Wholesale & Bulk Shisha Tobacco for the UK

Global Shisha Tobacco is a Pakistan-based manufacturer and distributor of shisha and hookah tobacco. We supply wholesale and bulk quantities to importers, wholesalers, distributors and tobacco manufacturers, and goods ship from Pakistan to the buyer's destination port or warehouse. A buyer in the UK sends a destination, quantity and specification, and the sales team replies with a written commercial quotation that states price, shipping term and lead time. Nothing is priced automatically, and no order is accepted until the quotation is confirmed in writing.

The UK has its own rules on tax, packaging and who may import tobacco, so we check the destination first. The sections below set those rules out from official sources, so a buyer reaches the quotation stage with the right questions already answered. Request a quotation for United Kingdom when you are ready.

Every quotation for the UK states the same fields, so offers can be compared like for like.

• Tobacco type and cut: shisha tobacco, hookah tobacco or Virginia leaf, and fine, medium or coarse cut. See the specification sheet guide.
• Moisture, nicotine and sugar: stated as ranges and agreed in writing.
• Packing: retail packs, master cartons, bulk drums, palletised goods or full containers. For retail supply into the UK, pack size and labelling must follow the rules above, so confirm them before packing is specified.
• Shipping term: FOB, CIF, CFR or EXW. DDP is rarely practical for regulated tobacco; see choosing an Incoterm.
• Documents: commercial documents agreed for each shipment against a checklist. See documentation and the export process.
• Customs classification: waterpipe tobacco is classified under HS 2403.11. See the HS code guide.

For payment and quotation steps see payment terms and how to request a wholesale quotation.

If you import, distribute or manufacture in the UK and want to buy wholesale or bulk shisha tobacco, hookah tobacco or shisha tobacco leaves from a Pakistan-based manufacturer and distributor, this is how an order with Global Shisha Tobacco works. Every step is in writing, every quotation states the specification, and we check what the UK requires before we price.

1. Tell us you are importing into the UK. Give your company, your licence or registration and the port or city. The competent authority is HMRC (duty, customs, track and trace) and OHID (notification).
2. Define the specification. Product type, cut, moisture, nicotine and sugar ranges and the flavour list, with the packaging the UK requires built in (Health warnings: Combined text-and-photograph health warnings are required).
3. State quantity and port. For the UK, the main container ports are Felixstowe, Southampton or London Gateway. Name the port you want and whether you need delivery beyond the port.
4. Receive a written quotation. Price, shipping term, lead time, payment terms and the document list, stated for the UK.
5. Agree the documents. The export documents we prepare and the permits, certificates or markings that the UK requires of the importer (track and trace: Extended on 20 May 2024 to other tobacco products; confirm with HMRC how it applies to your waterpipe product).
6. Order and dispatch. You confirm the quotation in writing and pay as agreed; we produce, pack, check and ship from Pakistan against the confirmed terms.

You can start now with the quote form for United Kingdom, or read on for the detail.

Start from the table below and replace the entries with your own targets. It is pre-filled with the rules from our sourced guide for the UK, so the packaging requirements are in the specification from day one.

The specification sheet guide explains every field.

The price on a quotation is only the start. In the UK, tax and compliance can matter more than the product price, so calculate landed cost before you compare suppliers.

Rates change, so we do not quote tax figures as fixed here; check the dated figures in the sourced sections of this guide and confirm with a customs broker. The import guide includes a full worksheet.

Currency. The local currency in the UK is the pound sterling (GBP). Quotations state the currency of the price. Many cross-border tobacco orders are priced in a major international currency, so discuss early which currency you want to pay in, how long the price is held and who bears exchange-rate movement. Your bank's rules on foreign payments, and any currency controls in the UK, apply to your side of the transaction.

Language. Packs sold in the UK generally carry health warnings and required information in the official language or languages (English); confirm the exact requirement and format with the authority, because it fixes the artwork before production. Commercial documents are normally prepared in English, and your broker may need translations for the customs declaration.

Where buyers are based. Importers, distributors and lounge groups in the UK are most often found in and around London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow. If you serve more than one city, say so in your enquiry, because delivery points, storage and the inland leg affect the shipping term you choose.

• Ordering before checking the UK's rules on pack size, warnings and stamps.
• Comparing quotations on different shipping terms.
• Forgetting duty, excise and local charges when comparing prices.
• Assuming the licence for finished product covers raw leaf or base in the UK.
• Over-ordering slow flavours instead of starting with a core range.
• Leaving the first order's documents to the last week.

Most can be avoided by completing the checklist in this guide before you ask for a quotation.

A sensible first order for the UK is one you can sell, store and fund the duty for. Work backwards from the date you need the goods.

1. Confirm your licence and the packaging rules.
2. Write the specification and approve a sample if one can be supplied.
3. Receive and compare written quotations on the same shipping term.
4. Confirm the order in writing and pay as agreed.
5. Allow for production, pre-shipment checks and loading.
6. Allow for the sea voyage and customs clearance in the UK.
7. Receive, inspect and store; record lots and dates.

We do not publish fixed times here, because lead time depends on the product, the quantity and whether goods are in stock; the written quotation states it. Ask for a lead time in writing and plan the rest around it. See how we work.

HMRC's classification guidance places waterpipe tobacco under subheading 2403 11, a mixture of tobacco with molasses or sugar and flavourings such as fruit, glycerol or aromatic oils. It also states that whether excise duty applies, and at what rate, does not depend on the commodity code but on the Tobacco Products (Descriptions of Products) Order 2003. HMRC's rate table for 26 November 2025 lists other smoking and chewing tobacco at 193.87 GBP per kilogram, and announces a further increase from 1 October 2026; buyers should use the rate in force on the date of import.

Duty becomes payable when the goods arrive in the UK. It can be deferred when they are delivered to an approved excise warehouse, and HMRC's import guidance sets out separate routes for Great Britain and for Northern Ireland, which follows EU excise movement rules. Importers also pay customs duty and VAT.

Trading Standards' Business Companion states that shisha must carry combined health warnings with text and colour photographs and that it is not subject to standardised packaging, which covers cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco. The same guide states that packaging must not refer to taste, smell, flavourings or additives, so flavour names and imagery on labels should be checked with the buyer's compliance adviser before artwork is printed.

• Confirm the duty rate in force on the import date and who is the importer of record.
• Decide the warehouse or registration route that lets duty be deferred until release for consumption.
• Check that each product is notified with OHID before it is offered for sale.
• Plan pack artwork with combined health warnings and without flavour references, and add the unique identifier if HMRC confirms it applies.
• Use HS 2403 11 on documents and match the description to your specification (see the HS code guide).

• HMRC: Tobacco Products Duty rates – current duty rates and the scheduled rise
• GOV.UK: Classifying tobacco for import and export – subheading 2403 11 and duty classification
• GOV.UK: Import tobacco products into the UK – duty liability, warehouses, track and trace
• GOV.UK: Notification of tobacco or herbal products for smoking – who must notify and to whom
• HMRC manual TTTC1200: scope of tobacco track and trace – products and dates covered
• Business Companion: tobacco packaging, labelling and tracking – Trading Standards guidance on warnings and shisha

Last reviewed 30 September 2026. Tax rates, deadlines and labelling rules change, so treat this page as a starting checklist and confirm each point with the competent authority or your customs broker before you order. Import requirements vary by jurisdiction. Buyers are responsible for ensuring that they hold any licences, approvals or registrations required in their destination market. This page is not legal, tax or customs advice.