Shipping From Canada
To China.

Documents Only

Document shipments are considered non-dutiable and do not require export documentation (i.e. they don’t require a commercial invoice or any other export documents).

Items considered documents only for China:

• Paper documentation
• Contracts
• Blueprints
• Tickets
• Account Statements
• Invoices
• Training Material
• and more..

Not-Eligible:

• Books
• CDs
• DVDs
• and more..

Shipping Gifts

Gifts that are valued less than 1,000 CNY (approximately 200 Canadian Dollars) are exempt from duties and taxes, provided the following conditions are met:

• The words “Gift Shipment” and “Personal Shipment” are included on the commercial invoice
• A detailed description and name of each item is provided
• A copy of the receiver’s passport is provided

NOTE: Shipments from businesses are not considered to be gifts.

Sources:
http://www.dhl.com/en/express/customs_support/customs_paperwork/customs_guidelines_china.html
https://www.fedex.com/en-ca/shipping-services/international/regulatory/china-customs-information.html

Shipping Personal Effects

Personal effects refer to separately shipped passenger's luggage, gifts exchanged between relatives and friends. They must be declared as personal effects, be of a reasonable quantity, and must be for personal use.

Shipments from Hong Kong, Macao, must show the declared value less than 800 CNY (about 160 CAD) and the assessed duty and tax value must be less than 400 CNY (about 80 CAD.

When shipping personal effects from Canada, the declared value must be less than 1,000 CNY (about 200 CAD) and the assessed duty and tax value must be less than 500 CNY (about 100 CAD).

Personal effects are declared through the simplified clearance process and a packaging list along with a commercial invoice is required. The commercial invoice must include each item listed along with their value and the words “Personal Effects” in the goods description section.

In order to qualify for duty-free exemption, the following conditions must be met:

• The words “Personal Effects” are stated on the commercial invoice under General Description and Detail Description of Goods
• Be of reasonable quantity and for personal use
• The declared value must be less than 1,000 CNY (if over, you'll pay duties on it)
• Passport with valid visa and entry/exit stamp by immigration
• A Packing List is also included

Source:
http://english.customs.gov.cn/Statics/4d9ec32c-efea-4a5f-9b33-e18f337c0cc5.html

Samples / Commercial Samples

Samples are goods imported to facilitate the placing of an order. If the value of the shipment is equal to or less than 5,000 CNY and the total duty and tax amount does not exceed 50 CNY, the shipment will not require duties and taxes.

Non-dutiable sample shipments must be clearly described and noted as a “sample” on the commercial invoice. Customs will perform a physical inspection of any shipment containing samples that are sent with no declared commercial value.

Dutiable regardless of their value:

• Motor vehicles
• Bicycles
• Watches
• Televisions
• Recorders
• Radios
• Electric gramophones
• Cameras
• Refrigerators
• Sewing machines
• Photocopiers
• Air conditioners
• Electric fans
• Vacuum cleaners
• Acoustic equipment
• Video recording equipment
• Video cameras
• Amplifiers
• Projectors
• Calculators
• Electronic microscopes
• Electronic color analyzers and their major part

In order to qualify for duty-free exemption, the following conditions must be met:

• The word “Sample” is stated on the commercial invoice under General Description and Detail Description of Goods
• Is not a dutiable item
• The declared value must be less than 5,000 CNY

Source:
http://english.customs.gov.cn/Statics/d30338b4-2f6a-47ea-a008-cff20ec0a6d2.html

Advertising Material / Marketing Material

Similar to samples, all advertising material or marketing material shipments become dutiable unless the duty value is less than 50 CNY (about $10 CAD), or listed as having no commercial value.

NOTE: All shipments that are declared as having no commercial value undergo a strict examination and inspection.

Repairs

When importing commodities for repair, the following is required to obtain duty-free exemption:

• Commercial Invoice (3 copies)
• Repair Contract or the original export contract that contains a warranty clause
• Items being repaired must be re-exported within the time limit prescribed by Chinese Customs

When these documents are provided and the importer provides the deposit to Customs, commodities returned to China for repair will be released duty-free.

