FAQ of Food Business License

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The following materials shall be provided with food circulation license:

1. Application for food circulation license;

2. Copy of notice of name pre approval;

3. Copy of house property certificate or house lease contract;

4. Copies of ID cards of the person in charge, the operator and the food safety management personnel (the original needs to be checked);

5. Food circulation units shall be equipped with food safety administrators with class B (food circulation) certificates;

6. Spatial layout of business facilities related to food business;

7. List of operating equipment and tools related to food business;

8. Operation process;

9. Food safety management system text;

10. Letter of commitment for circulation license of franchise project;

11. After hiring local staff ( 1 at least ), and staff has obtained health certificate issued by local hospitals.

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Requirements for food circulation license:

1. If the subject of food circulation license wants to apply for food business license, he must obtain legal subject qualification first, such as obtaining business license, legal person registration certificate or social organization registration certificate;

2. The specific examination conditions of food circulation license and the specific examination standards of various food business units are in the "Shenzhen food business license examination standards (Trial)";

3. The food business operator whose business license has been revoked shall not apply for food business license within 5 years from the date of punishment decision, together with the legal representative, the person in charge directly in charge and other persons directly responsible;

4. Those who obtain food business license with false materials or conceal the truth will not be able to apply within one year. If the licensee obtains the license by cheating, bribery or other improper means, the Licensee shall not apply again within 3 years.

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To the fundamental question: What is an export licence? An export licence is a document issued by the relevant authority, in this case, the Chinese government, that gives exporters permission to ship goods out of the country. If the exporter doesn’t have an export licence, the goods will not be cleared through Chinese customs.

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An export licence is a way for a country to control the goods going out of the country – just like an import license is a way to control incoming goods. The export licence is issued according to the country’s export laws and regulations. The export can be restricted or prohibited to meet the demands of the domestic market and consumers and protect the national economy.

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It is the Chinese companies that want to export goods from China to overseas markets that are responsible for obtaining the export licence, either by applying for the license themselves or by letting a trading agent handle it.

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Exporters need to include export details such as the name of the export goods, specifications, destination countries and regions, quantity, unit price, total amount, delivery date, and form of payment.

Also, other relevant documents such as a copy of the original contract, business license, annual export plan, or documents of approval need to be presented to the authority. Once the export licence is approved, the exporter should also fill in the People’s Republic of China export licence application form.

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Yes and no. As an overseas buyer, you do pay for fees related to export clearance. But they are all included in the FOB (Free On Board), CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight), and DAP (Delivered At Place) shipping agreements. So, you don’t really need to think about that.

However, if you import the goods on EXW (Ex Works) terms, you will have to pay for export fees as they are not included in the price.

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Today, most exporters in China have export licences. However, some don’t. These exporters are often smaller companies that want to avoid the bureaucracy and the cost that comes with applying for the export licence.

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We know just how confusing and frustrating it can be having to deal with export and import, or any other customs related issues, for that matter.

Often, there are a number of procedures that need to be followed and completed before importing or exporting the goods. There might be special preparations required such as accompanying certificates and approvals for the cargo. Perhaps, the mode of transport you use or the region you are shipping to demands particular preparing procedures.

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Import licenses also referred to as non-automatic import licenses, are used to keep control of imported products and the import quotas.

The license is used as a non-tariff barrier and for countries that simply wants to protect the local economy and producers, restricting the amount of products that are imported.

Worth mentioning is that there’s a limited amount of import licenses and your Chinese importer has one prior to exportation.

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You should apply for your import license to MOFCOM (the Ministry of Commerce).

The authority is responsible for issuing new regulations related to foreign direct investments, exports, imports, and trade.

Keep in mind that your importer should manage the application to receive an import license. As such, be sure to discuss with your partner beforehand to confirm what’s needed.

The form should also be signed and stamped by a legal representative upon submission. Besides, you should include your organization code certificate along with the application.

When you’ve managed this part of the process, it’s time to bring a stamped copy of your business license to China’s Department of Commerce.

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Most products are treated as ‘permitted goods’ and only need an automatic import license.

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While non-automatic import licenses are used to control the import quotas (volumes) of products, for example, an automatic import license is rather used as a tool for trade statistics.

Still, some products that only require an automatic import license are monitored (like poultry) and therefore need additional licensing.

Once you’ve managed to get an automatic import license, you’ll have no restrictions to the number of import licenses you can receive, you just need to apply for it continuously.

Each automatic import license can be used for a time period of 6 months, and normally for imports of one batch.

Sometimes, one license can be used for imports of several batches, and you’ll also be able to receive several import licenses, each time you apply for an automatic import license.

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Products imported to China are divided into 4 different categories:

● Permitted goods

● Permitted goods that need to be monitored

● Restricted goods

● Prohibited goods

Let’s have a look at each category and what license is required for each one of them.

Permitted Goods

Some products fall under the category of permitted goods and only need an automatic import license.

Products that fall under this category include, for example:

● Meat products (beef and pork)

● Clothing and Textiles

However, even if most products only need an automatic import license, some might be subject to monitoring and therefore need additional licensing.

These can be:

● Poultry

● Vegetable oils

● Wine

● Electrical and mechanical products

Contact your importer to confirm what license applies to your specific products.

Restricted Goods

Products covered under this category have import limitations due to quotas set by the government, hence a non-automatic license is required prior to importation.

Products that are considered restricted include:

● Electronic or mechanical products that have been used

● Substances that squander the ozone layer

● Food, fibre, and animal feed products that have some health risk

Prohibited Goods

Goods that fall under the category ‘prohibited products’ cannot be imported into China.

