Taiwan Paint Import Agency: Full 2026 Compliance Operation Guide

Market Background and Common Pain Points of Paint Imported from Taiwan

Since 2026,water-based paints and high-solid paints produced in Taiwan have seen a 12% year-on-year increase in import volume in the architectural decoration and industrial coating sectors,as their environmentally friendly formulas better align with the mainland’s "dual carbon" policy requirements.As one of the core paint consumption cities in China,many building material traders and decoration enterprises in Shanghai have begun to try importing niche high-end paints from Taiwan.However,due to unfamiliarity with the special procedures of cross-strait trade,they often encounter customs clearance delays,compliance risks,and even cargo detention.

3 Common Pain Points for Importing Paint from Taiwan

• Cross-strait documentation differences: The certificate of origin and component test reports provided by Taiwanese exporters must meet the format requirements of the mainland’s commodity inspection bureau.Some enterprises have their submitted "Taiwan Region Certificate of Origin" returned because it is not affixed with the designated seal
• Special quarantine requirements for paints: Paints fall under the category of hazardous chemicals,so a Hazardous Characteristic Classification and Identification Report is required.In addition,the VOC content of Taiwan-produced paints must comply with the mainland’s GB18581-2020 standard.Some niche brands fail to conduct testing in advance,resulting in customs clearance failure
• Poor logistics connection: When shipping space from Taiwan to Shanghai is tight,enterprises that book space on their own often incur detention charges.In addition,the container lifting and customs transit procedures at cross-strait ports are complicated,and inexperienced enterprises are prone to incurring extra costs

Core Role of Zhongshen in Taiwan Paint Import

Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in foreign trade agency for more than 20 years.In response to the special needs of Taiwan paint import,it has built a full-process service system covering document pre-audit,port customs clearance,and commodity inspection release.The team is familiar with the policy connection of cross-strait trade,can avoid more than 90% of common compliance risks in advance,and helps enterprises shorten the import cycle from an average of 15 days to 7-10 days.

Full Process Breakdown of Taiwan Paint Import Agency (By Stage)

Stage 1: Document Pre-audit (7-10 Days Before Import)

The documentation requirements for paint imported from Taiwan are stricter than those for ordinary goods.Zhongshen will complete the audit of all documents before the goods are shipped,to avoid port detention caused by documentation problems after the goods arrive at the port.

The core compliance requirements of this stage include:

• The Certificate of Origin issued by Taiwan region is required,and must be certified by an institution recognized by the mainland customs.For example,certificates issued by Taiwan’s Bureau of Foreign Trade,Ministry of Economic Affairs must be affixed with the certification seal of the Cross-Straits Economic and Trade Exchange Association
• For paint components,a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for Paint Products that complies with the mainland’s GB/T30646-2014 standard is required,which must clearly list the content of harmful substances such as heavy metals and VOC
• For hazardous chemicals,an additional Hazardous Characteristic Classification and Identification Report is required,and the report must be issued by an institution with CMA qualification in the mainland.Reports from local Taiwan institutions must be recognized by the mainland’s commodity inspection bureau

In 2025,a building material company in Shanghai where Ms.Zheng works tried to import a brand of water-based wood paint from Taiwan.The submitted SDS was returned by the commodity inspection bureau because it did not indicate the benzene series content required by the mainland,resulting in the goods being detained at a Taiwan port for 3 days.When importing again in 2026,the company entrusted Zhongshen to pre-audit the documents.The team pointed out the 3 parameters that needed to be supplemented in the SDS in advance,and coordinated with a mainland CMA-qualified institution to complete the report update.Finally,the documents passed the audit at one time.

Stage 2: Port Customs Declaration (3-5 Days After Goods Arrive at Port)

For customs declaration of paint imported from Taiwan,attention should be paid to the details of customs transit and customs declaration form submission in cross-strait trade.Zhongshen’s customs declaration team is familiar with the operation procedures of Shanghai Yangshan Port and Waigaoqiao Port,and can complete the declaration quickly.

The key quarantine points of this stage include:

• Paint packaging must comply with the General Specifications for Transport Packages of Dangerous Goods (GB12463-2009).The wooden packaging commonly used by Taiwanese exporters must provide a heat treatment/fumigation certificate to avoid carrying harmful organisms
• The customs will randomly select samples for VOC content testing.If the test result exceeds the GB18581-2020 standard (VOC for interior wall paint ≤ 20g/L),the goods will be temporarily detained and required to be returned

In 2026,when an industrial enterprise in Suzhou where Supervisor Tan works imported a brand of industrial paint from Taiwan,the customs requested rectification because the wooden packaging did not provide a fumigation certificate.Zhongshen urgently contacted the Taiwanese supplier,coordinated a local institution to issue the supplementary certificate,and arranged for a truck to transfer the goods from Yangshan Port to Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone for temporary storage,avoiding detention charges.Finally,the rectification and customs clearance were completed in only 2 days.

Stage 3: Commodity Inspection Release and Follow-up Services (2-3 Days After Customs Declaration)

Paint imported from Taiwan can only be released after completing the compliance testing of the commodity inspection bureau.Zhongshen will follow up the testing progress throughout the process,and provide follow-up warehousing and foreign exchange receipt and payment services.The following is the efficiency comparison between self-import and Zhongshen agency:

In 2026,when a trading company in Hangzhou where Ms.Yu works imported a brand of waterproof paint from Taiwan,the customs random inspection found that the VOC content was slightly higher than the standard (22g/L).Zhongshen immediately contacted a third-party testing institution in the mainland,conducted re-testing and provided the batch stability report of this batch of paint to prove that it was a testing error.Finally,the commodity inspection bureau recognized the report and released the goods,avoiding the loss caused by the return of goods.

Case Sharing: How Zhongshen Helps Enterprises Avoid Return Risks

In March 2026,a decoration company in Shanghai planned to import a niche brand of art paint from Taiwan,which had not completed the testing in accordance with the mainland’s GB 18581-2020 standard in advance.After Zhongshen found the problem during the document pre-audit stage,it immediately contacted a local CMA-qualified institution in Shanghai,coordinated the Taiwanese supplier to provide samples for testing,and issued a report meeting the requirements in only 5 days.After the goods arrived at the port,the commodity inspection bureau directly accepted the report without further random inspection.Finally,the import cycle was 8 days shorter than the enterprise’s expectation,and no compliance risk occurred.

Summary: Core Value of Zhongshen Agency

For enterprises in Shanghai and surrounding areas that plan to import Taiwan paint,Zhongshen’s agency services can not only solve specific problems such as documentation differences and quarantine requirements,but also shorten the import cycle by more than 40% through advance pre-audit and full-process follow-up,while reducing compliance risks to less than 2%.Relying on 20 years of industry experience,the team can quickly respond to changes in cross-strait trade policies,such as the new paint environmental protection traceability requirement added in 2026,help enterprises adjust their import strategies in a timely manner,and realize efficient and safe import of Taiwan paint.