From "is it subject to inspection?" to the electronic ledger: China's export inspection and quarantine process, with a document checklist and the most common pitfalls
TL;DR: "Does this shipment need statutory inspection?", "Who handles CIQ now?", and "What if the factory and the port of export are in different cities?" are the three questions exporters ask most often. This guide explains how to determine whether goods fall under China's statutory export inspection and quarantine, the post-2018 filing path after CIQ merged into Customs (origin filing → electronic ledger → port release), the special rules for dangerous-goods packaging and wooden packaging, the required documents and lead times, and the eight pitfalls we see most often as a freight forwarder — so the inspection step becomes a planned milestone rather than a surprise.
1) What is statutory inspection, and who is "CIQ" today?
Statutory inspection and quarantine (法检, fajian) is the mandatory inspection China applies to listed import and export commodities under the Import and Export Commodity Inspection Law, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Law, the Frontier Health and Quarantine Law and the Food Safety Law. It is different from a voluntary commercial inspection you commission from SGS or BV: statutory inspection is a precondition for customs release — listed goods that have not passed it will not be cleared.
Many exporters still say "CIQ", short for China Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine, the former standalone agency. In April 2018 CIQ was merged into the General Administration of Customs (GACC), and from 1 August 2018 the customs declaration and the inspection application were combined into a single filing on China's Single Window. "Filing for inspection" is no longer a separate step — the inspection fields are completed as part of the customs declaration. What people still call the "CIQ process" is, in practice, the Customs inspection and quarantine process.
A second misconception concerns fees. China abolished entry-exit inspection and quarantine fees on 1 April 2017; Customs does not charge for the statutory inspection itself. What exporters actually pay are laboratory testing fees (when samples are drawn), packaging performance test fees for dangerous goods, and agent service fees.
2) How to tell whether your goods are subject to inspection: the HS code supervision condition
There is only one reliable method: check the "supervision condition" attached to the 10-digit HS code. GACC's Catalogue of Import and Export Commodities Subject to Inspection and Quarantine assigns condition codes by HS line — A means inspection on import, B means inspection on export. Any export whose supervision condition includes B is a statutory-inspection commodity. You can look it up on the GACC commodity-code query, the Single Window classification module, or simply ask your customs broker to verify. For classification methodology see our HS code lookup guide.
The catalogue is updated each year alongside the tariff schedule, and GACC adds or removes lines by public notice, so never rely on memory — check the current catalogue for every shipment. Below are the most frequently affected export categories (not exhaustive):
| Category | Typical goods | Inspection focus | Prerequisite registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food and food additives | Seafood, meat products, canned food, tea, condiments, confectionery | Safety and hygiene parameters, labelling, traceability | Export food producer registration |
| Animals, plants and their products | Fruit and vegetables, nursery plants, feed, pet food, down, hides | Pests, diseases, pesticide residues | Farm/plantation registration, producer registration |
| Dangerous-goods packaging | Containers for chemicals, lithium batteries, paints, aerosols | Packaging performance test + usage appraisal | DG packaging manufacturer code |
| Cosmetics | Skincare, colour cosmetics, fragrance, toothpaste | Ingredients, microbiology, labelling | — |
| Bamboo, wood and straw products | Wooden furniture parts, bamboo weaving, straw crafts | Pests, quarantine treatment | — |
| Selected mechanical/electrical and consumer goods | Listed toys, medical devices, specific appliances | Safety performance, sample testing | Depends on category |
Wooden packaging deserves a separate note. Pallets, crates and dunnage are not "goods", but any export shipped with wood packaging must have that packaging treated by a Customs-approved facility and stamped with the IPPC mark — otherwise the destination country may reject or destroy the entire container. This requirement applies regardless of whether the goods themselves are listed for inspection.
3) The export inspection process: six steps and their lead times
Since the merger, the governing principle is "inspect at origin, release at the port": inspection and quarantine are completed by the Customs office where the goods are located (the origin office), release is granted by the Customs office at the port of export, and the two are linked by an electronic ledger (电子底账). The full flow:
| Step | Key action | Recommended timing | Common risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| ① Registration | Producer / farm / DG packaging plant registers with origin Customs | 1–3 months before first export | Taking orders without registration; goods are ready but cannot leave |
| ② Factory self-inspection | Producer tests against destination-market standards and issues a self-inspection report | On completion of production | Testing only to Chinese national standards, missing destination requirements |
| ③ Origin filing | Submit the export inspection application (with I&Q fields) on Single Window | 5–7 working days before stuffing (food, animal/plant products) | Filing directly at the port when origin and port differ |
| ④ Examination / sampling | Origin Customs inspects on site, draws samples for lab testing, or releases on risk profile | Scheduled 1–3 working days after filing; testing 3–10 working days | Selected for inspection after stuffing — costly unstuffing |
| ⑤ Electronic ledger | On passing, the system generates a ledger number that is entered on the export declaration | Same day as inspection completion | Ledger quantity/description mismatches the declaration — rejected |
| ⑥ Port release + certificates | Port Customs writes off the ledger and releases; I&Q certificates issued on request | 1–2 working days before the customs cut-off | Certificate applied for after sailing — cargo cannot clear at destination |
When origin and port of export differ — say the factory is in Weifang and the cargo ships from Qingdao — the correct path is to file the inspection application with Weifang Customs (origin), obtain the electronic ledger, then declare at Qingdao port for release. The old paper "certificate exchange slip" has been replaced by the electronic ledger, so no documents need to travel between offices. When origin and port are the same, the inspection filing and the customs declaration are handled together at one office. For Qingdao port specifics, see our Qingdao port export operations guide.
