Connect & Solve
Trade Q&A
What Special Documents and Materials Are Required Before Customs Declaration of Imported Health Products?
Resolved
SERVICE
TRACKING NO. 20260427 / GLOBAL Zhongshen Trade · 23+ Years of Expert Trade Agency
Trade Challenges?
No import/export license, customs delays,
or complex compliance issues.
or complex compliance issues.
Our Solution
One-stop full-chain agency: ensure efficient
clearance and fund security.
clearance and fund security.
Cost OptimizationUrgent ClearanceGlobal ResourcesCompliant Rebates
I am the purchasing manager of an e-commerce company that has just entered the imported health products business. I am preparing for my first import of a batch of Australian fish oil and vitamins recently, with a total cargo value of about 500,000 RMB. I heard last week that a peer's shipment was detained for 10 days due to lack of sanitary certificate, and the detention fee cost tens of thousands of RMB, so I am very anxious now. I have never handled import customs declaration before, I don't know what special documents I need to prepare, how the process works, and whether I will encounter customs inspection. If there is a problem found in the inspection, how should I respond? Are there any new policy changes I need to pay attention to in 2026? I would like to ask experts for detailed guidance to avoid pitfalls.
Jason WuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
International Logistics & Supply Chain ManagerStart a Chat
Pre-declaration document review is the key first step for customs declaration of imported health products，and 3 categories of materials need to be checked emphatically: first，the Sanitary Certificate issued by the overseas party (which needs to be authenticated by the Chinese Embassy/Consulate in the origin country)，second，the Chinese Label Filing Certificate (starting from 2026，the label content is required to be 100% consistent with the actual ingredients)，third，the importer's Food Business License (the business scope must cover health food). Missing documents or inconsistent information will directly lead to customs declaration rejection，with a delay of at least 3 working days.
In terms of core node connection，attention should be paid to the synchronization of customs declaration and logistics: 24 hours before the cargo arrives at the port，pre-entry of the electronic customs declaration form should be completed，and the manifest information should be submitted simultaneously. In 2026，China Customs will launch the "Intelligent Declaration Examination" system，which has higher requirements for the accuracy of data such as ingredient content and shelf life. It is recommended to cross-check more than 3 times before declaration. In addition，when choosing the "Local Declaration，Port Inspection and Release" mode，it is necessary to ensure information synchronization between the local customs and the port customs to avoid declaration rejection caused by inconsistent data.
Contingency plans for abnormalities cannot be ignored: in case of customs inspection，prepare auxiliary materials such as product instructions and ingredient test reports in advance，and arrange personnel familiar with the product to be present to cooperate. If rectification is required due to label problems，you should immediately contact a professional institution to produce compliant labels urgently，to avoid exceeding the 7-day rectification period specified by the customs. In case of valuation disputes，you should promptly submit supporting materials such as cost calculation statements and market research reports to avoid being directly revalued at the maximum price ceiling.
Final compliance implementation requires ensuring "consistency of four flows": that is，complete matching of goods flow，document flow，capital flow and information flow. It is recommended to cooperate with a formal foreign trade agency，leverage their experience to optimize processes，reduce compliance risks，and achieve rapid customs clearance.
Grace WangYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Foreign Trade ConsultantStart a Chat
When declaring imported health products, valuation dispute is a common problem. In 2026, customs valuation will pay more attention to the authenticity of the actual transaction price, and complete trade contracts, invoices, payment vouchers and other materials are required. If the customs considers the declared price is too low, it will revalue the goods by adopting the transaction price method of identical or similar goods. At this time, you should promptly submit supporting materials such as cost calculation statements and market research reports to avoid being directly valued at the maximum price ceiling. In addition, under the integrated customs clearance mode, enterprises can choose "Local Declaration, Port Inspection and Release", but they need to ensure the information synchronization between local customs and port customs to avoid declaration rejection caused by inconsistent data.
Michael ZhangYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Customs Declaration & Compliance ExpertStart a Chat
When selecting logistics routes for imported health products, both timeliness and cost should be considered. Although the direct voyage scheme is fast, it has a high risk of space shortage. It is recommended to book space 2 weeks in advance and confirm the shipping schedule. The transit scheme can reduce the probability of space shortage, but you need to pay attention to the free storage period of the transit port (usually 7 days), and apply for an extension in advance if you exceed the limit. In addition, the endorsement transfer of bill of lading should ensure clear cargo title. If it is a telex release bill of lading, you need to provide a complete telex release letter of guarantee to avoid cargo title disputes. In case of container rolling, you should immediately contact the freight forwarder to change the schedule, and notify the customs broker to adjust the declaration time synchronously to reduce the loss of container detention fees.
