China's General Administration of Customs Issues Announcement No. 167 of 2024: Further Optimizing Regulatory Measures for Cross-border E-commerce Exports

  "China Customs Simplifies Cross-border E-commerce Export Regulations"  

To further facilitate the development of cross-border e-commerce exports and optimize related regulatory measures, the General Administration of Customs of China hereby announces the following measures, which will take effect from December 15, 2024:

I. Cancellation of Overseas Warehouse Enterprise Registration for Cross-border E-commerce Exports  

Enterprises engaged in cross-border e-commerce export overseas warehouse business are no longer required to register with the customs for the overseas warehouse business model as previously stipulated in Announcement No. 75 of 2020. 

This measure aims to reduce operational costs for enterprises, simplify business processes, and enhance the efficiency of cross-border e-commerce exports.

II. Simplification of Export Documentation and Declaration Procedures  

Prior to the declaration of cross-border e-commerce retail exports and business-to-business exports, cross-border e-commerce enterprises or their agents and logistics enterprises are only required to transmit transaction, logistics, and other electronic information to the customs through the International Trade "Single Window" or cross-border e-commerce customs clearance service platform, without the need to transmit electronic information on payment receipts.

This measure is intended to decrease the number of declaration documents for enterprises, accelerate customs clearance, and improve the level of export facilitation.

III. Expansion of the Pilot Program for "Inspection Before Shipment" for Export Consolidated Cargo  

The pilot program for the "inspection before shipment" regulatory model for export consolidated cargo will be expanded to 12 direct customs offices, including Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Xiamen, Qingdao, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Changsha, Guangzhou, Huangpu, Chengdu, and Xi'an. This allows cross-border e-commerce export cargo to enter customs-supervised workplaces (sites) in bulk form, undergo customs inspection first, and then be flexibly consolidated and shipped according to actual needs. 

The purpose of this measure is to improve the customs clearance efficiency of export consolidated cargo, reduce logistics costs, and promote the growth of cross-border e-commerce export business.

IV. Promotion of the Cross-Customs District Return Regulatory Model for Cross-border E-commerce Retail Exports  

The cross-customs district return regulatory model for cross-border e-commerce retail exports (9610 model) will be piloted in 20 direct customs offices, including Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Harbin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Hefei, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Nanchang, Qingdao, Zhengzhou, Changsha, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Huangpu, Chengdu, and Urumqi. 

This allows returns of cross-border e-commerce retail export goods across direct customs districts, with the returned goods being shipped to customs-supervised workplaces (sites) where cross-border e-commerce retail export business is conducted. Enterprises engaged in cross-customs district return business for cross-border e-commerce retail exports should operate in a standardized manner, have a production operation system with data accessible to the customs or integrated with customs information systems.

 The aim of this measure is to address the difficulty of returns in cross-border e-commerce retail exports, enhance consumer shopping experiences, and promote the healthy development of cross-border e-commerce retail export business.

V. Effective Date of the Announcement  

This announcement shall take effect from December 15, 2024.

In summary, the measures outlined in Announcement No. 167 of 2024 issued by China's General Administration of Customs represent a significant step towards promoting the growth and development of cross-border e-commerce exports. By eliminating the registration requirement for overseas warehousing enterprises, simplifying export documentation and declaration procedures, expanding the pilot program for "pre-export inspection" of consolidated goods for export, and promoting the cross-customs district return supervision model for cross-border e-commerce retail exports, these initiatives enhance the competitiveness of cross-border e-commerce enterprises, reduce operating costs, and improve overall efficiency in the export process. 

As China continues to embrace the digital economy and global trade, these regulatory optimizations will play a crucial role in fostering a more dynamic and resilient cross-border e-commerce ecosystem.