New regulations for overseas production enterprises of imported food have been issued and will come into effect on June 1, 2026!
Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the Registration Management of Overseas Food Production Enterprises for Import by the Customs (Order No. 280 of the General Administration of Customs)
(Announced by the General Administration of Customs on October 14, 2025, under Order No. 280 of the General Administration of Customs. It will come into effect on June 1, 2026.)
Chapter One General Provisions
Article 1 In order to strengthen the registration management of overseas production enterprises for imported food, in accordance with the provisions of the "Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" and its implementing regulations, the "Law of the People's Republic of China on Import and Export Commodity Inspection" and its implementing regulations, the "Law of the People's Republic of China on Entry-Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine" and its implementing regulations, and the "Special Provisions of the State Council on Strengthening the Safety Supervision and Management of Food and Other Products", this regulation is formulated.
Article 2 The registration management of overseas production, processing and storage enterprises that export food to China (collectively referred to as "importing food overseas production enterprises") shall be governed by these regulations.
The overseas production enterprises of the imported food specified in the preceding paragraph do not include those engaged in the production, processing and storage of food additives and related products.
Article 3 The General Administration of Customs is solely responsible for the registration management of overseas production enterprises of imported food.
Article 4: Foreign production enterprises that import food products shall be registered by the General Administration of Customs.
Article 5 The General Administration of Customs shall, in accordance with the principle of risk management, based on the assessment and review of the food safety management systems and food safety conditions of the countries (regions) where the overseas food production enterprises are located, combined with the risk levels of related foods, implement classified management for the overseas food production enterprises. It shall determine the corresponding registration methods, application materials, review procedures, and other registration management requirements.
If there is a risk assessment or evidence indicating that the food safety risks of imported products have changed, the General Administration of Customs may adjust the corresponding registration management requirements.
Chapter 2 Registration Conditions and Procedures
Article 6 The General Administration of Customs shall, based on an analysis of factors such as the source of raw materials, production and processing techniques, historical data on food safety, consumer groups, and consumption methods, in combination with international practices, determine the list of imported foods that require official registration for recommendation (hereinafter referred to as the "List") and make it public.
Article 7 Registration Conditions for Overseas Manufacturers of Imported Food:
(1) Established with the approval of the competent authority of the relevant country (region) and under its effective supervision;
(2) Establish an effective food safety and hygiene management and protection system, and conduct production and export legally in the relevant country (region), ensuring that the food exported to China complies with the relevant Chinese laws and regulations as well as the national food safety standards.
(3) Complies with the relevant inspection and quarantine requirements agreed upon by the General Administration of Customs and the competent authorities of the relevant country (region).
For the overseas production enterprises of the listed food products, they must also obtain the recommendation of the competent authorities of the respective countries (or regions).
Article 8 For foreign production enterprises whose products are included in the catalogue, the competent authorities of the respective countries (regions) shall conduct audits and inspections of the enterprises. For those that meet the registration requirements, they shall issue audit and inspection reports and recommendation letters.
Article 9: Foreign production enterprises of imported food products shall submit the following application materials to the General Administration of Customs on their own or through an agent:
(1) Information on the enterprise registration application;
(2) Business identification documents, such as the business license issued by the relevant authorities of the country (region) where the enterprise is located, or other certificates provided by them;
(3) A statement by the enterprise confirming its compliance with the requirements of this regulation.
For the overseas production enterprises of the listed food products, they are also required to submit the review and inspection reports and recommendation letters issued by the competent authorities of the respective countries (regions).
When necessary, the General Administration of Customs may require enterprises to provide materials related to food safety and hygiene, protection systems, production types, and production capacity.
Article 10 The information content for enterprise registration application shall include the enterprise name, the country (region) where it is located, the production site address, the legal representative, the contact person, the contact information, the registration number approved by the competent authority of the country (region), and the types of food for which registration is applied.
Article 11 The application materials for registration shall be in either Chinese or English.
The competent authorities of the country (region) concerned, as well as the overseas production enterprises of imported food, shall be responsible for the authenticity, completeness and legality of the relevant materials.
Article 12 The General Administration of Customs, based on the level of food safety risks associated with imports, shall conduct an assessment and review of the overseas food production enterprises applying for registration through written inspections, video inspections, on-site inspections, or any combination of these methods.
