Grapes, belonging to the Vitaceae family, are tall climbing vines rich in fructose, malic acid, amino acids, vitamins, and anthocyanins - a bioactive compound offering various health benefits to human body. In accordance with the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine, the Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Inspection and Quarantine of Outbound Fruits and other laws and regulations, this article outlines the relevant regulations and clearance procedures for exporting grapes.
I. Registration of Export Fruit Orchards and Packing Facilities
(I) Where bilateral agreements or protocols between China and the importing country/region explicitly require, or where the laws and regulations of importing country/region mandate the registration of exporting fruit orchards and packaging facilities, relative exporting orchards and packaging facilities must be registered with Chinese Customs and obtain approval from the destination country and region.
Where bilateral agreements or protocols between China and the importing country/region contain no explicit stipulations, and the laws and regulations of importing country or region impose no specific requirements, exporting orchards and packaging facilities may voluntarily apply to Customs for registration.
(II) The registration process is conducted online. Enterprises shall log into the “Internet plus Customs” (http://online.customs.gov.cn), the national integrated online government service platform under the General Administration of Customs, enter "Administrative Approvals - Registration of Production, Processing and Storage Facilities for Specific Export Animals, Plants and Relevant Products as well as Other Quarantine Items" and select “Set Up Application”. Applicants should upload all required documents as prompted on the page. Customs shall render a decision on approval or rejection within 20 working days from the date of application acceptance.
II. Pest Monitoring, Prevention and Control
Customs offices in the region where export fruit orchards and packing facilities are located carry out export fruit-related monitoring activities in line with the Exotic Pest Monitoring Plan. Where bilateral agreements or protocols explicitly require monitoring of specific pest, the Customs authorities at the places where the export fruit orchards or packing facilities are located shall carry out the monitoring in accordance with those requirements to prevent and control the occurrence of pest concerned by the importing country or region.
Export fruit orchards shall operate in compliance with all applicable regulations and standards. All agricultural chemicals used must meet relevant food hygiene and safety requirements, as well as the standard imposed by the importing country or region.
III. Export Declaration
Exporters of fruit shipments or their agents must submit declarations through the China International Trade Single Window to the Customs authorities in the jurisdiction where the packing facility is located, in accordance with the declaration specifications issued by the General Administration of Customs. All relevant information must be accurately reported, and supporting documents must be uploaded. Declarations will be rejected if the source of the fruit to be exported is unclear.
The following documents are required for the application:
(I) Commercial documents, including trade contracts, invoices, and packing lists (for system-based declaration, document names and numbers must be provided);
(II) Certificate of Supply Origin (required when the registered fruit orchard and packing facility are under different jurisdictional authorities);
(III) A factory inspection report or product conformity statement;
(IV) A power of attorney for declaration (only applicable when an agent is appointed for declaration);
(V) A registration certificate (for system-based declaration, the certificate name and number must be provided);
(VI) Any other documents specified in bilateral agreements, protocols, memoranda, or required by the General Administration of Customs.
IV.On-Site Inspection
Customs authorities conduct inspection and quarantine of exported fruits in accordance with bilateral quarantine agreements (such as treaties, protocols, or memoranda) between China and the importing country/region, the imported fruit inspection and quarantine regulations of the destination country/region, international plant quarantine standards, and China’s inspection and quarantine requirements for the export of fruit.
If a shipment is selected through randomized sampling of the system, an on-site inspection and quarantine procedure will be carried out. Customs officers are assigned in accordance with the "dual-random" principle, meaning both the inspecting officers and the selected shipments are chosen at random. Key aspects of the on-site quarantine and inspection include:
(I) What to Inspect: Environment and Packaging
The storage area, protective coverings, and cushioning materials should be verified to check if they meet sanitary standards, are clean and free from contamination, and that packaging materials are hygienic, unused, and compliant with applicable quality standards.
(II) Cargo-Document Verification
Cross-check documentation to ensure consistency with the actual shipment, including the product name, quantity (weight), production date, batch number, packaging, shipping marks, as well as the names and registration numbers of the fruit orchards and packing facilities.
(III) Sampling Inspection
For each batch of fruit, representative samples must be randomly drawn from different sections and groups of the stack, specifically from the top, middle, and bottom layers, all four corners, and the center.
Sampling is conducted on a per inspection batch basis. Between 2 percent and 5 percent of the total packages (with a minimum of 5 packages) are randomly opened for inspection. Each fruit is examined for pests, diseases, and other non-conformities. If signs of suspected contamination such as frass or live pests are detected, the sampling proportion may be increased accordingly.
V. Laboratory Testing
If the system requires safety supervision sampling for exported fruits, on-site sampling should be conducted, with the Customs Sampling Record Form of the People's Republic of China being completed.
Submit randomly selected grapes, grapes with suspected pest symptoms, insect specimens, and weeds to the laboratory for food safety testing and pest quarantine identification.
VI. Result Evaluation and Certification
(I) Fruits to be exported that meet all compliance standards through a comprehensive assessment are registered in the electronic ledger system. The exporter is notified of the electronic ledger reference number, and upon satisfying all requirements, an Inspection and Quarantine Certificate is issued. Any additional phytosanitary declarations mandated under bilateral agreements, protocols, or by the importing country/region’s authorities are also included.
(II) Shipments that initially fail the assessment may undergo technical treatment or quarantine disinfection. If retesting confirms compliance, an electronic ledger record is generated and the relevant certificates are issued. However, if the consignment remains non-compliant after technical treatment or quarantine disinfection, or if no effective technical treatment or quarantine disinfection is available, Customs should issue an Export Goods Rejection Notice, prohibiting the shipment from exporting. (By E Shijin, Fan Wei, and Li Yan)
