Detailed Guide on Qualifications and Key Operational Points for Full Customs Clearance Process of Japanese Food Import Declaration

Core Regulatory Access Requirements for Japanese Food Imports

After the implementation of GACC Order No.248 in 2026,all overseas food manufacturers exporting to China must complete filing in the GACC system in advance.Goods produced by unfiled manufacturers will be directly deemed unqualified and subject to return upon port arrival.In a prior project for Mr.Li,the customer shipped two containers of wagashi from Japan without verifying the manufacturer’s filing status.Upon arrival at Shanghai Port,the goods were immediately detained and returned,resulting in total demurrage and return freight costs exceeding RMB 120,000.

All Japanese food exported to China must be accompanied by sanitary certificates and animal and plant quarantine certificates issued by Japanese authorities.For pre-packaged products,all food additives in the ingredient list must fully comply with China’s GB 2760 national standard.Some locally produced Japanese sake and seasoning sauces contain ingredients allowed in Japan but not included in the national standard list; without prior third-party testing confirmation,such goods will be directly intercepted and destroyed during clearance.

Breakdown of Core Nodes in the Full Process of Japanese Food Import Declaration

For different categories of imported Japanese food,the verification priority and time consumption of clearance nodes vary significantly.We have compiled core clearance parameters for two mainstream food categories implemented at ports in 2026 to facilitate customers’ advance supply chain scheduling:

As China’s largest inbound port for Japan’s near-sea routes,Shanghai Port’s 2026 integrated declaration system for Japanese food clearance has achieved national port data synchronization.Japanese food entering through any domestic port can complete pre-verification in Shanghai and directly clear customs at other locations without re-submitting paper documents.

Key Operational Tips to Avoid Common Pitfalls in Japanese Food Import Declaration

Near-sea routes typically have a shipping period of only 2-3 days,with a cutoff time of just 24 hours before departure.The error tolerance for document modifications is far lower than that of ocean routes.The following high-frequency issues can be directly avoided through pre-arrival operations:

• All information on the China-Japan RCEP Certificate of Origin must fully match the content of the bill of lading and invoice.Even a translation error in a product name will directly disqualify the goods from enjoying preferential tariff reductions,resulting in additional import tariff expenses of approximately 9% for food products.
• The issue date on the animal and plant quarantine certificate issued by Japanese authorities must not be later than the loading date on the bill of lading.We once encountered a customer whose Japanese supplier issued the certificate 3 days late; upon port arrival,the goods were detained for inspection for 7 days,and all fresh products spoiled and became unsalable.
• Chinese label filing does not require submitting materials after goods arrive at the port.Complete pre-verification domestically 7 working days in advance,and send label samples to Japan for printing only after confirmation to avoid goods being deemed unqualified due to incorrect label printing upon arrival.
• If the declared price is lower than the average transaction price of Japanese food exported to China during the same period in the customs price assessment process,prepare corresponding FOB payment vouchers and original factory invoices in advance to avoid delaying clearance efficiency due to on-site submission of negotiation materials.

Risk Warning in the Clearance Process

The detention fee standard for Japan’s near-sea routes is 40% higher than that of ocean routes.Shanghai Port’s free storage period for conventional 20-foot containers is only 3 days.From the 4th day onwards,total daily detention fees and demurrage exceed RMB 180.Many customers who fail to plan documents in advance incur nearly RMB 2,000 in hidden costs for a single container detained for 10 days.Some freight forwarders hide additional fees such as document fees and telex release fees during document exchange,suddenly increasing final settlement costs by over 30%.

Our operational model involves completing pre-verification of all documents before customers’ goods are shipped from Japanese factories,confirming that GACC filing status,ingredient compliance,and label samples all meet domestic regulatory requirements.We submit all declaration materials 1 working day before goods arrive at the port to enable immediate inspection and release upon arrival.Relying on our local partner agent network in Japan,we can conduct preliminary verification of the Certificate of Origin and Sanitary Certificate overseas before shipment,eliminating document errors at the source.We also support remote declaration operations at any domestic port,allowing customers to directly connect with local customs clearance at their warehouses in any Chinese city without arranging additional cross-regional cargo transfers.

For customers needing to store imported Japanese food in Shanghai Bonded Warehouse for batch sales,we can simultaneously handle unprocessed certificates and re-export trade documents.Subsequent batches sent to different domestic regions do not need to resubmit a full set of access materials and can be declared directly upon outbound from the bonded warehouse.Overall warehouse circulation efficiency is increased by over 60% compared to conventional operations.