Analysis of Chongqing Chitosan Import Agency Process and Compliance Key Points

Market Background and Common Difficulties of Chitosan Import to Chongqing

In 2026,the demand for chitosan in Chongqing’s industries such as biopharmaceuticals and environmental protection filter materials increased by 18% year-on-year.This natural polysaccharide extracted from shrimp and crab shells mainly relies on imports from high-end suppliers in Japan and the United States due to differences in indicators such as purity and degree of deacetylation.However,many Chongqing enterprises often encounter three thorny problems when self-importing: First,documentation requirements are complex.In addition to conventional trade documents,an additional hygiene test report conforming to Chinese national standards is required; Second,quarantine procedures are strict.As a bio-derived product,chitosan needs to pass multiple tests including heavy metal residue and microbial limit; Third,port process connection is poor.If documents are missing or testing is delayed,goods are easily backlogged at the port for more than 5 days,disrupting production plans.

Core Service Role of Zhongshen in Chitosan Import

Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in foreign trade agency for over 20 years.Targeting the full-process pain points of chitosan import,it provides one-stop services from supplier coordination to foreign exchange settlement.Its core value lies in: relying on accurate understanding of the Administrative Measures for Inspection and Quarantine of Imported Food and Cosmetics and Quality Standard for Chitosan (GB/T 20370-2006) to avoid compliance risks in advance; shortening customs clearance cycle through long-term cooperation with Chongqing port customs and commodity inspection departments; customizing differentiated agency solutions for chitosan of different uses (food additives/biopharmaceutical raw materials/environmental protection materials).

Breakdown of Chitosan Import Agency Process Stages

1.Document Pre-review Stage: Focus on Pre-compliance Audit

The unique document requirements for chitosan import are significantly different from conventional goods: it requires a Certificate of Origin issued by the exporting country’s authority (clearly indicating country of origin and product name),Sanitary Certificate (including test data of lead and cadmium,total bacterial count,degree of deacetylation),and Component Analysis Report (marking purity ≥90%).Manager Lei of Zhongshen will check item by item against Chinese national standards 7-10 days before shipment: if he finds that the Sanitary Certificate of Japanese chitosan imported by a Chongqing enterprise lacks the deacetylation test item,he will immediately guide the enterprise to contact the supplier to supplement the report conforming to GB/T 20370-2006,avoiding goods return after arrival due to incomplete documents.

2.Port Customs Declaration Stage: Accurately Match Commodity Code and Declaration Requirements

It should be noted that the commodity code for chitosan is 3214900000.If used as a food additive,an additional Import License for Food Additives is required; if used as biopharmaceutical raw material,the Drug Import Registration Certificate (for drug-related products) needs to be submitted simultaneously.Zhongshen’s customs declaration team will complete pre-entry in advance and coordinate with the animal and plant quarantine department of Chongqing Customs: In May 2026,a batch of chitosan imported by an enterprise was ordered for inspection by customs because no Chinese label was attached to the packaging.The declarant assisted in supplementing the label within 1 hour,completed inspection and release on the same day,saving 3 days compared with the conventional process.

3.Commodity Inspection and Quarantine Stage: Coordinate with Designated Laboratories to Speed Up Testing

Chitosan is a biological product subject to port inspection and quarantine.Core test items include: heavy metals (lead ≤2mg/kg,cadmium ≤0.5mg/kg),microorganisms (total bacterial count ≤1000cfu/g),degree of deacetylation (≥85%).Zhongshen communicates sampling requirements (500g representative sample required) with the designated laboratory at Chongqing port in advance,and guides clients to prepare samples early: an enterprise previously had a 4-day test delay due to insufficient sample volume.After being reminded by Mr.Tao,the prepared samples met requirements,and the test cycle was compressed to 3 days.

Practical Case: Import Customs Clearance Optimization for a Chongqing New Material Company

In March 2026,a Chongqing environmental protection filter material company planned to import 2 tons of chitosan from the United States for new filter membrane production.Previously,when the company imported by itself,the Sanitary Certificate did not mark microbial test data,so Chongqing commodity inspection department required supplementary materials,causing a 12-day delay and postponed production plan.After contacting Manager Lei of Zhongshen,Manager Lei found the problem in the document pre-review stage,guided the company to contact the US supplier to supplement the test report conforming to Chinese national standards,and coordinated with commodity inspection to complete pre-entry in advance.The goods completed commodity inspection and customs declaration within 3 days after arrival,saving 9 days compared with the previous process and avoiding a production delay loss of 150,000 RMB.

Common Document List for Chitosan Import

Notes for Chitosan Import Agency

• Clarify the use of chitosan (food additive/biopharmaceutical/environmental protection material) in advance.Different uses correspond to different compliance requirements and additional documents (e.g.food additives require Import License)
• Confirm the exporting country’s quarantine policy in advance.Some countries have fumigation requirements for chitosan export,relevant certificates need to be prepared
• Samples must meet the requirements of commodity inspection laboratories (representative sample of no less than 500g) to avoid test delay caused by unqualified samples

Value of Zhongshen Helping Chongqing Enterprises Import Chitosan

With 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen implements full-process pre-risk control according to the unique compliance requirements of chitosan import: document pre-review avoids more than 90% of port rejection risks,coordination with commodity inspection reduces test cycle by 30%,and customs declaration pre-entry improves customs clearance efficiency by 40%.For Chongqing enterprises,choosing a professional agency can not only save time and labor costs,but also avoid economic losses caused by compliance issues,and provide a stable raw material import guarantee for industrial upgrading.