I. What is an Approved Exporter?
An approved exporter is an enterprise certified by Customs in accordance with law, authorized to issue Declarations of Origin for goods it manufactures or exports that meet origin criteria under relevant preferential trade agreements.
II. Eligibility Criteria for Approved Exporters
According to Article 4 of the Measures of the Customs of the People's Republic of China for the Administration of Approved Exporters (OrderNo. 254of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China), an approved exporter must satisfy the following three conditions:
1) Be a Customs Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) certified enterprise;
2) Be familiar with the rules of origin under the applicable preferential trade agreements;
3) Maintain a well-established management system for origin-related documentation.
III. Applying for Approved Exporter Status
1. Application Process
An applicant who applies for an approved exporter authorization shall submit a Written Application for an Approved Exporter Authorization of the People's Republic of China through the portal of the China International Trade Single Window (https://www.singlewindow.cn/) or the “Approved Exporter Management Information System” on the integrated online service platform of "Internet plus Customs" (http://online.customs.gov.cn) to the directly subordinate Customs authority(hereinafter referred to assupervising Customs) at its registered address.The written application must include the following contents:
1). Basic corporate information, including the company's name and address in both Chinese and English, Unified Social Credit Identifier, Customs credit rating, enterprise type, and contact details;
2). Details of principal export goods, covering their names, specifications and models in Chinese and English, HS codes, applicable preferential trade agreements and specific rules of origin, as well as a complete breakdown of all materials and components used in the products;
3). A written commitment to understanding and compliance with the rules of origin under the applicable preferential trade agreements;
4). A written commitment to maintaining a comprehensive document management system for verifying origin eligibility of the goods;
5). A specimen of the seal intended to be used on the Declarations of Origin.
Where application materials involve commercial secrets, the applicant shall submit a written confidentiality request to the competent Customs authority at the time of application, clearly specifying the content to be treated as confidential. Customs shall fulfill its confidentiality obligations in accordance with relevant state regulations.
Please note!
Upon successful accreditation, the "Accreditation Status" field will display as "Valid," and the enterprise will be formally recognized as an approved exporter. Subsequently, the enterprise may perform follow-up operations regarding this qualification, including modification of information, renewal, or deregistration.
2. Updating Approved Exporter Information
This section allows modification of attachments, viewing receipts, previewing or downloading Customs documents. To update core enterprise details, please visit the "Enterprise Qualification" system in the Single Window.
3. Renewing Approved Exporter Status
Enterprises may, after being recognized as an approved exporter, apply for renewal within three months before the three-year validity expires via the “Approved Exporter Extension Application” menu. Applications cannot be submitted more than three months before expiry.
4. Cancelling Approved Exporter Status
To cancel the status, click the “Applicationfor Deregistration” menu, enter the reason for cancellation, and submit the “Application for Deregistration” button.
5. Recording Goods Information for Declarations of Origin
Note: The record function becomes available only after the enterprise's status as an approved exporter is recognized as valid. The "Information on Main Export Goods Pertaining to Origin Eligibility" provided during the initial recognition application is solely for Customs to assess the enterprise's understanding of the relevant rules of origin under the applicable preferential trade agreements, and does not substitute for the formal record process for "Goods Information" required here.
Click [Add] to enter goods information and save the entry. After verifying the information is correct, click [Submit]. When the application status for an item in the list shows "Successfully Received by Customs" and its record status is "Valid", relative goods information can be added when issuing a declaration later. The Delete button on the page can only be used to remove record information with a status of "Draft (Pending Submission)" or "Successfully Received by Customs".
6. Issuing Declarations of Origin
By clicking the "Issue Declaration" menu, approved exporters can select the type of origin declaration, including: the Declarationof Origin under the RCEP agreement, the Back-to-Back Declaration of Originunder the RCEP agreement, and Declarations of Origin under FTAs such as China-Iceland, China-Switzerland, China-Mauritius, China-New Zealand, and China-Serbia.
The issuance process for the Declaration of Origin under the RCEP agreement and the Back-to-Back Declaration of Origin under the RCEP aggrement is outlined below as examples:
Part 1: Declaration of Origin under the RCEP agreement
An RCEP Declaration includes basic information, invoice information, and goods details. When entering invoice information, please note that multiple entries for relevantinvoices can be added. In addition, the value for the price term must be consistent across all entries, and the same invoice number can only be used once within declarations of the same type. After confirming all data is accurate, click the "Issue Declaration" button in the upper-right corner and you will be directed to the preview and print interface to continue.
Part 2: Back-to-Back Declaration of Origin under the RCEP agreement
An RCEP Back-to-Back Declaration includes basic information, invoice information, and goods details.
Notes:
When adding goods information, the corresponding invoice information must be entered and saved. The invoice number used for the goods must correspond to an invoice already recorded within this specific declaration and cannot be entered arbitrarily.
The issuance of a Back-to-Back Declaration requires the electronic data of either the original Certificate of Origin or the original Declaration of Origin.If such electronic data is not available, please visit the Preferential Trade Agreement Origin Declaration System (URL: https://e.chinaport.gov.cn/), and enter the electronic data of original Certificate of Originmanually.
After confirming all data is accurate, click the "Submit" button to send the declaration data to Customs. Once the status changes to "Valid", click the "Issue Declaration" button to access the preview and print interface for declaration printing.
7. Inquiring Declarationsof Origin
Enterprises can view all issued Declarations of Origin under the "Declaration Inquiry" menu. Once a declaration is successfully received and processed by Customs, its will be displayed as "Valid". Overseas importers can then use the valid declaration to claim tariff preferences upon importation.
This concludes the guide on approved exporters and Declarations of Origin.
Once recognized as an approved exporter by Customs, enterprises gain the capability to self-issue Declarations of Origin in-house. This streamlines the process, allowing export goods to more readily and fully benefit from the tariff preferences available under various preferential trade agreements.
Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of Huangpu Customs Service Hotline 12360. The Huangpu Customs Service Hotline 12360 version shall prevail.
