Full Process Agency Operation Guide and Compliance Points for Italian Paint Import

Market Status and Operation Difficulties of Italian Paint Import

In 2026,the domestic high-end architectural decoration market still maintains strong demand for art paint and functional wall paint originating from Italy.Italian brands occupy an important share in domestic mid-to-high-end decoration projects by virtue of their unique formula technology and environmental protection performance.However,paint products are chemicals under strict customs supervision,and their import procedures are far more complicated than those of ordinary goods.When handling such business,enterprises often face tough problems such as failed document review,ambiguous definition of hazardous chemical attributes,and excessive time consumption for Chinese label rectification.Any deviation in declaration elements can easily lead to detention during port inspection,resulting in high container detention fees and storage costs,and even risks of return or destruction.

In response to these pain points,Zhongshen relies on more than 20 years of practical experience in the industry to provide importers with full-process agency services from document pre-review to final release.We are not only familiar with the latest inspection and quarantine requirements for imported paint issued by the General Administration of Customs,but also can provide customized compliance guidance according to the operation habits of Italian suppliers,to ensure that goods enter the domestic market at the fastest speed on the premise of compliance.

Document Pre-review and Compliance Confirmation

The first threshold for imported paint is not at the port,but at the document preparation stage.In 2026,customs inspection on hazardous chemicals continues to be intensified.If Italian paint contains specific solvents or additives,it is very likely to be classified as hazardous chemical.After taking over the project,the primary task of Zhongshen is to conduct in-depth pre-review of documents provided by foreign suppliers.

Core Document List and Review Key Points

We require customers to provide complete certificate of origin,MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet),component description and packaging declaration.Among them,MSDS must comply with the latest GB/T 16483 standard,and an accurate Chinese translation must be provided.During the pre-review process,the professional operation team of Zhongshen will focus on verifying the following information:

• Component consistency: Ensure that the component content in MSDS is completely consistent with the declaration elements,to avoid property identification errors caused by trace component differences.
• Hazard warning label: Verify whether the transport label meets the requirements of IMDG Code (International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code).Especially for paint classified as Class 3 flammable liquid,standard hazardous goods marks must be affixed.
• Paint filing: Confirm whether the paint model has completed import paint filing with the customs.For new products that have not been filed,Zhongshen will guide enterprises to send samples for testing in advance to obtain the Import Paint Filing Certificate.

Comparison of Import Requirements for Ordinary Paint and Hazardous Paint

To show the compliance differences more intuitively,we have compiled the following comparison table to help enterprises clarify the operation difficulty before procurement:

International Transportation and Port Declaration Practice

After the documents are confirmed to be correct,Zhongshen starts the international logistics operation.For major Italian ports such as Genoa and La Spezia,we have stable cooperation resources with ship owners to ensure shipping space.For paint classified as hazardous goods,we will submit the DG Declaration to the shipping company in advance to ensure smooth loading of goods and avoid being rolled over due to incomplete documents.

Customs Declaration,Inspection Application and Label Rectification

After the goods arrive at the port,Zhongshen declares to the customs immediately.Under the 2026 customs clearance mode,we usually adopt the "two-step declaration" mode: first complete the summary declaration to pick up the goods,then conduct the full declaration.The most problematic part in this link is Chinese label.According to the Measures for Supervision and Administration of Inspection and Quarantine of Import and Export Paint,the sales packaging of imported paint must be printed with Chinese labels conforming to Chinese national GB standards.

For aesthetic design considerations,many Italian factories only have Italian and English on the original packaging,lacking Chinese information.Zhongshen will review the label style in advance to confirm whether it contains mandatory contents such as product name,ingredients,production date,shelf life,usage and warning statements.If the original label does not meet the specifications,we will arrange rectification in the bonded zone warehouse and affix qualified Chinese labels.This operation must be completed before customs inspection,otherwise rectification penalties will be imposed.

Practical Case Sharing: Avoiding Commodity Inspection Risks

Ms.Fang is the procurement director of a high-end soft decoration design company in Shanghai.In early 2026,she planned to import a batch of art texture paint from Milan for villa projects.Since it was her first time handling chemical import,Ms.Fang directly asked the foreign factory to arrange shipment.As a result,after the goods arrived at Shanghai Yangshan Port,they were placed under customs control for inspection.

The inspection found that although the MSDS of the paint showed a high flash point,it actually contained a small amount of film-forming additives and belonged to the category of hazardous chemicals.However,the goods were not packed in hazardous goods packaging,and there was no Chinese label on the original packaging at all.The customs immediately detained the goods and required Ms.Fang to provide the Import Paint Filing Certificate and carry out rectification.At that time,Ms.Fang was faced with the dilemma of huge port detention fees caused by cargo detention and inability to carry out label rectification under customs supervision due to lack of professional qualifications.

Ms.Fang contacted Zhongshen urgently for help.After taking over the case,our operation supervisor Mr.Gan intervened quickly:

• Coordinate testing: Mr.Gan coordinated with cooperative laboratories to sample and test the goods,and confirmed the hazardous attribute classification of the paint.
• Compliance rectification: In the customs supervised warehouse,the operation team of Zhongshen guided workers to affix standardized Chinese labels on each barrel of paint,and supplemented the hazard warning labels.
• Explanation and communication: In response to the problem that the packaging did not meet UN standards,Mr.Gan assisted Ms.Fang in submitting a situation statement and a subsequent improvement commitment letter to the customs,applying for lenient treatment.

Finally,under the professional operation of Zhongshen,all rectification procedures for this batch of paint were completed within three days and the goods were released smoothly,catching up with the project construction schedule.Ms.Fang said that this experience made her deeply realize the key role of professional agencies in compliant operation,and all subsequent import business of the company has been fully entrusted to Zhongshen.

Core Value of Professional Agency Services

Italian paint import is not a simple logistics transportation,but a systematic project involving chemistry,law and trade policies.With 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen has standardized and transparentized the complex customs clearance process.From front-end component pre-review to back-end label rectification,we help enterprises avoid compliance risks caused by information asymmetry.For importers pursuing timeliness and quality,choosing Zhongshen is not only choosing a customs broker,but also a reliable partner that can ensure supply chain security and reduce hidden costs.We always adhere to a rigorous professional attitude to ensure that every barrel of Italian paint entering the domestic market complies with national regulations,so that customers have no worries about subsequent sales.