HTML clipboardThe beginning of a new year almost always means amended or brand new regulations that govern the import and export of merchandise to and from the United States. In this particular instance the regulations of another nation will affect anyone who exports goods to China. These individuals should make sure that they are compliant with new regulations set forth by the Chinese General Administration of Customs that change the rules for electronically transmitting manifest data.
On January 1, 2009, the Chinese General Administration of Customs implemented steps that standardize the administration of manifest data for inbound, as well as outbound shipments of goods for all modes of transportation. These new changes also enable the Chinese General Administration of Customs to safeguard legitimate international trade activities among its trading partners.
How does the implementation of this new procedure affect U.S. exporters as they attempt to export goods to China?
Those individuals who are exporting goods to China and those who are responsible for transmitting electronic manifest data must first register with the Chinese General Administration of Customs by submitting the following documents:
- Application form for registration,
- Bill of lading/waybill samples,
- Impression of the corporate seal of the business or other equivalent business stamp,
- Copy of license or certificate of qualification issued by governmental authorities, and
- Any other document as requested by the General Administration of Customs.
Once interested parties have registered with the Chinese General Administration of Customs and have gained admittance to their electronic manifest data transmission program, those individuals who are responsible for transmitting manifest data must adhere to the minimum time requirements as specified below. These new requirements could be viewed as the Chinese version of the 24 Hour Rule imposed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for inbound shipments of merchandise.
The deadline for submitting documents before loading goods onto a conveyance bound for China depends on the mode of transport:
- Ship, containerized�24 hours,
- Ship, non-containerized�2 hours,
- Plane�4 hours,
- Train�2 hours, or
- Vehicle�1 hour.
For passengers aboard an inbound transport to China, the deadline for submitting documents is different:
- Ship�2 hours,
- Plane, flight time less an 1 hour�30 minutes,
- Plane, flight time of 1-2 hours�1 hour,
- Plane, flight time over 2 hours�2 hours,
- Train�2 hours, or
- Vehicle�1 hour.
Any amendments that would need to be made to the manifest data should be made before the deadlines indicated above. Adhering to these time frames greatly enhance the entry process once the goods reach China.
Chinese Customs officials will be granting a temporary three month grace period in which monetary penalties will not be assessed for noncompliance. The only penalty at this point would be the inability for the goods to be offloaded from the conveyance upon which the goods arrived.
More information pertaining to the requirement may be obtained from the Chinese Customs website; however, information pertaining to this particular regulation is only available in the Chinese language. There are currently no English language translations available. The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service has some information about the new Chinese regulations available as they pertain to agricultural commodities, and they include core aspects of the electronic manifest data transmission program, which may be useful to all exporters regardless of their commodities.