Daniel XuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Director of Import & Export OperationsStart a Chat
The tax planning involved in imported health products customs declaration can pay attention to the VAT deferral policy. In 2026, Shanghai Customs supports eligible enterprises to apply for VAT deferral, that is, enterprises do not need to pay value-added tax at the time of import, and declare and pay after the products are sold. Three conditions are required for application: first, the enterprise is a general VAT taxpayer; second, it has a fixed business place; third, it provides complete tax filing materials. This policy can ease the cash flow pressure of enterprises and reduce capital occupation costs. In addition, the pricing of cross-border related party transactions must comply with the arm's length principle to avoid tax investigation caused by unreasonable pricing.
Andy GuoYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Supply Chain Management ExpertStart a Chat
For payment and settlement compliance of imported health products, attention should be paid to the consistency between SWIFT messages and customs declaration information. In 2026, the coverage of CIPS (Cross-Border Interbank Payment System) will increase, and enterprises can choose RMB settlement to reduce the risk of exchange rate fluctuation. When settling exchange, you need to provide complete trade contracts, invoices, customs declarations and other materials to ensure the matching of capital flow and goods flow. In addition, offshore account management must comply with foreign exchange management regulations to avoid account freezing caused by abnormal account status, which affects payment and settlement efficiency.
Evelyn LiYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Cross-border Compliance SupervisorStart a Chat
Three types of clauses should be clearly specified in the international trade contract for imported health products: first, the force majeure clause, which covers the division of responsibilities for emergencies such as epidemics and wars; second, the quality assurance clause, which clarifies standards such as product ingredients and shelf life; third, the cargo title transfer clause, which stipulates the bill of lading delivery time and cargo title transfer node. In addition, intellectual property rights customs protection filing should be processed in advance to avoid cargo detention caused by infringement. In case of soft clauses in the letter of credit (such as requiring unobtainable documents), you should negotiate and modify with the client in time to avoid letter of credit discrepancies.
Eric ZhouYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Manager of Foreign Exchange & Tax RebatesStart a Chat
When customs inspects imported health products, you need to pay attention to 3 details: first, verify the authenticity of the customs seal. If the seal is damaged, take photos immediately for the record and notify the customs; second, cooperate with the devanning inspection, arrange the goods according to the customs requirements to avoid chaos; third, cooperate with the sampling and testing process. If the customs suspects inconsistent product ingredients, it will sample for testing, you should cooperate to provide the sampling list to ensure the compliance of the inspection process. In addition, you should check whether the ingredient content is consistent with the declaration when analyzing the test report. If there is any discrepancy, you should submit supplementary supporting materials in time.
Victor SunYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Risk Control ManagerStart a Chat
The packaging of imported health products needs to comply with the latest 2026 standards: first, the MSDS must include complete ingredient information and safety warnings; second, adopt moisture-proof reinforcement solutions, for moisture-sensitive health products (such as capsules), use waterproof packaging materials; third, for products containing dangerous ingredients, the UN dangerous goods packaging must comply with the UN38.3 standard. In addition, the selection of buffer packaging materials should balance protection effect and cost, to avoid increased logistics costs caused by excessive packaging.
Linda GaoYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0
Documentation SupervisorStart a Chat
Although export tax rebate audit is not directly related to imported health products, enterprises still need to pay attention to tax filing in the import link. If imported health products are used for re-export, you can apply for export tax rebate, but you need to ensure complete import documents and compliant export procedures. In addition, you need to provide complete transaction certificates during tax correspondence, to avoid tax rebate delay caused by failed correspondence. Cross-month declaration should pay attention to the time node, ensure that the declaration is completed within the specified period to avoid late payment fines.
Lucas LiuYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Operations ConsultantStart a Chat
Supply chain planning for imported health products needs to optimize inventory and cost: first, adopt inventory linkage strategy, predict inventory demand according to sales data to avoid overstock; second, convert CIF/FOB trade terms, if you choose FOB, you need to arrange logistics by yourself, which can reduce logistics costs; third, build a cost actuarial model, comprehensively consider tariffs, value-added tax, logistics costs, etc., to select the optimal solution. In addition, international trade structure design should balance compliance and efficiency, it is recommended to adopt the "import agency + self-operated sales" mode to reduce operational risks.