China Releases New Administrative Provisions on Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Procedures

On the 16th of October 2017, China’s AQSIQ released the New “Administrative Provisions on Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Procedures” that will be enforced on the 1st of November of this year.

Compared with the previous one which contained just 12 articles only, the new “provisions” have 32 articles grouped in 5 chapters, encompassing many aspects of the management and supervision of the different phases of Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Procedures.

Some of the remarkable differences are:

Define the various aspects of work in the inspection and quarantine process, including acceptance of inspection, examination dispatch, inspection and quarantine on-site/in laboratory, animal and plant isolation quarantine, quarantine handling, assessment, release and archive.

Identify the Conformity Assessment Procedures which includes sampling, inspection (quarantine), assessment, verification and conformity assurance, registration and approval etc.,

Promotion of paperless technologies for the whole inspection and quarantine process and a reduction in processing times.

Inspection ratio: It is estimated the ratio of quarantine and inspection will be reduced by 10%. on the basis of the risk assessment, the General Administration of AQSIQ shall also set the corresponding on-site and laboratory inspection and quarantine ratios according to the risk level of the goods and the credit level of the enterprise, and implement batches according to the "double random" method. If there is evidence of risk, or a consignment is awarded an inspection and quarantine score of C or below, the risk assessors can increase the inspection ratio for the consignee or the applicant up to 100%.

A table of inspection and quarantine ratio and processing time is also enclosed. For most pre-packaged foods, the inspection rate is less than 30%.

*Please click here for the English version of Administrative Provisions on Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Procedures! (including the table of inspection and quarantine ratio and processing time for foods)