---
title: "Complete Process and Notes Sorting of Customs Clearance for Imported Japanese Food - Zhongshen Trading China"
description: "In 2026，the scale of China-Japan food trade continues to expand，and the import demand for Japanese snacks，condiments and other products maintains steady growth. However，the customs clearance link involves multiple requirements such as qualification review，quarantine and inspection，which is prone to delay or return risk. Ms. Zhang，head of a food trading company in East China，once had her goods detained at the port for 3 days due to non-compliant Chinese labels，resulting in a loss of nearly RMB 10..."
url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/import-japanese-food-customs-clearance-process-tips.html"
language: "en"
type: "Article"
category: "Food and beverages"
datePublished: "2026-05-30"
dateModified: "2026-05-30"
brand: "Zhongshen Trading China"
image: "https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/4BbYOZui7yUeL.webp"
---

# Complete Process and Notes Sorting of Customs Clearance for Imported Japanese Food

## Customs Clearance for Imported Japanese Food: A Key Hub in the Trade Chain

Since 2026,China-Japan food trade has become increasingly frequent.Japanese products such as snacks,condiments and dairy products are favored by domestic consumers for their unique flavors.However,many trading enterprises often encounter delays due to detailed issues in customs clearance when importing Japanese food.For example,Ms.Zhang,head of a food trading company in East China,imported a batch of Japanese cookies last year.Because the Chinese label did not include a nutrition facts table,the goods were detained at the port for 3 days,which not only generated demurrage charges,but also missed the promotion node of the e-commerce platform,resulting in a loss of nearly RMB 10,000.It can be seen that Japanese food customs clearance is not a simple "customs declaration + tax payment" process,but a systematic project involving multiple links such as qualification,quarantine and documents.Sorting out the process in advance can help enterprises avoid more than 80% of customs clearance risks.

![Summary of Common Problems and Solutions for Japanese Food Import Customs Clearance](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/4BbYOZui7yUeL.webp)

## I.Qualification Preparation Before Import: Laying a Solid Foundation for Legal Import

The core goal of this stage is to ensure that both domestic enterprises and Japanese suppliers have the legal qualification to import Japanese food,so as to avoid direct customs clearance failure caused by lack of qualification.

### 1.Key Actions

- Domestic enterprises need to complete: Applying for import and export operation right (if not available),Food Business License (business scope must include pre-packaged food or bulk food),and registration of foreign trade operator;
- Japanese suppliers need to provide: Production enterprise hygiene license,product composition analysis report,certificate of origin (for enjoying China-Japan FTA tariff),and health quarantine certificate (for animal and plant derived food).

### 2.Common Problems

- Some enterprises mistakenly believe that import and export operation right is sufficient for food import,and ignore the application for Food Business License;
- The hygiene certificate provided by the Japanese supplier does not mark the specific product batch,which cannot be recognized by commodity inspection authorities;
- Bulk food fails to complete pre-packaging filing in advance,and cannot circulate in the domestic market.

### 3.Role of Zhongshen

![How to Efficiently Avoid Pitfalls in Imported Japanese Food Customs Clearance in 2026](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/XyBPeeaqavB41.webp)

Zhongshen will provide customers with the *Checklist of Import Qualifications for Japanese Food* at the initial stage of cooperation,clearly marking the specific requirements of required materials; for the qualification of Japanese suppliers,Zhongshen’s Japanese team will conduct pre-audit.If it is found that the batch number is missing in the hygiene certificate or the composition report does not meet Chinese standards,we will assist the supplier to supplement or modify it,avoiding rework after the goods arrive at the port.

## II.Document Audit Before Cargo Arrival: Avoid 90% of Delay Risks in Advance

Document audit before cargo arrival is the core of customs clearance efficiency.If there is any problem with the documents,the cargo cannot be declared immediately after arrival,and demurrage charges are calculated by ton per day,so losses will increase over time.

### 1.Key Actions

- Audit core documents: Certificate of origin (confirm whether China-Japan FTA tariff is applicable),hygiene certificate (confirm whether it meets Chinese commodity inspection requirements),packing list/invoice (confirm whether the declared value matches the actual value),bill of lading (confirm whether it is original or telex released);
- Chinese label filing: Pre-packaged food must file Chinese labels with commodity inspection authorities in advance,and mark nutrition composition,shelf life,origin,ingredients list and other information (must comply with GB7718 standard).

### 2.Common Problems

- Incorrect nutrition composition labeling on Chinese labels (e.g.protein content does not match the actual);
- The certificate of origin does not indicate "Product of Japan",so the importer cannot enjoy FTA tariff (tariff reduced from 10% to 5%);
- Bulk food is not affixed with Chinese labels,so it cannot pass commodity inspection.