The overseas production enterprises of imported food and the competent authorities of the countries (regions) where they are located should assist in conducting the above-mentioned assessment and review work.
Article 13 The General Administration of Customs, based on the assessment and review results, will register and issue a registration number for the overseas food production enterprises that meet the requirements, and notify the overseas food production enterprises in writing; for those that do not meet the requirements, it will not register and notify the overseas food production enterprises in writing.
Article 14 When enterprises that have obtained registration export food within China, they shall mark on the food packaging the registration number in China or the registration number approved by the competent authority of the country (region) where they are located.
Article 15 The registration validity period for overseas food production enterprises importing food is five years.
When the General Administration of Customs registers overseas production enterprises for imported food, it shall determine the start and end dates of the registration validity period.
Article 16 The General Administration of Customs uniformly announces the list of overseas production enterprises that have obtained registration for imported food.
Article 17: If the food safety management system of the overseas production facility of imported food has been recognized by the General Administration of Customs and meets any of the following conditions, the General Administration of Customs may, through written agreement with the competent authority of the relevant country (region), adopt the list registration method for such enterprise:
(1) Those that have already signed an import and export food safety cooperation agreement with the General Administration of Customs;
(2) Those that have signed cooperation documents with China, including agreements, memorandums, joint statements, etc., covering aspects of food safety cooperation;
(3) Other circumstances where the General Administration of Customs deems it appropriate to adopt the list registration method after conducting a risk assessment.
Article 18 Where the registration is conducted through a list-based system, the competent authority of the country (region) concerned shall submit the following materials to the General Administration of Customs:
(1) List of food production enterprises recommended for registration in China;
(2) The application information listed in Article 10 of this regulation;
(3) The declaration by the recommended enterprise that it complies with the first paragraph of Article 7 of these regulations;
(4) Declaration of commitment to continuously fulfill the responsibilities stipulated in the bilateral cooperation documents.
After review, the General Administration of Customs will register and issue a registration number in China to enterprises that meet the requirements, and will not register those that do not meet the requirements, and will notify the competent authorities of the relevant countries (regions) in writing.
Chapter Three: Supervision and Management
Article 19: The General Administration of Customs shall, based on the level of food safety risks associated with imports, conduct re-examinations on whether the overseas production enterprises of imported food continue to meet the registration requirements, either independently or through entrusting relevant institutions.
The overseas production enterprises of imported food and the competent authorities of the countries (regions) where they are located should assist in conducting the above-mentioned re-examination work.
Article 20 During the validity period of registration, if the registration information of an overseas food production enterprise for import changes, it shall submit a change application to the General Administration of Customs through the registration application channel and provide the following materials:
(1) Comparison Table of Changes in Registration Information;
(2) Proof materials related to the change information.
After assessment, if the customs general administration deems it possible to make the change, it will proceed with the change. If there are circumstances that have a significant impact on the enterprise's food safety and hygiene management and protection system due to relocation of the production site, change of the legal representative, or change of the registered number granted by the country (region) where it is located, the customs general administration will not make the change and will notify the enterprise to reapply for registration. The registered number in China will become invalid as of the date of notification.
Article 21: The validity period of enterprise registration will automatically be extended upon its expiration. The extension period shall be 5 years. However, the extension shall not be granted in the following circumstances:
(1) Imported foods that are included in the list of foods for which registration cannot be automatically renewed;
(2) Enterprises that are currently undergoing rectification due to not meeting the registration requirements;
(3) The General Administration of Customs will lawfully suspend the import of food from the countries (regions) where the overseas food production enterprises are located.
The list of imported food products for which registration will not be automatically renewed as stipulated in the first item of the preceding paragraph shall be separately announced by the General Administration of Customs.
Article 22 For foreign production enterprises whose food products are listed in the list of food products for which registration will not be automatically renewed, if they wish to continue the registration, they shall, within 3 to 12 months prior to the expiration of the registration period, submit a renewal registration application through the registration application channel to the General Administration of Customs. The materials for the renewal registration application include:
(1) Information for renewal registration application;
(2) Declaration of commitment to continuously meet the registration requirements;
(3) For the overseas production enterprises of the listed foods, they shall also submit a statement issued by the competent authority of the country (region) where they are located, certifying that they continue to meet the registration requirements.
