China Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine System

China Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine System

General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine
The General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) is the administrative and law enforcement organ for quality control, measurement, inspection of import and export commodities, entry-exit health quarantine, entry-exit animal quarantine, certification and standardisation in China. It is the result of a merger between the State Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision and the State Administration for Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) in April 2001. There are still quality and technical supervision departments and entry-exit inspection and quarantine departments in various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, but the entry-exit inspection and quarantine departments are directly under the administration of AQSIQ.

Objects Subject to Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine
Objects subject to entry-exit inspection and quarantine include commodities (including animal and plant products), and means of transportation and transport equipment carrying commodities, animals, plants and passengers in and out of China, as well as persons entering and exiting the country.
The former CIQ published the Catalogue of Import-Export Commodities Subject to Inspection and Quarantine by Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Organs, which was revised in January 2005. The catalogue is regularly updated based on the latest foreign trade situation, and covers the majority of commodities, means of transportation and transport equipment subject to mandatory inspection and quarantine. Commodities not listed in the catalogue but are found to have problems unexpectedly must undergo statutory inspection and quarantine within a specified time. Commodities for which inspection and quarantine are required in foreign trade contracts are also subject to mandatory inspection and quarantine.

Customs Declaration for Goods Subject to Inspection and Quarantine
China adopted the practice of "quarantine inspection before customs declaration" in customs clearance following the establishment of a new clearance system for goods subject to inspection and quarantine on 1 January 2000. Import Goods Clearance Slips and Export Goods Clearance Slips stamped with the special seal of inspection and quarantine authorities are issued to goods subject to entry-exit inspection and quarantine upon satisfactory inspection. For import goods, inspection and quarantine authorities will issue an Import Goods Clearance Slip after receiving application for inspection. Customs will examine and release the goods upon presentation of the slip. Goods that pass inspection and quarantine will be issued an Import Goods Inspection and Quarantine Status Notice, while those that fail will be issued a quarantine inspection report for claiming compensation. For export goods, those that pass inspection and quarantine will be issued an Export Goods Clearance Slip to be used by customs as the basis for the verification and release of the goods. In cases where foreign importers require inspection and quarantine certificates, such certificates will be issued upon application by the foreign trade party and satisfactory inspection and quarantine. A non-conformity notice will be issued if the goods fail inspection.
For import and export goods (including transit goods) listed in the catalogue, customs will examine and release the goods against the Import Goods Clearance Slip or Export Goods Clearance Slip issued by the entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities at the place of declaration. Unless otherwise specified in AQSIQ documents, if an enterprise is required to provide inspection certificates on the quantity etc of import and export goods not listed in the catalogue, it may obtain such certificates from inspection organisations designated, recognised or approved by AQSIQ.

Inspection and quarantine procedures normally include six steps: application for inspection, acceptance of application, calculation and collection of fees, inspection and quarantine, decontamination treatment, and issuance of certificate and release of goods.