Dried Fruit Import Full Process Breakdown: A Compliance Customs Clearance Guide from Overseas Factories to Domestic Shelves

Importing Dried Fruits Is Far More Than Just "Customs Declaration"

Last month,Mr.Wang imported a batch of mango dried fruits from Thailand.When goods arrived at Shanghai Port,the customs broker informed him: "Commodity inspection failed,you need to re-apply for an Entry Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit,and the Chinese label does not comply with GB 7718 standards." After inquiry,permit processing takes time,label rectification requires reprinting and relabeling,goods stuck at the port generate daily demurrage charges and storage fees.Only then did Mr.Wang realize that importing dried fruits is completely different from importing plastic products as he did before.

This is not an isolated case.Many trading companies noticed the domestic healthy snack market and want to introduce durian dried fruits from Southeast Asia,cranberry dried fruits from Europe and America,and fig dried fruits from the Middle East,but often stumble over two hurdles of "access" and "inspection".Dried fruits belong to "plant-derived food",customs supervision conditions involve "A" (entry quarantine) and "R" (import food hygiene supervision and inspection),commodity inspection rate is much higher than ordinary goods.Today,based on 20 years of front-line practical experience,I will thoroughly explain "dried fruit import procedure agency" to you.

Core Difficulties and Risk Warnings: Money and Time May Be Wasted Here

The complexity of dried fruit imports stems from its dual attributes of "agricultural products" and "food".You cannot treat it just as a box of "dry goods".

Difficulty 1: Access Qualifications and Documents,Even One Error Will Block Customs Clearance

First,not all dried fruits from all countries can be imported freely.The exporting country needs to be on China’s "access list".For example,if you want to import a new type of dried fruit from a certain country,you must first confirm whether that country’s product has been registered with the General Administration of Customs of China.Second,official "Health Certificate" or "Phytosanitary Certificate" issued by foreign countries is required,and its format and content must meet Chinese requirements.I encountered a client where product name on the foreign certificate was a commercial name,but common name corresponding to the HS Code used for declaration resulted in inconsistent documents,causing the entire batch of goods to be controlled for inspection and delaying a week.

Difficulty 2: Customs Price Verification and Classification,Related to Your Tax Costs

The HS Code classification of dried fruits directly affects tariffs and value-added tax.Is it "0813.40 (apricot dried fruit)" or "0813.50 (prune and plum dried fruit)"?Is it "2008.99 (dried fruits prepared or preserved by other methods)"?Incorrect classification will result in tax supplementation at minimum,or involve false declaration at maximum.Customs is particularly sensitive to price verification for food,especially branded dried fruits.If the declared price is significantly lower than the "price risk parameters" held by customs,the system will automatically trigger price verification procedure,requiring you to provide a series of documents such as payment vouchers,original factory invoices,and trade contracts for explanation.This process takes 3-5 days at shortest and half a month at longest,goods cannot afford such waiting.

Difficulty 3: Commodity Inspection (Now Part of Customs Inspection) Is the Real "Gate of Hell"

This is the most core link in dried fruit imports.Customs inspectors will check physical goods against declaration information and focus on:

• Chinese Label: Are mandatory labels such as product name,ingredient list,country of origin,production date,shelf life,storage conditions,and domestic agent information clearly marked?Does the format comply with GB 7718-2011 (General Rules for Labeling of Prepackaged Foods)?Is the calculation of nutrition facts table accurate?
• Sensory and Physicochemical Indicators: Are there mildew or insect infestation?Are residues of sulfur dioxide and additives (such as sweeteners,preservatives) exceeding standards?This requires laboratory testing.
• Biological Quarantine: Are there quarantine pests carried by goods?

If label is unqualified,it must be rectified (tear off old label in customs supervised warehouse and stick new one); if test is unqualified,entire batch of goods will be returned or destroyed.All costs and losses shall be borne by the importer.