On inspection rates: Customs applies risk-based targeting, not shipment-by-shipment examination. AEO-certified companies, exporters with clean compliance histories and low-risk commodities see noticeably lower sampling rates. Rates rise for first-time exporters, new product categories, or when the destination country has issued a fresh alert.
4) Dangerous-goods packaging: the performance certificate and the usage appraisal
Dangerous goods are the category most likely to stall, because they involve two separate certificates, applied for by different parties at different times:
- Packaging Performance Inspection Result Sheet (性能单): applied for by the packaging manufacturer, proving the container (steel drum, fibreboard box, IBC, etc.) passed drop, stacking and leak tests. Typically valid for 12 months; request it when you purchase packaging
- Packaging Usage Appraisal Result Sheet (使用鉴定单): applied for by the producer/exporter at origin Customs on the strength of the performance sheet, confirming the packaging is suitable for that specific product (fill ratio, inner packaging, closure). One per shipment, normally applied for about a week before stuffing
Carriers require a scan of the usage appraisal (commonly called the "DG packaging certificate") at booking — without it, no DG space will be confirmed. For UN38.3, MSDS and packaging rules for batteries, see our lithium battery shipping guide.
5) Document checklist for export inspection
The table below lists the supporting documents typically required at origin filing; exact requirements depend on the commodity and the Customs office. For general export paperwork (invoice, packing list, bill of lading), see our export shipping documents guide.
| Document | Applies to | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Contract, invoice, packing list | All listed goods | Description, quantity and weight must match the declaration and the ledger exactly |
| Factory self-inspection report | All listed goods | Producer's own test record; parameters should cover destination-market requirements |
| Registration numbers | Food, animal/plant products, DG packaging | Export food producer registration, farm registration, etc. |
| DG performance sheet + usage appraisal | Dangerous goods | See section 4; the carrier checks these at booking too |
| Label artwork / product specification | Food, cosmetics | Must comply with destination labelling law (language, ingredients, allergens, net content) |
| Applications for destination-required certificates | Depends on destination | Health certificate, phytosanitary certificate, veterinary certificate, fumigation certificate — apply together with the filing |
6) Chinese export inspection is not destination-market access: two doors, not one
This is the point exporters confuse most often. Chinese export inspection answers "can it leave?"; destination-market access answers "can it enter?" They are two independent gates:
- Food to the US: beyond Chinese inspection, the producer needs FDA Food Facility Registration, and some categories require an FSVP importer
- Animal-origin food to the EU: the establishment must be on the list China Customs has recommended to the EU, ship with a Customs-issued health certificate, and be pre-notified in TRACES
- Agricultural products to Japan: must meet the Positive List residue limits, which often means more test parameters than Chinese standards
- Electrical goods and toys: CE, UKCA, FCC and similar are destination-market requirements and do not substitute for, nor are they replaced by, Chinese statutory inspection
Practical advice: pull destination requirements forward into production. Agree the destination standards, test parameters and certificate types at contract signing, have the factory test to those parameters, and apply for the matching certificates together with the inspection filing. This avoids the worst outcome — released in China, stuck at the destination port. For who is responsible for destination clearance under different terms, see our destination port clearance guide.
7) The eight pitfalls we see most often
- Misclassification hides the inspection requirement: declaring under the wrong HS code drops condition B; port Customs catches it, the declaration is returned, and the cargo misses the vessel while inspection is completed
- Skipping origin filing when origin and port differ: the most common error — port Customs sends the shipment back to origin, costing at least a week
- Taking orders before registration: export food producer or farm registration takes weeks, not days; check eligibility before accepting a new product category
- Expired or mismatched DG packaging certificates: a performance sheet past its validity, or packaging specs that differ from the usage appraisal — the carrier refuses the booking
- Wooden packaging without the IPPC mark: saving a few hundred yuan on pallets and having the whole container held, fumigated or returned at destination
- Ledger and declaration data mismatch: a split shipment or last-minute quantity change not synchronised, and the declaration is rejected
- Certificates issued after sailing: health or phytosanitary certificates applied for after departure leave the cargo waiting at destination and running up demurrage and detention
- Stuffing before inspection is complete: do not seal listed cargo until inspection is finished, especially for first-time product categories
8) Takeaway: put inspection on the shipping calendar
Statutory inspection is not mysterious; the hard part is timing and data consistency. Three rules cover most of it: check the supervision condition and your registrations before accepting the order; complete origin filing before stuffing and leave room for examination and lab testing; and make sure the contract, invoice, declaration, electronic ledger and certificates carry identical data. Do those three things and inspection rarely becomes the bottleneck.
For the full export customs process and its documentation, read our complete export customs declaration guide. If your cargo involves food, dangerous goods, animal or plant products, or your factory is outside the port city and needs origin filing, contact Mighty Shipping — we provide integrated customs and inspection services at Qingdao port, verify supervision conditions, arrange DG packaging certificates and I&Q certificates, and coordinate origin and port Customs so your cargo is released on schedule.