What procedures and documents are required for the full entry process of imported ordinary prepacked food in 2026
Importing from China?
Need help with sourcing, customs or shipping?
Your China Import Partner
Reliable sourcing and import agency services.
I just founded a cross-border food trading company this year, with prior experience only in importing ordinary small commodities. Last month I ordered one full container of olive oil and jam from Spain, the cargo will arrive at Shanghai Port next week. Right now I only have the certificate of origin, health certificate, commercial invoice and packing list provided by the supplier.
I went through many new regulations implemented after 2025 but got more confused: some rules say Chinese label filing must be done in advance, while others state overseas manufacturers need to be registered in China. I have no idea what materials I am missing now, and fear that any missing procedure will lead to direct cargo detention at the port.
Daily demurrage costs hundreds of RMB, and the entire batch may even be destroyed. I have stayed up for two consecutive nights to figure out exactly what procedures and documents are needed for imported food throughout the full process from arrival to being sold in supermarkets.
SarahYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Foreign Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
First are the details of pre-arrival document audit. Pre-verification of all materials must be completed 7 working days before cargo arrival at port. All overseas manufacturers shall finish filing in the GACC Registration System for Overseas Imported Food Manufacturers. Chinese labels must be uploaded for verification in the pre-audit system of the port customs in advance，to avoid late discovery of non-compliance with national standard label requirements after cargo arrival.
For connection of core nodes，all supporting documents shall be uploaded to the declaration system after cargo arrival. After customs completes document review，the cargo will enter the inspection stage，for prepacked food，the label sample and corresponding translated version shall be uploaded at the same time，and the ingredient list must fully match the test report officially issued by the country of origin. After passing the inspection，the Inspection and Quarantine Certificate for Imported Goods，commonly known as the health certificate，will be issued，and delivery can only be arranged after obtaining this document.
For contingency plans，if there are minor defects in the documents，the cargo does not need to be directly returned，and can go through the customs document amendment channel. All corresponding documents supplemented within 3 working days will complete the customs clearance，if cargo demurrage exceeds 14 days，the customs will calculate overdue declaration surcharge，so 2 days of buffer time shall be reserved in advance to cope with unexpected situations. After final compliance implementation，all documents shall be kept for at least 2 years for future reference，to meet the traceability requirements of subsequent market supervision.
WilliamYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
International Logistics AdvisorStart a Chat
In the food import customs declaration logic updated by GACC in 2026, all declaration data related to food must be fully matched among country of origin information, ingredient list information and manufacturer registration information. Once logical inconsistency occurs, the system will directly trigger document rejection, and the application cannot enter the manual review stage. If customs raises questions on the declared price during price verification, you can upload corresponding foreign exchange payment vouchers, overseas purchase contracts, and purchase records of other batches of the same category in the same period as supporting documents, no need to deliberately raise the declared price which reduces review efficiency.
For cross-port document transfer requirements under integrated customs clearance, complete advance filing for the destination port in the Single Window in advance, to avoid extra storage cost caused by stuck document transfer process after cargo arrival. If deletion and re-declaration is needed, you must submit a statement stamped with the operating entity's official seal, mark out the original declaration number and specific modification content clearly, the whole process can be completed within 3 working days.
EllaYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Financial AdvisorStart a Chat
For imported food with temperature control requirements, confirm the whole-process temperature control setting parameters with the shipping company at the booking stage. The preset temperature of the refrigerated container shall fully match the storage and transportation requirements of the goods, to avoid food deterioration caused by over-temperature during transit.
Apply to the terminal for 7-10 days extended free storage period 3 days before cargo arrival, reserve sufficient time for inspection and rectification, to avoid high container demurrage after the ordinary free storage period expires. In case of container rollover at the transit port, ask the shipping company for the new bill of lading number after reallocation immediately, and submit a transportation delay statement to the destination port customs at the same time, which will not affect subsequent customs clearance efficiency.
For endorsement transfer of bill of lading, confirm that the official seals on all endorsement links are clear and without alteration, and mark the full enterprise name of the transferee clearly for the part involving cargo right transfer, to avoid cargo right dispute when picking up goods. Direct shipping route is at least 7 days faster than transit route, temperature-sensitive food shall prefer direct shipping routes, which can greatly reduce the deterioration risk during transportation.
OliviaYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
You can apply for VAT deferral policy during imported food customs clearance, no need to pay import VAT directly at the clearance stage, the tax can be deferred to the unified deduction in the VAT declaration period of the next month, which greatly reduces capital occupation pressure in the import link. For purchases related to cross-border related party transactions, prepare contemporaneous documentation in advance, make sure the purchase pricing complies with the arm's length principle, so as not to trigger customs transfer pricing investigation.
The calculation of non-resident enterprise withholding tax shall distinguish the boundary between royalty and ordinary purchase payment, avoid including expenses outside the tax scope into the tax base and overpaying taxes. Complete BEPS-related compliance declaration synchronously, all cross-border procurement payment records shall fully match the declared amount on the customs declaration form, no abnormal early warning of subsequent tax verification will be triggered. For tax difference calculation, refer to the dutiable price range of domestic food of the same category in advance, reserve reasonable price fluctuation space, to reduce extra tax expenditure during price verification.
DavidYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Business Development AdvisorStart a Chat
All SWIFT message information of cross-border receipt and payment shall fully match the consignee and consignor, amount, and currency information on the import customs declaration form, avoid bank payment interception caused by mismatched message information. For offshore account management, keep trade background materials corresponding to every cross-border receipt and payment, including contracts, invoices, and copies of customs declaration forms, to cope with random compliance checks from banks at any time. Using CIPS RMB cross-border payment channel can avoid exchange loss brought by exchange rate fluctuation, the whole process is settled in RMB without converting to third-party currency, and the settlement efficiency can be improved by at least 2 working days.