The General Administration of Customs will extend the registration for enterprises that meet the registration requirements, and the validity period of the registration will be extended by five years.
Article 23 If an overseas production facility registered for imported food has any of the following circumstances, the General Administration of Customs shall revoke its registration, notify the overseas food production facility, inform the competent authority of the relevant country (region), and make the information public:
(1) Failure to apply for the renewal of registration as required;
(2) Where the competent authority of the country (region) concerned or the overseas production enterprise of the imported food voluntarily applies for cancellation;
(3) No longer meeting the requirements stipulated in Article 7, Paragraph 1 of this regulation.
Article 24 The competent authorities of the country (region) where the overseas food production enterprises are located shall assume the responsibility for food safety supervision. They should effectively supervise the registered enterprises, urge them to continuously meet the registration requirements, and, upon discovering non-compliance with the registration requirements, immediately take risk prevention and mitigation measures, suspend the export of food by these enterprises to China, and notify the General Administration of Customs. They should also supervise the enterprises to make rectifications until they meet the registration requirements.
When an overseas production facility of imported food discovers that it does not meet the registration requirements, it should voluntarily suspend the export of food to China and immediately take corrective measures until the rectification meets the registration requirements.
Article 25 If the General Administration of Customs discovers that an overseas production facility registered for imported food no longer meets the registration requirements, it shall order the facility to make rectifications within a specified period and notify the competent authority of the country (region) where the facility is located to urge the rectification. During the rectification period, the import of food from the relevant enterprise shall be suspended.
After the enterprise has completed the rectification, it should submit a supervision report on the rectification issued by the competent authority of the country (region) where it is located, as well as a written statement that complies with the registration requirements.
The General Administration of Customs should review the rectification situation of the enterprises. If the requirements are met, the relevant enterprises' food imports should be resumed.
Article 26: If the General Administration of Customs suspends or resumes the import of food from overseas production enterprises that have obtained registration in accordance with the provisions of Article 24 and Article 25 of this regulation, the list of relevant enterprises shall be announced by the General Administration of Customs.
Article 27 If an imported food foreign production enterprise that has been registered has any of the following circumstances, the General Administration of Customs shall revoke its registration and make an announcement:
(1) Where a major food safety incident occurs with imported food due to reasons attributable to the enterprise itself;
(2) If food exported to China is found to have food safety issues during the inspection and quarantine process upon entry, and the circumstances are serious;
(3) The enterprise's food safety and hygiene management has significant flaws, and it cannot ensure that the food it exports to China meets the safety and hygiene standards.
(4) Those that, after rectification, still fail to meet the registration requirements;
(5) Providing false materials or concealing relevant information;
(6) Those who refuse to cooperate with the General Administration of Customs in conducting re-examinations and accident investigations;
(7) Renting, lending, transferring, selling illegally, or using forged registration numbers;
(8) Granting registration to enterprises that do not meet the application qualifications or do not comply with the registration requirements;
(9) Other circumstances under which registration can be legally revoked.
Chapter Four Supplementary Provisions
Article 28: The General Administration of Customs shall, in accordance with the law, suspend the import of food from overseas production enterprises in certain countries or regions. During this period, it will not accept registration applications from relevant food production enterprises in those countries or regions.
Article 29: If the relevant countries (regions) have other agreements with China regarding the registration management of overseas food production enterprises for imports, such agreements shall be followed.
Article 30 The scope of overseas storage enterprises of imported food that need to be subject to registration management in accordance with these regulations shall be separately announced by the General Administration of Customs.
The registration management for primary agricultural products produced abroad by enterprises is to be separately formulated by the General Administration of Customs.
The management requirements for overseas production enterprises of imported retail food through cross-border e-commerce shall be handled in accordance with relevant regulations.
Article 31: The "relevant authorities of the country (region)" referred to in these regulations refer to the official departments of the country (region) where the overseas food production enterprises are located, which are responsible for the safety and hygiene supervision of food production enterprises.
Article 32 This regulation shall be interpreted by the General Administration of Customs.
Article 33 This regulation shall come into effect on June 1, 2026. The "Regulations on the Registration Management of Overseas Food Production Enterprises for Import in the People's Republic of China" promulgated by the General Administration of Customs on April 12, 2021, is hereby abolished simultaneously.
Source: Customs Release
