Regulations of the Customs of the People's Republic of China on the Registration Management of Overseas Production Enterprises of Imported Food

Regulations of the Customs of the People's Republic of China on the Registration Management of Overseas Production Enterprises of Imported Food

General Administration of Customs Order No. 280

General Administration of Customs Order No. 280 was announced on October 14, 2025 and will come into effect on June 1, 2026)

Chapter 1 General Provisions

Article 1 In order to strengthen the registration management of overseas production enterprises of imported food, these regulations are formulated in accordance with the provisions of the 'Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China' and its implementation regulations, the 'Import and Export Commodity Inspection Law of the People's Republic of China' and its implementation regulations, the 'Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine Law of the People's Republic of China' and its implementation regulations, the 'Special Provisions of the State Council on Strengthening the Safety Supervision and Management of Food and Other Products' and other laws and administrative regulations.

Article 2 These regulations shall apply to the registration management of overseas production, processing, and storage enterprises that export food to China (hereinafter collectively referred to as overseas production enterprises of imported food).

　　The overseas production enterprises of imported food specified in the preceding paragraph do not include the production, processing and storage enterprises of food additives and food-related products.

Article 3 The General Administration of Customs is responsible for the registration and management of overseas production enterprises of imported food.

Article 4 Overseas production enterprises of imported food shall be registered with the General Administration of Customs.

Article 5 The General Administration of Customs shall, in accordance with the principles of risk management and based on the assessment and review of the food safety management system and food safety status of the country (region) where the imported food overseas production enterprises are located, and the relevant food risk levels, implement classified management of the imported food overseas production enterprises, and determine the corresponding registration methods, application materials, review procedures and other registration management requirements.

　　After risk assessment or if there is evidence that the safety risks of imported food have changed, the General Administration of Customs may adjust the corresponding registration management requirements.

Chapter 2 Registration Conditions and Procedures

Article 6 The General Administration of Customs shall determine the catalog of imported foods that require official recommendation and registration (hereinafter referred to as the catalog) based on the analysis of food raw material sources, production and processing technology, historical food safety data, consumer groups, consumption methods and other factors, and in combination with international practices and publish it to the public.

Article 7 Registration conditions for overseas production enterprises of imported food:

　　(1) Established with the approval of the competent authority of the country (region) where it is located and under its effective supervision;

　　(2) Establish an effective food safety and hygiene management and protection system, legally produce and export in the country (region) where it is located, and ensure that the food exported to China complies with relevant Chinese laws and regulations and national food safety standards;

　　(3) Comply with the relevant inspection and quarantine requirements agreed between the General Administration of Customs and the competent authorities of the country (region) where it is located.

　　Overseas manufacturers of food listed in the catalog should also obtain recommendations from the competent authorities of the country (region) where they are located.

Article 8 For overseas production enterprises of food listed in the catalog, the competent authorities of the country (region) where they are located shall conduct audits and inspections of the enterprises, and issue audit and inspection reports and recommendation letters to those that meet the registration requirements.

Article 9 Overseas manufacturers of imported food shall submit the following application materials to the General Administration of Customs by themselves or by entrusting an agent:

　　(1) Enterprise registration application information;

　　(2) Enterprise identity documents, such as business license or certificate issued by the competent authority of the country (region) where it is located;

　　(3) A statement that the enterprise promises to comply with the requirements of these regulations.

　　Overseas manufacturers of foods listed in the catalog should also submit review and inspection reports and recommendation letters issued by the competent authorities of the country (region) where they are located.

　　When necessary, the General Administration of Customs can require enterprises to provide materials such as food safety, hygiene and protection systems, production types, and production capabilities.

Article 10 The enterprise registration application information shall include the enterprise name, country (region) where it is located, the address of the production site, legal representative, contact person, contact information, registration number approved by the competent authority of the country (region) where it is located, the type of food applied for registration and other information.

Article 11 Registration application materials shall be in Chinese or English.

　　The competent authorities of the country (region) where they are located and the overseas manufacturers of imported food should be responsible for the authenticity, completeness and legality of relevant materials.

Article 12 Based on the safety risk level of imported food, the General Administration of Customs, on its own or by entrusting relevant agencies, conducts assessment and review of overseas production enterprises of imported food that apply for registration through written inspections, video inspections, on-site inspections and other forms and combinations thereof.