Source:
http://english.customs.gov.cn/Statics/53a77dc4-c835-460a-b773-f5f7cef63a33.html

Temporary Imports

If goods are to be temporarily imported for use in China, there are ways to avoid having to pay import duties or taxes, provided certain conditions are met.

There are 2 ways to do a temporary import into China. Each method has pros and cons. Regardless, each of the following methods requires you to complete a commercial invoice.

The types of approved temporary imports include:

• Goods displayed or used in exhibitions, fairs, meetings or similar activities
• Articles for performance or contests used in cultural or sports exchanges
• Devices, equipment or articles used in news reporting, or the shooting of films or television programmes
• Devices, equipment or articles used in scientific, teaching, and medical activities
• Transportation vehicles and special types of vehicles used in activities listed in the items above
• Samples (refer to samples of goods used in exhibition, operation demo, reference of goods supplied and ordered, and samples of goods detected and tested, but excluding the identical goods that exceed the reasonable quantity imported or exported by the same consignee or consignor)
• Apparatus, equipment and articles used in charity activities
• Apparatus and tools used for the installing, debugging, testing and repairing the equipments
• Containers for goods
• Self-driving vehicles as well as the articles thereof used for traveling
• Equipment, apparatus and articles used in the construction of projects
• Other goods temporarily imported or exported as approved by Customs.

In order to qualify for duty-free exemption, the following conditions must be met:

• The words “Temporary Imported” are stated on the commercial invoice under General Description and Detail Description of Goods
• Item qualifies for temporary import (see list above)
• Indicate the expected date of export on the Commercial Invoice
• If the item is leaving the country, show the original tracking number on the Commercial Invoice
• Can only remain in China for 6 months (unless extension has been granted)

Sources:
http://english.customs.gov.cn/Statics/7fb7fc01-c3ef-4d09-9ef2-8c69e3dba127.html
http://www.customscounsel.com/en/lawyer/4facbb7c7c034dd7945117d76d50147d/30554.html

Permanent/Sold Goods

Importing and selling goods in China can be very lucrative for businesses, however, it’s important to understand the regulations before getting started to avoid any unnecessary headaches or potential legal troubles.

Before importing into China it’s important to check if you product will require a China Compulsory Certification (CCC) mark. Commodities listed in the official commodity catalog cannot leave the manufacturing facility, be imported into China, or be used in any business operational activities inside of China without obtaining the CCC mark.

The Chinese government agency, Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA), will administer the CCC mark certification process. The China Quality Certification Center (CQC) has been designated by the CNCA to process the CCC mark applications. Chinese Customs may hold products not meeting the CCC requirements and impose penalties on the importers or consignees.

The following is an abbreviated listing of the commodities requiring certification:

• Appliances for home or similar usage
• Audio/video devices
• Circuit switches and electric devices used for protection
• Electric tools
• Electric welding machines
• Electric wires and cables
• Information technology devices
• Lighting devices (for example, electrical lamps, electrical lights)
• Low power electric motors
• Low voltage electric apparatuses
• Motor vehicle and safety accessories
• Motor vehicle tires
• Safety glass
• Telecommunication terminal devices

Additionally, spare parts and replacement parts may, in some cases, require CCC certification or may qualify for an exemption (requires an application form).

The full list of affected commodities and the CCC online application guide are available from the CQC Web site at http://www.ccc-cn.org/ccccatalog.htm.

In addition to the CCC mark, goods must have the country of origin printed or embossed on each item- “Made in Canada” for example. The country of origin must also be included on the Commercial Invoice.

You should also check to see if your product will require a safety license or other special clearance documentation. For example, medicines, foodstuffs, animal and plant products, electronics, and mechanical products require a safety license.

Source:
http://www.ccc-certificate.org/en/