### 3.Role of Zhongshen

Zhongshen’s document team will audit all documents 3-5 days in advance.For Chinese labels,we will check them one by one against the GB 7718 standard,and assist customers to modify and handle filing if problems are found; for certificates of origin,we will confirm whether they meet FTA requirements,helping customers save 50% of tariff (for example,for a 10-ton import of Japanese condiments,tariff is reduced from 10% to 5%,saving about RMB 20,000).

## III.Quarantine and Customs Declaration After Cargo Arrival: Core Link of Rapid Clearance

After the cargo arrives at the port,commodity inspection and quarantine and customs declaration need to be completed at the same time.Parallel processing of the two links can greatly shorten the customs clearance cycle.

### 1.Key Actions

- Commodity inspection and quarantine: Declare to commodity inspection authorities and cooperate with sampling inspection (key testing items include radioactivity,pesticide residue,heavy metal,etc.which must comply with Chinese standards such as GB2762);
- Customs declaration: Declare cargo value,tariff and value-added tax,submit documents and pay taxes;
- Release: After both quarantine and customs declaration are approved,the customs issues a release order,and the cargo can be picked up from the port.

### 2.Common Problems

- Radioactivity test exceeds the limit (e.g.food from certain regions of Japan must comply with China’s *Limit of Radioactive Contamination in Food*);
- Incorrect tariff calculation leads to declaration demurrage (charged at 0.5‰ per diem);
- Failure to follow up the inspection progress in time after sampling leads to cargo detention.

### 3.Role of Zhongshen

Zhongshen will communicate with commodity inspection authorities in advance and prepare all quarantine documents.We arrange a dedicated person to follow up the inspection progress after sampling,shortening the inspection cycle from 7 days to 3 days; for tariff calculation,we will select the optimal tariff according to the cargo HS code and certificate of origin (such as FTA tariff) to avoid calculation errors; if the radioactivity test result is close to the limit,Zhongshen will assist customers to provide the test report issued by the Japanese supplier to obtain approval from commodity inspection authorities.

## IV.Storage and Distribution After Release: Ensure Safe Delivery of Cargo

After cargo release,the goods need to enter a warehouse that meets food storage requirements,and then be delivered to the location designated by the customer.Management at this stage directly affects food quality.

### 1.Key Actions

- Storage: Cargo is stored in a constant temperature and humidity warehouse (temperature controlled at 0-25,humidity controlled at 40%-60%) to avoid deterioration;
- Distribution: Arrange cold chain or normal temperature distribution according to food type,to ensure delivery to customers within shelf life.

### 2.Common Problems

- Unqualified storage temperature leads to chocolate melting and cookie dampening;
- Delivery delay causes food to exceed shelf life;
- Inadequate protection during distribution leads to cargo damage.

### 3.Role of Zhongshen

Zhongshen owns 3 warehouses that meet national food storage standards in Shanghai,equipped with constant temperature and humidity equipment and 24-hour monitoring; for distribution,we will select cold chain or normal temperature logistics according to food type,and arrange a professional distribution team to ensure delivery to customers in East China within 24 hours,and to major cities across China within 48 hours.

## Self-customs Clearance VS Zhongshen Agency: Comparison of Efficiency and Risk

| Comparison Dimension | Self-customs Clearance | Zhongshen Agency |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Qualification Preparation Cycle | 3-5 days (prone to missing materials) | 1-2 days (pre-audit checklist) |
| Document Audit Accuracy | Around 70% (prone to errors) | Over 95% (professional team) |
| Total Customs Clearance Cycle | 10-15 days | 3-5 days |
| Risk Avoidance Capability | Only able to handle common problems | Able to avoid over 90% of customs clearance risks |
| Additional Services | None | One-stop service including storage,distribution,label filing |

## V.Common Notes for Japanese Food Customs Clearance

- Pre-packaged food must be affixed with a Chinese label with a nutrition facts table,which must comply with GB7718;
- Animal and plant derived food (such as dairy products and meat products) must provide official Japanese quarantine certificate;
- Confirm that the HS code is correct for tariff calculation to avoid wrong tax rate;
- Radioactivity test must comply with China’s *Limit of Radioactive Contamination in Food* (GB14882);
- All documents must be kept for at least 2 years after import for random inspection by commodity inspection authorities.

## Conclusion: Professional Agency Makes Japanese Food Import More Worry-free

Imported Japanese food customs clearance involves multiple links and multiple standards,and self-operation is prone to delay or loss due to detailed problems.Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in the foreign trade agency industry for over 20 years,and has formed a full-process service system of "qualification audit - document preparation - quarantine and customs declaration - storage and distribution" for Japanese food customs clearance,which can help customers shorten the customs clearance cycle to 3-5 days and avoid over 90% of customs clearance risks.When Ms.Zhang imported Japanese cookies again this year,she chose Zhongshen’s agency service and completed customs clearance in only 4 days,successfully catching up with the e-commerce promotion,and her sales increased by 20% compared with last year.If you have demand for importing Japanese food,you can contact a professional agency to make customs clearance more efficient and worry-free.

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