The General Administration of Customs (GACC) announced the Measures for the Supervision of Inbound and Outbound Luggage and Articles of the People's Republic of China (Decree No. 276 of GACC), which will take effect on April 1, 2025. This article provides an introduction to the regulations regarding the supervision of inbound and outbound luggage and articles.
Question 1: What are the legal foundations for the establishment of the Measures?
Answer: The legal foundations include the Customs Law of the People's Republic of China, the Tariff Law of the People's Republic of China, the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine, the Frontier Health and Quarantine Law of the People's Republic of China, along with associated laws and administrative regulations.
Question 2: How are "luggage and articles" defined in the Measures?
Answer: The term "Luggage and articles" refers to articles carried by personnel entering or leaving China, including both carry-on and separately transported articles.
"Separated transported luggage and articles" refer to the personal belongings of individuals entering or leaving the country, transported by means of separate consignment.
Inbound and outbound luggage and articles must comply with the standards for reasonable self-use. For quantities exceeding these limits, customs processing will follow procedures applicable to goods.
Individuals entering or exiting the country must not carry luggage and articles prohibited by national regulations. For carrying items subject to national restrictive regulations, they must adhere to the prescribed limits and submit required licenses and supporting documentation in accordance with the law.
Question 3: Which luggage and articles carried by individuals entering and exiting the country need to be declared to customs?
Answer: For inbound individuals, a written declaration to customs is required under the following circumstances: (1) Carrying items prohibited from entering; (2) Carrying restricted-entry items exceeding the allowable limit or quantity, or those requiring submission of permits and related documents; (3) Carrying animals, plants, their products, or other quarantinable materials; (4) Carrying items such as blood, pathogenic microorganisms, biological products, or others concerning public health safety; (5) Carrying items contaminated by or at risk of spreading quarantinable infectious diseases; (6) Carrying monetary cash exceeding the prescribed amount; (7) Carrying items exceeding the duty-free amount or quantity limits; (8) Carrying goods, samples, or promotional materials; (9) Transporting luggage and articles via separate transport modes; (10) Carrying other luggage and articles requiring written declaration in accordance with the law.
For outbound individuals, a written declaration to the customs is required under the following circumstances: (1) Carrying items prohibited from leaving the country; (2) Possessing restricted items exceeding the stipulated quantity or value, or requiring submission of licenses and other supporting documents; (3) Carrying goods, samples, or promotional materials; (4) Transporting human tissues such as blood, pathogenic microorganisms, biological products, or other materials concerning public health security; (5) Carrying materials contaminated with or posing a risk of spreading quarantinable infectious diseases; (6) Possessing currency exceeding the specified amount; (7) Carrying other luggage and articles requiring declaration in accordance with the law.
Question 4: What considerations should inbound and outbound individuals have when declaring their luggage and articles?
Answer: When inbound and outbound individuals submit written declarations, they must complete paper declaration forms or electronic declaration data and present their valid exit and entry documentation to customs at designated locations such as declaration counters. They should submit paper declarations, confirm electronic data, provide licenses and other supporting documents, and comply with customs verification procedures.
Question 5: Are inbound and outbound individuals required to be present when customs inspects luggage and articles?
Answer: During customs inspections of inbound and outbound luggage and articles, individuals or their representatives must be on-site to handle, open, and reseal items as per customs requirements, and truthfully respond to questions from customs officers. If deemed necessary by customs, they may proceed with an inspection in the presence of witnesses.
Question 6: Must all luggage and articles carried by inbound and outbound individuals undergo quarantine treatment?
Answer: If the luggage and articles carried by inbound personnel exhibit any of the following situations, they shall undergo quarantine treatment under customs supervision: (1) Contamination by quarantinable infectious diseases; (2) Presence of vectors affecting human health; (3) Other conditions posing a risk of spreading quarantinable infectious diseases; (4) Live harmful organisms with animal or plant quarantine risks that may lead to dissemination; (5) Other cases that legally require quarantine treatment.
Question 7: Is there a specified time frame for completing customs procedures for inbound and outbound luggage and articles?
Answer: Should any of the following situations prevent customs formalities from being completed on-site, inbound and outbound individuals must complete them within three months: (1) Payment of taxes on inbound luggage and articles is required; (2) Submission of licenses and other supporting documents is mandatory; (3) Customs procedures must be applied as per goods regulations; (4) When there are uncertainties regarding the attributes, contents, and value of inbound and outbound articles requiring testing, identification, or other processing (processing time is not deducted from the deadline); (5) When return or other measures are necessary yet cannot be executed immediately.
In addition, the following luggage and articles must complete customs procedures within a seven-day timeframe: (1) Hazardous chemicals; (2) Perishable, time-sensitive, or unsuitable for extended storage luggage items; (3) Items related to public health and safety, such as blood, human tissues, pathogenic microorganisms, and biological products; (4) Other luggage and articles as stipulated by the General Administration of Customs.
Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of Xuexi.cn. The Xuexi.cn version shall prevail.
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