The General Administration of Customs ("GAC") has recently issued Announcement [2018] No. 193 to clarify matters concerning its plan to fully promote paperless operations for customs transit business. This announcement will take effect from January 1, 2019.
The announcement states that, enterprises will no longer be required to provide paper declaration forms for customs transit or paper lists of goods carried by automobiles, or to submit three certificates for verification, including the register for goods carried by automobiles. Further, the announcement expressly states that consignors or consignees of goods transited between customs offices or their agents, carriers or their agents, and operators of operation places under customs supervision, may go through formalities for picking up or transporting goods transited between customs offices by presenting electronic information on the release of goods transited between customs offices. Also, the announcement notes that, once a declaration form for customs transit or a list of goods carried by automobiles has been verified in the system for release, the electronic information on customs transit cannot be changed any more, or if goods will not be transited between customs offices for some reason, enterprises shall go through formalities with the customs to return the goods or cancel the customs transit. Where enterprises cannot report to the customs electronic data on goods to be transited between customs offices, due to network breakdown or other force majeure, they may handle the customs transit formalities by presenting relevant paper documents, with the consent of the customs.