Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and General Administration of Customs, Administration of Automatic Import Licensing of Foreign Investment Enterprises Implementing Rules

Promulgated: February 8 2002
Effective: as of date of promulgation
Interpreting authority: Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC) and General Administration of Customs

Main contents: An automatic import licence is not required where a foreign investment enterprise imports materials, machinery or parts that constitute a portion of its total investment; or where imported items are intended for the production of export products (Article 6(1) & (2)). When items subject to automatic import licensing are imported by a foreign investment enterprise for the manufacture of products for domestic sale, the enterprise must apply for an automatic import licence (Article 6(3)).
Upon receiving an application, the foreign investment department of the relevant local MOFTEC shall issue an automatic import licence (Article 6(4)). Customs will be guided by the official inventory list bearing the seal of the foreign investment department when inspecting items that constitute part of an enterprise's investment or are for its own use (Article 7). In inspecting items intended for processing and re-export, customs will be guided by the processing contract and related documentation (Article 8). An automatic import licence is valid for six months and may be used for six separate shipments (Article 12).
Related legislation: PRC, Administration of Import and Export of Commodities Regulations and Administration of Automatic Import Licensing of Commodities Procedures, Dec 31 2001, CLP 2002 No.1 p23