　　Overseas manufacturers of imported food and the competent authorities of the countries (regions) where they are located should assist in the above-mentioned assessment and review work.

Article 13 The General Administration of Customs shall, based on the assessment and review, register the overseas manufacturing enterprises of imported food that meet the requirements and give them a registration number in China, and notify the overseas manufacturing enterprises of imported food in writing; the overseas manufacturing enterprises of imported food that do not meet the requirements shall not be registered and shall notify the overseas manufacturing enterprises of imported food in writing.

Article 14 When a registered enterprise exports food to China, it shall mark the registration number in China or the registration number approved by the competent authority of the country (region) where it is located on the food packaging.

Article 15 The registration validity period for overseas production enterprises of imported food is 5 years.

　　When registering overseas production enterprises of imported food, the General Administration of Customs shall determine the start and end dates of the registration validity period.

Article 16 The General Administration of Customs publishes a unified list of registered overseas manufacturers of imported food.

Article 17 If the food safety management system of the country (region) where the imported food overseas production enterprise is located is recognized by the General Administration of Customs, and meets one of the following circumstances, the General Administration of Customs may agree in writing with the competent authority of the country (region) where the enterprise is located to adopt a list registration method for its enterprise:

　　(1) Having signed an import and export food safety cooperation agreement with the General Administration of Customs;

　　(2) Has signed agreements, memorandums, joint statements and other cooperation documents with China that include food safety cooperation;

　　(3) Other situations in which the General Administration of Customs deems that the list registration method can be adopted after risk assessment.

Article 18 If list registration is adopted, the competent authority of the country (region) where it is located shall submit the following materials to the General Administration of Customs:

　　(1) List of recommended food production companies registered in China;

　　(2) The application information listed in Article 10 of these Regulations;

　　(3) A statement that the recommended enterprise complies with paragraph 1 of Article 7 of these Regulations;

　　(4) A statement of commitment to continue to fulfill the responsibilities agreed in bilateral cooperation documents.

　　After review, the General Administration of Customs will register enterprises on the list that meet the requirements and give them registration numbers in China. Enterprises on the list that do not meet the requirements will not be registered and will notify the competent authorities of the country (region) where they are located in writing.

Chapter 3 Supervision and Management

Article 19 The General Administration of Customs, based on the level of imported food safety risks, shall, on its own or by entrusting relevant agencies, conduct reexaminations on whether overseas manufacturers of imported food continue to meet registration requirements.

　　Overseas manufacturers of imported food and the competent authorities of the countries (regions) where they are located should assist in carrying out the above review work.

Article 20 During the validity period of registration, if the registration information of an overseas production enterprise of imported food changes, a change application shall be submitted to the General Administration of Customs through the registration application channel, and the following materials shall be submitted:

　　(1) Comparison table of information on changes in registration matters;

　　(2) Certification materials related to the change information.

　　If the General Administration of Customs determines that the change can be made after evaluation, the change will be made; if there are circumstances that have a significant impact on the enterprise's food safety and hygiene management and protection system due to the relocation of the production site, the change of the legal representative, the change of the registration number granted by the country (region), etc., the General Administration of Customs will not make the change and notify the enterprise to re-apply for registration. The registration number in China will become invalid from the date of notification.

Article 21 Enterprise registration will be automatically extended upon expiration, and the extension period is 5 years, except for one of the following circumstances:

　　(1) Imported foods are included in the list of foods that are not subject to automatic renewal of registration;

　　(2) The enterprise is in the period of rectification because it does not meet the registration requirements;

　　(3) The General Administration of Customs suspends the import of relevant food from the country (region) where the overseas production enterprises of imported food are located in accordance with the law.

　　The list of imported foods whose registration shall not be automatically renewed as stipulated in the first item of the preceding paragraph shall be announced separately by the General Administration of Customs.

Article 22 If an overseas manufacturer of foods included in the list of foods not subject to automatic renewal of registration needs to renew its registration, it shall submit an application for renewal of registration to the General Administration of Customs through the registration application channel within 3 to 12 months before the expiration of the registration validity period. Registration renewal application materials include:

　　(1) Registration extension application information;

　　(2) A statement of commitment to continue to comply with registration requirements;

　　(3) Overseas manufacturers of foods listed in the catalog should also submit a statement of continued compliance with registration requirements issued by the competent authority of the country (region) where they are located.

　　The General Administration of Customs will renew the registration of enterprises that meet the registration requirements, and the registration validity period will be extended for 5 years.