For settlement and account reconciliation, make sure four flows are fully matched: capital flow, goods flow, invoice flow and customs declaration flow have no difference, which will not trigger abnormal verification from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. For exchange rate optimization of foreign exchange purchase, you can lock the foreign exchange purchase quota at a low exchange rate point in advance, lock the exchange cost of subsequent procurement, avoid exchange rate fluctuation eroding original profit margin.
DanielYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Legal AdvisorStart a Chat
Add corresponding force majeure fallback clauses in the purchase contract signed with overseas suppliers, clearly mark that in case of non-controllable situations for both parties including port inspection delay and temporary policy adjustment, corresponding demurrage and other costs shall be shared by both parties in agreed proportion, avoid bearing all losses unilaterally. Check all soft clauses in the letter of credit one by one, delete clauses that require unmanageable documents such as customer inspection certificate, all documents required for negotiation shall be official compliant documents that can be issued by authorized parties, so no presentation discrepancy will lead to dishonor.
You can complete customs intellectual property protection filing in advance, after filing for imported food with self-owned brand, counterfeit products in domestic market that impact normal sales channels can be avoided. Documents related to cargo right transfer shall clearly mark the specific node of cargo right transfer, take the point when goods pass the ship's rail at port of shipment as the boundary, clarify the risk bearing boundary of different stages. For exclusive agency agreements, clearly mark the authorized region and category scope, to avoid parallel import disputes among different agents of the same brand afterwards.
JohnYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Export Tax Rebate AdvisorStart a Chat
Before on-site customs inspection, prepare all originals and translated versions of supporting documents in advance, confirm the inspection yard location on the day with your customs broker, arrange dedicated staff to arrive at the site 1 hour in advance for docking. For seal authenticity verification, check the number of the maritime seal one by one to confirm it is fully consistent with the number marked on the bill of lading. Once the seal is found damaged or altered, take photos for record immediately, and explain the situation to on-site customs officers synchronously.
During the non-intrusive inspection, adjust the placement of goods to arranged in forward direction in advance, reduce the probability of triggering secondary manual unpacking inspection. Be present all the time during unpacking inspection, cooperate with customs officers to verify the batch number, shelf life, and Chinese label placement of the goods one by one. Minor defects can apply for rectification on site, no need to send the goods for laboratory inspection directly. After the test report is issued, confirm the test items meet national standard requirements immediately. If there is objection, you can apply for second re-inspection within 7 working days, to safeguard your legitimate rights and interests.
AlexanderYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Trade AdvisorStart a Chat
The Chinese label for imported food shall be uniformly pasted on the blank and flat area of the package, avoid covering the original product information of the country of origin, to meet the labeling requirements of national standard GB 7718. For MSDS preparation, mark out corresponding temperature, humidity requirements and emergency response measures in case of accidental leakage based on the storage and transportation characteristics of food, to meet the document requirements of customs declaration. For cold chain transportation packaging, select food-grade EVA buffer insulation layer with sufficient cold storage agents, ensure the whole-process transportation temperature stays stably within the required range, no food deterioration caused by over-temperature.
The thickness of buffer packaging material shall be adjusted according to the weight of goods and transportation distance, avoid packaging damage caused by goods collision inside the container during maritime transportation, which will lead to food leakage and contaminate the entire batch of goods. Ordinary prepacked food packages do not need UN dangerous goods packaging certificate, but for alcohol-containing food such as edible alcohol, complete hazard classification identification in advance, confirm they do not belong to high-risk category before arranging transportation.
SophiaYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
If imported food will be re-exported for sales afterwards, keep all customs declaration forms, tax payment vouchers and purchase contracts from the import link in advance, to meet the document filing requirements for subsequent export tax refund. The four-flow consistency verification shall ensure capital, cargo right, invoice and customs declaration information are fully matched, no abnormal early warning such as capital backflow will occur.
Complete pre-declaration verification of cross-month declaration data before the deadline of the declaration period of next month, check information matching abnormality in the system in advance, and correct wrong data timely. Complete the full foreign exchange collection and verification procedure within 90 days after export, avoid missing the tax refund policy due to overdue.
To cope with tax verification, sort out full chain trade background materials in advance, clearly mark the time node of each transaction and corresponding voucher, the verification reply can be completed within 3 working days, which will not affect the arrival efficiency of tax refund. Bind all documents into volumes and keep them for at least 5 years, to meet subsequent verification requirements of the tax authority.
RobertYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Warehouse Management AdvisorStart a Chat
For imported food inventory linkage strategy, set public bonded warehouse at Shanghai port as the front stocking point, and complete customs clearance procedures after consumers place orders, which greatly reduces capital occupation caused by overstock. In the cost calculation model, include all international logistics fees, port sundry fees, customs clearance fees, taxes and domestic distribution fees into the calculation dimensions, accurately calculate the unit cost of each batch of goods, avoid loss caused by wrong pricing.
Choose the INCOTERMS of CIF or FOB according to your own supply chain control capability. Under FOB terms, you can select logistics providers independently to greatly optimize transportation cost, while under CIF terms, transportation risks can be transferred to overseas suppliers.
For international trade structure design, split different customs clearance batches for different categories of food, arrange short-shelf-life fresh food for priority customs clearance, to guarantee freshness for market sales. For national multi-port linkage layout, divert goods of different batches to the nearest port to the corresponding consumer market for customs clearance, which greatly reduces the domestic distribution cost.