Mastering Craft Beer Imports: Customs & Compliance

When Craft Beer Meets Chinese Customs

In 2019,we handled an imported case of German craft beer: The customer thought they had prepared complete documents,but was required to supplementProof of Malt Saccharification Processat the Shenzhen port,resulting in the entire container of goods being detained in the supervision warehouse for 11 days.This real - life incident exposes the regulatory characteristics of beer imports,which are far more complex than those of ordinary food.

The Three "Flavor Layers" of Beer Customs Clearance

• TheFirstLayer:TheMysteryofCommodityClassification
  • Thetaxratedifferencebetweenordinarybeer(22030000)andcraftbeer(22029100)reaches5%
  • Ifthecarbonationcontentexceeds0.5%,itmayberecognizedasacarbonatedbeverage
• The Second Layer: The Document Matching Game
  • Itmustbeconsistentwiththeissuingagencyofthehealthcertificate
  • ThealcoholcontenttestreportshouldincludePlatoDegreeConversionValue
• The Third Layer: The Inspection and Quarantine Barriers
  • Thewoodenpalletmustprovideafumigationcertificate(ISPM15standard)
  • TheChinesebacklabelneedstofilethenutritionfactstableinadvance

Cost Comparison between Self - operated Customs Clearance and Agent Customs Clearance

The "Clearance Code" for Importing Craft Beer

When assisting a New York craft beer brand to enter China for the first time this year,we launched three months in advanceFiling of pre-classification disputes,and complete it before the goods arrive at the port:

• Notarizationofproductionprocessvideos
• ComparisonofdifferencesbetweenChineseandAmericantestingstandards
• RapidapprovaloftemporaryChineselabels

Five "Smell Tests" for Choosing a Customs Broker

• WhetheritcanaccuratelydistinguishLager/AleThecustomsidentificationstandardsfortheprocess
• WhetheritgraspstheCertificateanti-counterfeitingfeaturedatabaseofmajorwine-producingcountries
• WhetherthereisexperienceinhandlingExcessiveactiveyeastcases
• WhetherithasestablishedcommunicationchannelswithinspectionandquarantineatmajorportsWhetheritcanprovide
• newguaranteeplans,etc.CustomsDutyGuaranteeInsuranceRememberthatin2021,acertainBelgianwhitebeerwasmisjudgedasaqualityproblemdueto

sediments at the bottom of the bottleIt was precisely by virtue of the national standard translation of the brewing process provided by the agency that the entire batch of goods was avoided from being returned.This detail warns us that beer customs clearance is not only a paperwork task,but also a deep understanding of product characteristics.How many