New Chinese customs regulations to have considerable impact on imports

31 October 2018

Are you shipping goods from China? Then bear in mind that new customs regulations apply as of 1 November 2018. Chinese customs authorities will impose stricter requirements on customs procedures from that date and monitor them closely. This will have a considerable impact on all exports from China.

Stricter requirements for customs procedures

Until now, part of the customs procedure could be completed fairly simply. The interaction between the agent, shipping company and customs is important. The agent supplies the shipping company with data for the manifest. The export documentation and ENS procedure follow on this basis. The Chinese customs authorities previously imposed fewer requirements in terms of information on the manifest.

This will change from 1 November 2018. The manifest must then include the correct quantities (units/weight) and description of goods. In addition, it must state the container number.

If the information on the manifest is incorrect or incomplete, the export declaration cannot be prepared. This could result in your goods not being shipped in a timely manner.

Earlier delivery of goods to warehouse

Strict deadlines will apply in respect of delivery of goods to the warehouse. Consignments for groupage containers must also be delivered earlier from now on. Your shipment must be at the warehouse 5 days prior to the ship’s ETD. The agent needs this additional time to check whether the contents of the containers correspond precisely with the details on the manifest.

Questions?

The Chinese government has informed suppliers of the new customs regulations. If you have any questions about the changes, your point of contact at Ritra Cargo would be happy to answer them.