Standardized Operation Process: How We Safely Clear Goods Step by Step

Based on above risks,a professional agency service must advance work and form standardized process.Below is our core operation framework:

Step 1: Pre-Contract Diagnosis and Plan Pre-Review (The Most Critical)

We intervene before customer makes payment for purchase.Please provide samples of foreign products,foreign language labels,ingredient lists,and processing process descriptions.We will complete three things based on these: 1) Pre-classification to determine accurate HS Code and supervision conditions; 2) Pre-review of labels to design compliant Chinese label draft in advance,send to customer for confirmation and print in advance; 3) Risk prediction to inform customer of recent inspection focus and price verification tendency of this category at target port (such as Yangshan Port in Shanghai).This step can avoid at least 80% of post-arrival problems.

Step 2: Document Preparation and Port Declaration

After goods are sent from abroad,we immediately start collecting and reviewing full set of customs declaration and inspection documents: contracts,invoices,packing lists,bills of lading,foreign official certificates,certificates of origin (if involving free trade agreements such as RCEP,used for tariff benefits),Chinese label samples,etc.Our document clerks will check consistency of all information like "looking for faults".Then,we declare through "Single Window" of China International Trade.Here,it should be emphasized that Zhongshitong,although headquartered in Shanghai,through agency network at ports nationwide and cross-region declaration capabilities,whether goods arrive at Shenzhen,Guangzhou,or Tianjin,we can provide same standard local customs clearance service,so you do not need to find different agents at different ports,reducing management costs.

Step 3: Tax Payment,Inspection and Cargo Pickup

After customs review of documents is passed,system issues tax bill,we assist customer in completing online payment.Then,goods enter inspection link.Because our previous work is solid,inspection is usually focused on "label verification,sampling and testing".We will send staff to accompany customs inspection and communicate on site.After passing inspection,goods are released,arrange trailer pickup and delivery to customer’s designated warehouse.For those needing to issue "Entry Commodity Inspection and Quarantine Certificate" (the "ID card" for domestic market circulation),we will apply for it after system release.

Core Difference Comparison of Dried Fruit Imports from Different Origins

Different origins lead to different supervision focus and cost structure.Understanding these will help you plan procurement and logistics solutions.

A Practical Case: Manager Li’s Story of Importing "No Additive" Prunes

Situation: At the end of 2025,Manager Li purchased a batch of natural prunes claiming "no added sugar" from the United States,planning to launch them in Spring Festival peak season of 2026.

Task: Goods were shipped from Los Angeles Port and arrived at Shanghai Port,requiring fast customs clearance and ensuring "no additive" claim is legally reflected on Chinese label.

Action: After receiving commission,we reviewed component analysis report and original label provided by American supplier before goods arrived at port.We found English label wrote "No Sugar Added",but ingredient list contained concentrated pear juice.According to China’s "General Rules for Labeling of Prepackaged Foods" and "National Food Safety Standard for Nutritional Labeling of Prepackaged Foods" (GB 28050),claim of "no added sugar" has strict conditions.We judged direct translation and copying would have risks.Therefore,we did two things: 1) Suggested customer confirm purpose of adding concentrated pear juice with foreign side and evaluate total sugar content; 2) Based on communication results,designed more secure Chinese label scheme for customer,adjusted slogan to "No Sucrose Added",and clearly marked "sugar" content in nutrition facts table.At the same time,we pre-recorded customs declaration form in advance and prepared explanations for special declaration elements of "no added sugar".

Result: After goods arrived at port and declared,although controlled by customs for sampling testing,due to our rigorous declaration information and compliant label,test results also met national standards.Entire customs clearance process was 5 days faster than average for similar products,Manager Li’s goods successfully caught up with Spring Festival stocking.Another batch of similar products at port during same period was required to be rectified due to improper label claims,missing golden sales period.

Final Words: Choosing an Agency Means Choosing a Risk Control System

Importing dried fruits is essentially importing "compliance".This compliance includes document compliance,label compliance,testing compliance,and tax compliance.Value of a reliable agency does not lie in "running errands",but in its advanced risk control awareness and resource network for solving problems (such as familiar customs declaration sites,cooperative label rectification warehouses,and efficient laboratory testing channels).

In Shanghai,we handle food import cases from around the world every day.We have seen too many customers suffer losses due to small gains,saving a little agency fee but ultimately paying several times demurrage and business opportunity costs.Our role is to be your "import risk control officer",using our experience to eliminate invisible mines in advance and let you focus on market and sales.For specific questions about dried fruits or any food imports,please feel free to communicate at any time.