What Documentation Is Needed for Customs Clearance When Importing Chia Seeds into China?

1. The client enters into an import contract with their foreign supplier, clearly outlining all key terms—including quantity, price, delivery conditions, and quality benchmarks;

2. The client consults with our team and signs an agency agreement for chia seed import support;

3. The consignee pre-completes the Import Food Consignee Registration (our company offers agency services for this step upon request);

4. The foreign supplier dispatches the goods and preps all necessary documents for import inspection and customs clearance—such as the contract, packing list, invoice, certificate of origin, and health certificate;

5. Upon goods arrival at the port: exchange the bill of lading for a delivery order, pre-register customs clearance information, and submit an inspection application to the CIQ (General Administration of Customs, Inspection and Quarantine);

6. Submit customs clearance documents, await the customs tax notice, verify the tax amount, settle payments, and secure clearance approval;

7. After clearance, the CIQ conducts random chia seed sampling and testing. Once approved, a Health Certificate is issued—mandatory for China market circulation.

• Certificate of Origin (officially issued by the exporting country/region);

• Phytosanitary Certificate (must include fumigation terms if required by packaging type or origin country regulations);

• Packing List;

• Proforma Invoice;

• Commercial Contract;

• Bill of Lading (B/L) or Air Waybill (AWB)—whichever applies to the shipping method;

• Health Certificate (issued by the exporting country’s food safety authority, verifying compliance with China’s standards);

• Chia Seed Packaging Details (e.g., material type, net weight per package, total package count);

• Original Product Label Samples (accompanied by an official Chinese translation from the domestic consignee or our team).

• Chinese label pre-review and registration: 1 business day;

• Port clearance and cargo collection (post-arrival): 2 business days;

• Food quality testing (performed by CIQ): 3–5 business days;

• Inspection and Health Certificate issuance (post-approval): 1 business day.

Note: This timeline is for reference purposes only. Actual durations may shift slightly due to factors like port congestion, document completeness, or special inspection needs.