GACC Announcement No. 38, 2012 on China's Paperless Customs-Clearance Pilot

To improve China Customs supervision and services, the GACC has decided to pilot a paperless customs-clearance mode across China's customs districts.

Relevant matters are hereby announced:

1. Coverage of the paperless customs-clearance pilot:

(1) Beijing Customs: import goods by air;
(2) Tianjin Customs: import goods by sea;
(3) Shanghai Customs: import and export goods by sea;
(4) Nanjing Customs: import and export goods with customs' special supervision zones;
(5) Import and export goods transferred between Hangzhou Customs and Ningbo Customs;
(6) Fuzhou Customs: import and export goods in the trade with Chinese Taiwan;
(7) Qingdao Customs: export goods by sea;
(8) Guangzhou Customs: export goods by air;
(9) Shenzhen Customs: export goods by land;
(10) Gongbei Customs: import goods by land;
(11) Huangpu Customs: import and export goods transferred by land from other customs districts.

2. The paperless customs-clearance mode means that China Customs, by using information technology free from paper work, examine electronic data of customs declaration forms and accompanying documents/certificates entered by enterprises into China E-Port web platform and then conduct goods clearance, after classifying the goods based on enterprise classification and on risk analysis.

3. Pilot enterprises include: import and export enterprises and customs brokers having AA or A grades rated by China Customs.

4. A pilot enterprise may apply the paperless customs-clearance mode within its governing customs district only after signing an agreement on electronic data application with the governing customs and the third-party certifying organ (China E-Port data center).

Any eligible pilot enterprise shall, where necessary, entrust the customs brokers also permitted by China Customs to apply the paperless customs-clearance mode.

5. A customs-recognized pilot enterprise may freely choose paper-based or paperless customs-clearance mode; the enterprises choosing the paperless mode shall, upon their declaration, select the "Paperless Customs Clearance" mode on the entry end of China E-Port.

6. The pilot enterprises using the paperless mode shall, upon their declaration, send to the customs the electronic data of their declaration forms and accompanying documents/certificates.

The enterprises having the AA grade but not meeting temporary document storage requirements, or the enterprises having the A grade but obtaining customs permission, may send to the customs the electronic data of their accompanying documents/certificates within ten days from the date of customs release.

Where meeting temporary document storage requirements, the grade-AA enterprises need not send the electronic data of the accompanying documents/certificates but shall safely keep the documents/certificates as per China Customs regulations.

7. Where needing to consult or copy the customs archives of enterprises' electronic declaration forms and accompanying documents/certificates, the interested parties shall resort to current regulations on archival presentation.

8. For now, the paperless customs-clearance mode may not be applied to the imports and exports that are under licenses (except "Inspection Certificates for Entry/Exit Goods").

9. For now, the paperless customs-clearance mode may not be applied to the imports and exports that are under taxation by non-electronic payment mode.

10. Where such electronic declaration forms need revising or revoking, the enterprises may submit relevant application by using the "Declaration Revision/Revocation" function in the "Customs Declaration" system on the China E-Port.

This Announcement shall take effect from August 1, 2012.