Article 23 If a registered overseas production enterprise of imported food encounters any of the following circumstances, the General Administration of Customs shall cancel its registration, notify the overseas production enterprise of imported food, notify the competent authority of the country (region) where it is located, and make an announcement:

　　(1) Failure to apply for renewal of registration as required;

　　(2) The competent authority of the country (region) where it is located or the overseas production enterprise of imported food actively applies for cancellation;

　　(3) No longer meets the requirements of Article 7, Paragraph 1, Item 1 of these Regulations.

Article 24 The competent authorities of the country (region) where the imported food overseas production enterprises are located shall fulfill their food safety supervision responsibilities, implement effective supervision of registered enterprises, and urge registered enterprises to continue to comply with the registration requirements. If they are found to be inconsistent with the registration requirements, they shall immediately take risk prevention and control and reduction measures, suspend relevant enterprises from exporting food to China, notify the General Administration of Customs, and supervise the rectification of enterprises until they meet the registration requirements.

　　When overseas manufacturers of imported food find that they do not meet the registration requirements, they should proactively suspend food exports to China and immediately take rectification measures until the rectifications meet the registration requirements.

Article 25 If the General Administration of Customs discovers that a registered overseas production enterprise of imported food no longer meets the registration requirements, it shall order it to make rectifications within the prescribed period, and notify the competent authority of the country (region) where it is located to urge the rectifications. During the rectification period, the food imports of the relevant enterprises shall be suspended.

　　After the enterprise completes the rectification, it should submit a supervision rectification report issued by the competent authority of the country (region) where it is located and a written statement that it meets the registration requirements.

　　The General Administration of Customs shall review the rectification status of the enterprise and, if the requirements are met, resume food imports by the relevant enterprise.

Article 26 If the General Administration of Customs suspends and resumes food imports from registered overseas production enterprises of imported food in accordance with Articles 24 and 25 of these regulations, the list of relevant enterprises shall be announced by the General Administration of Customs.

Article 27 If a registered overseas production enterprise of imported food falls into any of the following circumstances, the General Administration of Customs shall revoke its registration and make an announcement:

　　(1) Major food safety accidents occur in imported food due to the enterprise's own reasons;

　　(2) Food safety problems are discovered during entry inspection and quarantine of food exported to China, and the circumstances are serious;

　　(3) The enterprise has major problems in its food safety and hygiene management and cannot guarantee that the food it exports to China meets safety and hygiene requirements;

　　(4) Still does not meet the registration requirements after rectification;

　　(5) Providing false materials and concealing relevant information;

　　(6) Refusing to cooperate with the General Administration of Customs in conducting re-inspections and accident investigations;

　　(7) Leasing, lending, transferring, reselling, or fraudulently using registration numbers;

　　(8) Approval of registration for enterprises that are not qualified to apply or do not meet registration conditions;

　　(9) Other circumstances under which registration may be revoked in accordance with the law.

Chapter 4 Supplementary Provisions

Article 28 If the General Administration of Customs suspends the import of relevant food from the country (region) where the overseas production enterprise of imported food is located in accordance with the law, it will not accept the registration application of the relevant food production enterprise in that country (region) during the suspension period.

Article 29 If relevant countries (regions) have other agreements with China on the registration management of overseas production enterprises of imported food, the agreement between the two parties shall prevail.

Article 30 The scope of overseas storage enterprises of imported food that need to be registered and managed in accordance with these regulations will be announced separately by the General Administration of Customs.

　　The registration management of overseas production enterprises of primary edible agricultural products shall be separately formulated by the General Administration of Customs.

　　The management requirements for overseas production enterprises of cross-border e-commerce retail imported food shall be handled in accordance with relevant regulations.

Article 31 The competent authority of the country (region) in these regulations refers to the official department responsible for the safety and health supervision of food production enterprises in the country (region) where the imported food overseas production enterprises are located.

Article 32 The General Administration of Customs is responsible for the interpretation of these regulations.

Article 33 These regulations will come into effect on June 1, 2026. The 'Regulations on the Registration and Management of Overseas Production Enterprises of Imported Foods of the People's Republic of China' promulgated by the General Administration of Customs Order No. 248 on April 12, 2021 will be abolished at the same time.

Source: Shanghai Customs 12360 hotline | If there is any infringement, please contact us to delete it