1. What are the regulations for carrying or mailing Chinese patent medicines such as Lianhua Qingwen Capsules out of the country?
Medicines are restricted import and export items. Whether they can be mailed or carried out of the country depends on whether they meet the customs’ restrictive regulations on species, composition and value.
(1) In terms of species and composition: Items prohibited from leaving the country in the “List of Prohibited Articles for Import and Export of the People’s Republic of China” cannot be mailed, such as strong poisons, drugs, endangered and precious animals, plants and their seeds and breeding materials. Chinese herbal medicines and Chinese patent medicines that are explicitly prohibited from leaving the country include musk, toad venom, tiger bones, rhino horns, bezoars, etc. (excluding medicines with trace amounts of musk and toad venom, such as Musk Sore Ointment and Liushen Pills, but including medicines containing rhino horns and tiger bones). Other Chinese herbal medicines and Chinese patent medicines can be released by customs within the prescribed restrictions; drugs include narcotics and psychotropic drugs that can cause addiction and are controlled by the state.
(2) Value: Individuals mailing Chinese herbal medicines and Chinese patent medicines out of the country should comply with the relevant provisions of the General Administration of Customs Announcement No. 43 of 2010.
2. Which document is used to implement the classification standards for inbound and outbound express mail?
According to the General Administration of Customs Announcement No. 19 of 2016, “Announcement on the Activation of the New Express Clearance System”, express mail is divided into: document-type inbound and outbound express mail (referred to as Class A express mail), personal item-type inbound and outbound express mail (referred to as Class B express mail) and low-value goods-type inbound and outbound express mail (referred to as Class B express mail). Class A express mail refers to documents, certificates, bills and materials with no commercial value (except those that should be taxed in accordance with laws, administrative regulations and relevant national regulations). Class B express mail refers to personal items for personal use collected or delivered by domestic senders and consignors (natural persons) (except for luggage items transported separately by passengers). Category C express mail refers to goods with a value of RMB 5,000 or less (excluding transportation, insurance, and miscellaneous fees, etc.) (except for those involving license control, and requiring export tax rebates, export receipts, or import payments).
3. Personal items entering the country through DHL Express, such as clothes, cosmetics, etc., what express mail should be declared to the customs?
According to the General Administration of Customs Announcement No. 43 of 2010 on the Adjustment of the Management Measures for Personal Postal Articles Entering and Leaving the Country, the limit for each item sent by individuals from or to Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan is RMB 800; the limit for each item sent from or to other countries and regions is RMB 1,000. According to the General Administration of Customs Announcement No. 19 of 2016 on the Activation of the New Express Mail Customs System, Category B express mail refers to personal items for personal use collected or delivered by domestic consignors (natural persons) (excluding luggage items transported separately by passengers). Therefore, if the package meets the limit conditions for personal mailing in and out of the country, it can be declared as a Category B express mail. 11