Food Certification in China: GACC Registration
Registering on the General Administration of Chinese Customs platform gives an exporter a registration number that goes on the package and lets the authorities track the product. Food producers can only register once they hold a fumigation or phytosanitary certificate from the country of production.
How do you register as an exporter with GACC?
China is a digitalised country, and it offers foreign producers a platform to sign up on. That makes the procedure considerably easier, though it does not remove the rest of the bureaucracy around it. Registration can be done directly or through local agents.
Once registered on the General Administration of Chinese Customs (GACC) platform, you receive a registration number to put on the packaging of the exported goods. Two things follow from it: the Chinese authorities can track the products inside the country, and customs clearance is faster.
There is a precondition. Food producers, meat, grain and so on, may only register once they hold a certificate of fumigation or a phytosanitary certificate issued in the country of production. Exporters of processed agricultural products must also supply a certificate of origin to GACC.
Testing
A quarantine certificate permitting export is issued on the basis of local testing at a Chinese laboratory accredited for the service. The testing confirms the quality of the goods, and on a positive result the laboratory issues the test reports.
Costs depend on the planned distribution channel, online or offline, and a client can choose both.
Prepare the recommendation letter in advance. The Chinese authorities examine these carefully, and it is not a document to draft in a hurry at the end.
Marking
Two requirements:
- The label must be translated into Chinese
- Special marking such as Eco or Bio requires a Label Verification Certificate for Imported Food to substantiate it. Without one, fees apply.
Which documents does Chinese customs ask for?
- Export declaration
- Invoice
- Waybill, bill of lading or air waybill
- Certificate of origin
- Packing lists
- Freight bills
- Certificates of conformity for the product
- Label verification certificate
What can stop a consignment?
GACC may refuse entry or suspend cargo where prohibited microorganisms, ingredients or additives are found in the products, or where the certificates and labels supplied are incorrect.
The second cause is the avoidable one, and it is the more common. A compliant product with a wrong label is stopped exactly like a non-compliant one.
The first shipment takes longer
Before goods intended for retail sale enter the market for the first time, a registration dossier is opened at the border division of the customs department for inspection and quarantine.
That process takes 10 to 15 business days, a one-off cost on first entry, but one that has to sit in the launch schedule rather than surprising it.
Sources
- GACC, General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, import food registration
- GACC Decrees No. 248 and No. 249 on the registration of overseas food producers
Frequently asked questions
What does the GACC registration number do?
It goes on the packaging of the exported goods and lets the Chinese authorities track the product inside the country. It also saves time at customs. Registration happens on the GACC platform, which an exporter can complete itself or through local agents.
What is needed before a food producer can register?
A certificate of fumigation or a phytosanitary certificate, issued in the country of production. Exporters of processed agricultural products must also provide a certificate of origin to GACC. Without these, registration cannot proceed.
Why would GACC refuse a consignment?
If prohibited microorganisms, ingredients or additives are found in the products, or if the certificates and labels supplied are incorrect. Cargo can be refused entry or suspended, so the label verification and certificate work has to be right before the goods travel.
Not sure which of these applies to your product? Send it and we will tell you
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