Customs to Impose Tax on Personal Mail

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Jul. 6 – The General Administration of Customs announced that it will impose import tax on personal mail starting in September.

Customs [2010] No. 43, issued July 2 and coming into effect September 1, stipulates that an import tax will be levied on personally mailed items into or out of China.

The circular, which aims to further regulate the entry and exit of postal articles and to enhance supervision, also includes limits on the value of goods that can be sent without being processed by Customs. For individuals sending or receiving items from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, the value of goods is limited to RMB800; for other countries and regions, the limitation is RMB1,000. If personal mail is valued beyond the prescribed limit, it will need then to go through Custom clearance procedures. Packages with an import duty value of under RMB50 will be exempt from any import tariff.

If there is only one item within the packet being mailed and it cannot be divided up and it falls beyond the prescribed limits, and if when examined by Customs it is determined that the item is for personal use only, it can be claimed as personal items for Customs clearance purposes.

Commercial postal items will be handled in accordance with the provisions of goods for Customs clearance.