Some products under this category include:

● Arms, ammunition and explosives

● Counterfeit currencies

● Lethal poisons

● Animals, food or plants coming from disease-stricken areas

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You can apply for the automatic import license before the customs clearance. It normally takes up to 2 weeks before the application is processed and approved.

Adding some extra time can be a wise choice to make sure that your products can pass the customs clearance timely.

What information should be included on the automatic import license?

Normally, the following information is included in the import license. Be sure to confirm with your importer and MOFCOM what exact information is needed as regulations are updated frequently.

● Importer’s company name and company number

● Consignee in China

● Automatic import license number

● Automatic import license expiry date

● Terms of trade

● Terms of foreign exchange

● Place of clearance

● Country/region of exportation

● Country/region of origin

● Use of goods

● Description of goods and product code of goods

● Specification, unit, quantity, unit price

● Supplementary details

● Issuing authority stamp (the stamp include the text “automatic import license” in Chinese and the city of issuance)

China Import License Application

If you want to apply for a Chinese import license, you can visit MOFCOM’s website and download the automatic import license application form.

Generally, the importer helps with this part of the process and is responsible to fill out the form.

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As mentioned, normally your Chinese importer should send the application to MOFCOM. They will review and approve the application thereafter. With that said, you have to support the importer where needed.

Keep in mind that there are agents that can assist with the application as well. These companies generally provide end-to-end solutions and help with customs registrations, to find a suitable bonded warehouse, and more.

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It doesn’t cost anything and you can apply for an automatic import license for free. This is beneficial, of course, as this part of the process won’t incur any costs.

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Two types of Liquor Licenses in China:

Alcohol Wholesale License in China

The application for an alcoholic business license requires a registered capital of more than CNY 500,000 and an operating area of more than 50 square meters;

The liquor business license applies for a storage area of more than 80 square meters, and the facilities must comply with relevant regulations;

The application for a liquor business license must first obtain the Health Permit issued by the health administrative department;

There are more than two professionals and management systems that have knowledge of alcoholic products;

Supply pipeline with long-term and stable wine wholesale business;

Other conditions in compliance with laws and regulations;

Agreement or power of attorney between the producer and seller (original, foreign language agreement or authorization letter must be provided in Chinese translation);

The manufacturer’s business license, health permit, and alcohol production license (photocopy, stamped by the manufacturer or the dealer’s seal providing the material, if the agreement is signed with the distributor of the alcoholic product, the dealer’s relevant Proof material, stamped with the dealer seal);

Quality standards of the agent products;

For the agent of domestic liquor, it is necessary to provide a qualified inspection report issued by a statutory qualification institution;

For the import of alcohol, the “Hygiene Certificate” issued by the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau shall be provided.

Alcohol Retail License in China

Enterprises or individuals engaged in alcohol retail business must first obtain the “Food Circulation Permit” issued by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce and then apply for the “Liquor Retail License” to the local liquor monopoly management department. To apply for such a license, these requirements must be met:

The business entity should be an independent legal person, partnership, or self- employed;

The registered capital is more than 100,000 yuan, and the business premises are more than 20 square meters, which is in compliance with relevant regulations;

Obtain the “Food Circulation Permit” issued by the administrative department for industry and commerce;

Obtain a business license issued by the administrative department for industry and commerce;

Have more than one professional who has knowledge of alcohol regulations and commodities.

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While the world is gripped by the fight against COVID-19, the foreign countries’ demand for medical suppliers increased from China. Meanwhile, some Chinese medical suppliers have turned this into an opportunity to earn money in the no-conformal mask. Specifically, there have been a disturbing number of reports citing seizures of fake medical supplies, such as face masks, medical equipment, and hand Sanitizers. So, this article will explain all the details about how to register a medical device company in China.

Medical Trading company Registration

First of all, except for the Company business license, the Chinese Medical trading companies need the import and export License. That is to say, if the trading company is exporting non-medical materials such as ordinary masks, they can import directly without regulatory conditions.

However, if the Medical trading company is exporting medical apparatus such as surgical masks, they need to apply for the Medical License from the Government, including medical device records and Medical device production licenses. In China, there are 3 Classes medical Classes, including Class I (Low-risk medical devices), Class II (Mid-risk medical devices), and Class III (High-risk medical devices that are implanted into the human body, used to support or sustain life).

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How to Apply for Medical device record (Class II)

In order to effectively support the global fight against the epidemic COVID-19, to ensure product quality and safety, and to standardize the sequence of exports during this special period, the China Ministry of Commerce and China Customs released an announcement on March 31, 2020. In the announcement, the number of device categories has decreased from 43 to 22. The Chinese Medical exporter must provide related medical device certificates when they export the reagents for detection of the novel coronavirus, medical masks, medical protective clothing, ventilators, and infrared thermometers. And China Customs shall handle supervision according to the medical device product registration certificates. Moreover, the Chinese company shall ensure that all purchased products conform to specified requirements of the importing countries.

If you want to register a medical device company in China, you need to get the Medical device record in National Medical Product Administration (NMPA).

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Medical devices are regulated by the National Medical Product Administration (NMPA), You can visit China’s official website and click on the column of “medical devices application”.  You need to submit the registration form, including the medical Product risk analysis report, Production Technique requirement form, Product inspection report, Clinical evaluation documents, product manuals, quality management system documents, Authorization letter, note that the authorization letter indicates that the manufacturer provides after-sales service.

According to the instructions on the page, once you enter the medical device registration certificate number of the product or enterprise name, you can find the production information related to the product, the approval number information, etc.

Zhishuo Group can help you obtain regulatory approval for your medical device in China. We provide professional Company Registration for foreign Investor, including Business Registration, location, Accounting & Tax, HR outsourcing, and legal services. If you need a professional and responsible agency, please do not hesitate to contact us.