GACC Announcement No.35, 2015 (on Increasing Paperless Automatic-Import-License Customs Districts)

In order to promote paperless clearance, the GACC and the MOFCOM have jointly decided to increase Customs districts to try paperless operation for automatic import licenses on the basis of the paperless trial by the Customs House at China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (shortly as "Shanghai FTZ").

Relevant matters are hereby announced:

1. As from August 1, 2015, the Customs districts on trial will be added with 10 i.e. Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Ningbo, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Gongbei, and Huangpu Customs Districts, including 3 pilot free-trade zones newly established in Tianjian, Fujian and Guangdong provinces and 2 national import-promotion demonstration zones in Ningbo and Suzhou cities. The paperless trial will be applied to the goods (except crude oil and fuel oil) under automatic import licenses in the "one license for one batch" mode, in which one declaration form is only corresponding to one automatic import license.

2. Where applicable to the paperless trial, the importer may apply for an electronic import license as per relevant specifications (ShangBanPeiHan [2015] no. 494) and declare to the Customs in a paperless way; the Customs will verify the electronic license online without paper-based endorsement.

3. Where any authorities need to verify paper-made license, the paperless operation may be changed to paper-based operation or paper-made license may be submitted.

4. Other matters than the paperless trial may be subject to the Automatic Import License Administrative Measures (MOFCOM-GACC Decree No. 26 of 2004), Automatic Import License Online Verification System Announcement (MOFCOM-GACC Announcement No. 2 of 2013) and Paperless Clearance Promotion Requirements (GACC Announcement No. 25 of 2014).

China Customs Contact: telephone hotline 12360


General Administration of Customs of China (GACC)
Ministry of Commerce of China (MOFCOM)
July 29, 2015