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Exporting toys from China

A toy exporter records with customs and declares the goods at least 24 hours before loading. GACC spot-checks some goods outside its compulsory inspection catalogue; from 1 June 2026 the exports named include infant and child products. Certificates of origin come from customs or CCPIT.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Who checks
GACC and local customs
Spot checks from 1 June 2026
Infant and child products, low-voltage electrical apparatus
Declaration
At least 24 hours before loading
Origin
Customs or CCPIT

Before the goods leave

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Is the product in GACC's compulsory inspection catalogue, or in a class GACC spot-checks? Read more
  2. 2Are the exporter and its declaration enterprise recorded with customs? Read more
  3. 3Are the contract, invoice and packing list ready 24 hours before loading? Read more
  4. 4Does the buyer need a certificate of origin for a preferential tariff? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Inspection and spot checks

Compulsory inspection for goods in GACC's catalogue, and spot checks on toys and children's products outside it.

  • Goods in GACC's catalogue of commodities subject to compulsory inspection may not be exported until they pass (Law on Import and Export Commodity Inspection, Articles 4 and 5).
  • GACC also spot-checks goods outside the catalogue. Its announcement of 18 November 2024 named children's toys (儿童玩具) as the export goods checked (GACC Announcement No. 163 of 2024).
  • From 1 June 2026, the exports named for spot checks are infant and child products (婴童用品) and low-voltage electrical apparatus, among others (GACC Announcement No. 57 of 2026).
  • Spot checks follow the Administrative Measures for Spot-Check Inspection of Import and Export Commodities (进出口商品抽查检验管理办法), as amended by GACC Decrees No. 238 and 263.
  • Exporting adulterated, counterfeit or substandard goods, or passing off failed goods as good, is fined 50% to 3 times the value of the goods (Article 33).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps each toy's test reports with the lot, dated, and reads them against what the destination asks for before the goods are declared. Ask about this

Export declaration and customs recordation

Who may declare goods for export, when, and with which documents.

  • The consignor of exported goods may declare to customs itself or authorise a customs declaration enterprise; either must complete recordation with customs in advance (GACC Decree No. 277, Article 4).
  • Declaration is made on the electronic customs declaration form; a paper form may be used only in special circumstances with customs' consent (Article 5).
  • Exported goods are declared after they arrive at the area under customs supervision and at least 24 hours before loading (Article 7).
  • The accompanying documents are the contract, invoice, packing list, manifest, bill of lading or waybill, power of attorney for customs declaration, export licences and other documents required by law; goods subject to inspection and quarantine need the documents set for them (Article 8).
  • The consignor and the declaration enterprise answer for the veracity, accuracy, integrity and compliance of what is declared (Article 6).
  • Recordation of a customs declaration entity is valid for a long time; changes to the name, domicile, legal representative or declaration personnel are reported within 30 days (GACC Decree No. 253, Articles 8 and 9).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the contract, invoice, packing list and any licence with the shipment and lot, dated, and shows what is missing before the goods reach the port. Ask about this

Certificates of origin

Proof that goods originate in China, for non-preferential purposes and for preferential tariffs under trade agreements.

  • A consignor may apply for a certificate of origin to the inspection and quarantine authorities, now part of customs, or to the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and its local sub-councils (Regulations on the Origin of Import and Export Goods, Article 17).
  • The applicant registers with the issuing authority and declares origin truthfully; no certificate is issued for goods not originating in China (Articles 18 and 19).
  • Goods wholly obtained in China originate there; otherwise origin is where the last substantial transformation took place, judged first by a change in tariff classification (Articles 3 and 6).
  • Under RCEP, a Certificate of Origin is issued before shipment, or marked "ISSUED RETROACTIVELY"; China's issuing bodies are customs and CCPIT with their local branches (GACC Decree No. 255, Articles 19 and 42).
  • An approved exporter, which must be an Advanced Certified Enterprise, may issue its own declaration of origin under RCEP and the agreements with Iceland, Switzerland and Mauritius; the authorisation lasts 3 years (GACC Decree No. 254).
  • Consignors, manufacturers and approved exporters keep the documents proving origin for 3 years from issue (Decree No. 255, Article 41).
  • Obtaining a certificate by fraud, or forging or trading one, is fined 5,000 to 100,000 yuan (Regulations on Origin, Article 23).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps each certificate or declaration of origin with the shipment, beside the bill of materials it rests on, for the three years the records are kept. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ManufacturerMaking toys to the destination's rules and the contract, with the test evidence to show it.Test reports kept with each lot, ready for customs and the buyer.
Exporter (consignor)Recordation with customs, a truthful export declaration and any licence the goods need.The shipment's documents kept together, dated, with the gaps shown before declaration.
Customs declaration enterprise or forwarderDeclaring within the authority the exporter gives it, under a power of attorney filed with customs.Answers to its questions taken from the record rather than from email threads.
Customs and CCPITInspection, quarantine and export certificates (customs), and certificates of origin (customs or CCPIT).Certificates kept with the shipment and read against what the destination asks for.

Where are the goods going?

Most of what toys have to meet is set where they are sold. Each guide sets out the rules on arrival, with the official source for each.

Questions businesses ask

Do toys need an export licence from China?
Only if they fall under a control or restriction. Controlled items need a licence under the Export Control Law, and customs does not release goods the state restricts without their licence (Customs Law, Article 24).
Does China customs inspect toys before export?
GACC spot-checks some goods outside its compulsory catalogue. Its 2024 announcement named children's toys; from 1 June 2026 the exports named include infant and child products (GACC Announcements No. 163 of 2024 and No. 57 of 2026).
What happens if exported toys are found substandard?
Exporting adulterated, counterfeit or substandard goods as good ones is fined 50% to 3 times their value, and illegal gains are confiscated (Law on Import and Export Commodity Inspection, Article 33).
Which documents go with a toy export declaration?
The contract, invoice, packing list, manifest, bill of lading or waybill, power of attorney for the declaration, any export licence, and other documents required by law (GACC Decree No. 277, Article 8).
Does a toy exporter need to register with China customs?
Yes. A consignor that declares, or the customs declaration enterprise it authorises, completes recordation with customs in advance (GACC Decree No. 277, Article 4).
How is the origin of a toy assembled from imported parts decided?
Origin is where the last substantial transformation took place, judged first by a change in tariff classification (Regulations on the Origin of Import and Export Goods, Articles 3 and 6).
Can a Chinese toy exporter issue its own origin declaration?
An approved exporter, which must be an Advanced Certified Enterprise, may issue declarations of origin under RCEP and the agreements with Iceland, Switzerland and Mauritius (GACC Decree No. 254).
When must goods be declared for export from China?
After they arrive at the area under customs supervision and at least 24 hours before loading. The consignor declares itself or through a customs declaration enterprise, both recorded with customs in advance (GACC Decree No. 277).
Who issues certificates of origin in China?
Customs and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) with its local branches. Approved exporters may issue their own declarations of origin under RCEP and some other agreements.
How does Compliant Always help with exporting from China?
Our team reads the rules for the routes you ship. Compliant Always shows which export documents apply to your product, keeps them with the shipment beside what the destination asks for, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

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