1. How to calculate the duty-free quantity of printed materials and audio-visual products that individuals mail or carry?
If the imported printed materials and audio-visual products for personal use are within the prescribed quantity, the customs will release them duty-free. For example: Xiao Ming bought a reasonable quantity of “9 magazines + 15 CDs + 2 sets of comic books + 2 sets of music album CD sets” for personal use and planned to carry/mail them back to China. Because the quantity of each item is within the duty-free range mentioned above, carrying/mailing them together is also duty-free.
2. Can individuals carry umbilical cord blood and human genetic resources out of the country?
Because blood is a human genetic resource, according to the State Council Order No. 717 “Regulations on the Administration of Human Genetic Resources of the People’s Republic of China”, if my country’s human genetic resources are used for international cooperative scientific research, or if my country’s human genetic resources materials need to be transported, mailed, or carried out of the country due to other special circumstances, relevant conditions must be met and a certificate of human genetic resources materials exiting the country issued by the State Council’s science and technology administrative department must be obtained. Customs procedures can be handled with the certificate of human genetic resources materials exiting the country.
3. What is the scope of anti-cancer drugs that individuals can mail?
For the range of anticancer drugs that can be mailed for personal use, please refer to the attachment of the Notice of the Ministry of Finance, the General Administration of Customs, the State Administration of Taxation, and the State Drug Administration on the Value-Added Tax Policy for Anticancer Drugs (Caishui [2018] No. 47).
4. Do I need to provide ID information for customs clearance of personal items?
According to the Attachment 6 of the General Administration of Customs Order No. 240, “Regarding the Announcement of the Decision of the General Administration of Customs on Amending Certain Regulations”, “Measures of the Customs of the People’s Republic of China on the Supervision of Inbound and Outbound Express Mail”, when declaring inbound and outbound express mail of personal items, the operator shall submit to the customs the “Personal Belongings Declaration Form of the Customs of the People’s Republic of China for Inbound and Outbound Express Mail”, the waybill of each inbound and outbound express mail, a photocopy of the ID of the inbound express mail recipient or outbound express mail sender, and other documents required by the customs.