With the implementation of the "Regulations on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals" amendment in 2024,Yangshan Port,as one of the ports with the largest chemical import volume in the country,has upgraded its compliance threshold for customs declaration from "formal review" to "full-chain traceability" — In the past 3 months,among the chemical declaration rejection cases we received,the detention rate caused by "lack of document correlation" increased by 47% year-on-year.Many enterprises only found out that their previous "experience" had become invalid after the goods arrived at the port: some were rejected because MSDS was in English,some because the copy of Hazardous Chemicals Registration Certificate did not meet requirements,and some because of wrong commodity code reporting leading to goods detention,with daily demurrage + storage fees as high as 800-1200 RMB.

3 Underlying Logics of Chemical Declaration at Yangshan Port: Why Do You Always Step on Pitfalls?

The core contradiction of chemical declaration at Yangshan Port lies in the balance between "safety supervision" and "clearance efficiency" — as an important import port for dangerous goods,the supervision focus of customs and commodity inspection has shifted from "having documents" to "documents being correct,chain being complete".For example,the "Yangshan Port Hazardous Chemicals Import Management Detailed Rules" implemented since 2024 clearly requires:

• Allchemicalsmustcomplete"DangerousGoodsClassificationIdentification"inadvance,provideUNnumbertoshippingcompanywhenbooking;
• MSDSmustcomplywithGB/T16483-2008standard,andmustinclude"EmergencyContact"information;
• HazardousChemicalsRegistrationCertificatemustexactlymatch"ProductName,SpecificationModel"ofimportedgoods,copiesareinvalid.

We have organized a **Chemical Declaration Common Misconceptions vs Correct Operation Comparison Table** to help you quickly avoid pitfalls:

Yangshan Port Chemical5-Step Compliance SOP for Customs Declaration

Step 1: Qualification Verification Before Booking

Output:

The first step of chemical import is not finding a forwarder,but **confirming the dangerous properties of the goods** — You need to:

• ObtaingoodsMSDS(providedbymanufacturer),focuson"Section14:TransportInformation",confirmUNnumber,DangerousGoodsClass(e.g.Class3FlammableLiquid);
• Checkenterprise’s"HazardousChemicalsRegistrationCertificate",ensureregistrationscopecovers"ProductName,SpecificationModel"ofthegoods;
• Provideaboveinformationtoshippingcompany,confirmacceptanceofthisclassofdangerousgoods(SomeshippingcompaniesrestrictClass6.1ToxicSubstances).

Step 2: Document Preparation Before Arrival

Output:

7 days before goods arrival,prepare the following core documents (indispensable):

• **CustomsDeclarationForm**:Pre-entryvia"ChinaInternationalTradeSingleWindow",ensure"CommodityCode"accurateto8digits;
• **CommercialDocuments**:Contract,Invoice,PackingList(Mustshow"NetWeight,GrossWeight,NumberofPackages");
• **ComplianceDocuments**:ChineseMSDS,OriginalScanof"HazardousChemicalsRegistrationCertificate","InboundGoodsClearanceForm"(IssuedbyCommodityInspection);
• **SpecialDocuments**:Ifpharmaceuticalgradechemical,providemanufacturer’s"GMPCertificate";iffoodadditive,provide"FoodAdditiveProductionLicense".

Step 3: Inspection Declaration Process After Arrival

Output:

Chemical import requires "Inspection Declaration before Customs Declaration",specific operations:

• Forwarderuploadsdocumentsto"InspectionDeclarationModule"of"SingleWindow",fillsin"InboundGoodsInspectionDeclarationForm";
• Commodityinspectiondepartmentreviewsdocuments,ifsamplinginspectionisneeded,notifiesenterprisetocooperateatYangshanPort"DangerousGoodsTestingCenter";
• Afterpassinginspection,commodityinspectionissues"InboundGoodsClearanceForm"(commonlyknownas"CommodityInspectionForm").

Step 4: Customs Declaration & Inspection

Output:

After getting the commodity inspection form,you can proceed with customs declaration:

• Forwarderuploadscustomsdeclarationform,commodityinspectionform,etc.to"CustomsDeclarationModule"of"SingleWindow";
• Customsreviewselectronicdata,ifnoabnormality,issues"ReleaseInstruction";
• Ifcontrolledinspectionistriggered,cooperatewithcustomstoverifyif"CommodityName,Specification,Quantity"matchesdeclaration(Note:Chemicalinspectionmustbedonein"DangerousGoodsInspectionArea"toavoidsafetyhazards).

Step 5: Post-Release Subsequent Supervision

Output:

Goods release does not mean the process ends,you also need to complete:

• **FlowRegistration**:Enter"SalesObject,Usage"ofgoodsinto"YangshanPortChemicalTraceabilitySystem"(Newregulationin2024);
• **ArchiveRetention**:Alldocumentsmustbekeptfor5years(Customswillrandomlycheck);
• **ExceptionHandling**:Ifsafetyissuesoccurduringuseofgoods,reporttocustomsandemergencymanagementdepartmentsintime.

Hidden Risks of Chemical Declaration at Yangshan Port: Document Chain Closed Loop

Many enterprises think "complete documents" means clearance,but Yangshan Port’s supervision logic has upgraded to "document chain closed loop" — **Key information on all documents must be consistent**,for example:

• ProductNameinMSDSmustbecompletelyconsistentwith"CommodityName"incontractandcustomsdeclarationform(Abbreviationsnotallowed,e.g."EthyleneGlycol"cannotbewrittenas"EG");
• RegistrationNumberonHazardousChemicalsRegistrationCertificatemustbeconsistentwiththenumberinMSDS"Section15:RegulatoryInformation";
• SpecificationModeloncustomsdeclarationformmustbeconsistentwith"Purity"inMSDS"Section3:Composition/InformationonIngredients"(e.g."99.5%"cannotbewrittenas"≥99%").

Last year we encountered a case: an enterprise imported "Propylene Glycol",the "Product Name" in MSDS was "1,2-Propanediol",but the contract said "Propylene Glycol".Customs determined it as "False Declaration",not only fined 20,000 RMB,but goods were detained for 10 days — **Not even a single word difference is allowed**.

In addition,starting in 2024,Yangshan Port enabled the "Chemical Traceability System",requiring enterprises to upload "Manufacturer’s Business License","Product Inspection Report",and even "Transport Vehicle’s Dangerous Goods Transport License" — these are requirements that didn’t exist before,and many enterprises don’t know yet.

3 Things You Can Do This Afternoon: Avoid Pitfalls in Next Declaration

• **OrganizeGoodsList**:Listthechemicalsimportedinthelastyear,verifyUNnumber,dangerousgoodsclass,andwhetherMSDScomplieswithGBstandardsforeachproduct;
• **CheckRegistrationCertificateValidity**:Open"HazardousChemicalsRegistrationCertificate",checkifvalidityiswithin6months,ifso,applyforrenewalimmediately(renewaltakes1-2months);
• **ContactForwardertoConfirmNewRegulations**:Sendamessagetoyourforwarderasking"ArethereanynewdocumentrequirementsatYangshanPortrecently?Forexample,isitnecessarytouploadthemanufacturer’sGMPcertificate?"—Don’twaituntilthegoodsarriveattheporttoask.