The comparison has three layers:

  1. Line by line. Each French list uses its own names, size grades and presentations. Bar, loup and bar de ligne must be matched; a "1/2 kg" grade must be read against a "calibre 2". The sourcing guide lists the six points to normalise.
  2. Landed cost in Hong Kong dollars. The euro price per kilo becomes a landed cost once trucking to CDG, packing, air freight on chargeable weight (box, ice and polystyrene included), handling and local delivery are added, then converted at the day's rate.
  3. Over time. A turbot at a given price in October means little without the September price, last year's October and the other suppliers' prices the same morning. That history rarely exists outside the buyer's own spreadsheets and inbox.

Frequently asked questions

Is a health certificate mandatory to import French seafood into Hong Kong?

The CFS strongly encourages a health certificate from the authorities of the country of origin for marine products, which it classes as high-risk food. It is not formally required for all fish, and raw oysters are checked closely.

Do I need to register to import seafood into Hong Kong?

Yes. Any business importing or distributing food must register with the FEHD under the Food Safety Ordinance (Cap. 612) and keep records of its suppliers and buyers.

Is there import duty on seafood in Hong Kong?

No. Hong Kong levies duty only on four kinds of goods: liquor, tobacco, hydrocarbon oil and methyl alcohol. An import declaration must still be lodged with Customs within 14 days; each declaration charge is capped at HK$200.

How long does fresh fish take from France to Hong Kong?

About 12 hours of flight from Paris CDG, according to the carriers' published flight times. From the French auction to a Hong Kong kitchen, fish is usually delivered the next day or the day after, local date, depending on the supplier, the carrier and the flight.

When do French price lists reach Hong Kong buyers?

In the early afternoon, Hong Kong time, as French mareyeurs send them early in the French morning. Orders must be confirmed before the cut-off set by the supplier and the forwarder.

Sources

Further reading