With the Spring Festival approaching, Customs see a surge in personal gift parcels flowing into and out of China. Whether you're receiving holiday treats from abroad or sending traditional favorites like cured meats and Spring Festival couplets overseas, navigating the relevant Customs regulations for international postal items can be tricky. This Lunar New Year, for smooth clearance and prompt deliveryof your gifts, let this guide be your trusted companion.
I. What’s in the Mail: Popular Festival Gifts
During Spring Festival, popular inbound gifts often include nut gift boxes, alcoholic beverages, dietary supplements, and premium accessories. Frequent outbound items are gifts that celebrate Lunar New Year traditions, such as traditional pastries, Spring Festival couplets and paintings, silk products, and related items. All such items must be for personal use only and in reasonable quantities. Shipping commercial goods in bulk under the guise of festival gifts is strictly prohibited.
II. Permitted vs. Prohibited: A Shipping Checklist
(I) Items Permitted for Clearance (Allowable)
1. Inbound: Pre-packaged nuts and seeds, dried and candied fruits, chocolates, dietary supplements, dried scallops and sea cucumbers, everyday clothing, luggage and bags, toys, and similar items that meet food safety standards are generally admissible. They should not infringe intellectual property rights, contain any products made from or derivatives of endangered species, and must comply with all applicable value and quantity limits.
2. Outbound: Special holiday foods (e.g., gift boxes of pastries, tea, or liquor), Spring Festival couplets and "Fu" decor, traditional Chinese knots, embroidery, kung fu tea sets, consumer electronics, and similar goods are normally cleared without additional approvals, provided all value and quantity limits are met.
(II) Items Prohibited from Shipping (Banned)
1. Inbound: Meat products, dairy items, fresh or chilled seafood (e.g., king crab), fresh fruits (e.g., cherries), non‑canned edible bird's nests, fresh cut flowers, products made from or derivatives ofendangered species (e.g., ivory carvings, giant-clam ornaments, American ginseng slices), foreign currency, and RMB cash.
2. Outbound: Precious and other prohibited cultural relics, products made from or derivatives of endangered species (e.g., dried seahorses, Dendrobium officinale), foreign currency, RMB cash, and flammable or explosive materials such as fireworks and firecrackers.
(III) Items Subject to Restrictions (Conditional)
1. General Provisions: The value limit is RMB 800 per parcelfor personal items sent to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions, and RMB 1,000 per parcel for all other destinations. Meanwhile, the total value limit for inbound personal items is RMB 2,000 per parcel. Parcels exceeding these limits must be returned or cleared under the procedures for commercial goods. However, an exception applies if a parcel contains only one indivisible item for personal use; in such cases, it may be processed as a personal article upon application to Customs.
2. Restrictions on Tobacco Products: A maximum of two cartons (400 units) of cigarettes or cigars, or 5 kilograms of cut tobacco, is permitted per parcel. These limits apply to both inbound and outbound shipments. If cigarettes and cigars are combined in one parcel, the total must not exceed two cartons. Only one such parcel is permitted per sender per shipment.
3. Restrictions on Alcoholic Beverages: Alcoholic beverages are subject to the General Provisions on value limits.
III. Need It Faster? Tips for Spring Festival Clearance
(I) Act Promptly on Declarations & Taxes: Upon receiving an SMS notification to complete a supplementary declaration and/or pay taxes, the sender or recipient should act promptly. They must register and log in with their real-name verified personal identity on any client channel of the One-Stop Platform for Inbound and Outbound Mail Processing, such as the "Single Window Mobile" APP, “Customs Mobile” APP, “Customs Mobile” WeChat Mini Program, the official website of China International Trade Single Window and the online service platform of Customs. Then, proceed to the dedicated section for One-Stop Platform for Inbound and Outbound Mail Processing to complete the required supplementary declaration and/or tax payment procedures.
(II) Have Your Documents Ready: Prepare all necessary supporting documents in advance, including a detailed item list, order confirmations, and invoices. This prevents delays caused by incomplete paperwork during Customs clearance.
(III) Avoid the Holiday Rush: To ensure your gifts arrive on time, plan ahead and send them well before the peak shipping period, which runs from the last week of the lunar year through Lunar New Year's Eve.
IV. Keep More Money: Duty-Saving Tips
(I) For personal inbound postal items, no duty is charged if the calculated amount payable is RMB 50 or less. For amounts above this threshold, duty is levied at the applicable rate (e.g., 13% for food and beverages, and 50% for tobacco and alcohol).
(II) Items declared as New Year gifts exceeding the “reasonable quantity for personal use” are subject to clearance procedures for commercial goods, requiring documents such as a trade contract. Otherwise, the shipment will be returned.
V. Getting Assistance: Your Direct Channels
(I)To check the clearance status of your inbound or outbound postal items, log in to the One-Stop Platform for Inbound and Outbound Mail Processing. The platform enables you to track your parcel in real time and access official policy guides and auxiliary tools.
(II) For inquiries regardingpostalclearance, you may contact the service hotline at International Mail Supervision Office at your port of entry, or the Customs Service Hotline 12360.
(III) For detailed regulations, please refer to the following official documents: Measures for the Collection of Tariffs, Value-Added Tax and Consumption Tax on Personal Imports, Announcement of the General Administration of Customson Matters Concerning the Issuance of the Principles for the Classification of Personal Imports and for the Determination of Taxable Values of Personal Imports, List of the People's Republic of China of Articles Prohibited from Import and Export, List of the People's Republic of China of Articles Restricted from Import and Export, and the Catalogue of Animals and Plants, Animal and Plant Products, and Other Quarantine Objects Prohibited from Being Carried, Mailed, or Delivered into the People’s Republic of China. (By Chen Chubin)
