Definition of aquatic animals: live fish, molluscs, crustaceans, jellyfish, echinoderms, cephalosauropods and amphibians that are cultured in captivity or captured in natural waters, including their semen and fertilised eggs for breeding. Specific species do not include those listed in the appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), China's List of Wild Animals under State Key Protection, and the List of Invasive Species under Key Management.

Scope of registration: offshore aquaculture enterprises (hatchery, nursery and aquaculture enterprises for aquatic animals)Packing enterprises (enterprises for short-term concentration, storage, sorting, processing and finishing and packing of aquatic animals prior to departure)

Uses: edible, ornamental, seed culture

Prerequisite for business registration: signing of a protocol on quarantine and health requirements for food aquatic animals exported to China between the country where the business is located and the General Administration of Customs. See link for details.

Food Aquatic Animal Producer Requirements:

Producers exporting aquatic animals for food purposes to the People's Republic of China (including farms and transshipment and packinghouses) shall fulfil the following conditions:

(i) Recommended by the competent fisheries authorities of the country in which the enterprise is located and qualified for registration by the Chinese side. The list of producers that have obtained registration will be published on the website of the General Administration of Customs.

(ii) Food aquatic animals exported to China shall comply with the quarantine and safety and health requirements for food aquatic animals of the People's Republic of China and the countries in which the enterprises are located.

(iii) Producers should establish and implement self-inspection, self-control and traceability systems for the safety and hygiene of edible aquatic animals, and ensure that the entire process of breeding, fishing, packaging, storage, transport, transit and export is in line with the relevant health and traceability requirements of both parties.

Requirements for Imported Food Aquatic Animal Products

(i) Wild-caught aquatic animals destined for consumption in China should be legally harvested in the country where the enterprise is located or in international waters; if artificially farmed, they should be farmed in the waters of the country where the enterprise is located.

(ii) No drugs banned by both parties are used during the breeding, harvesting, temporary rearing, packaging and transport of aquatic animals for food exported to China. Drugs restricted or allowed to be used by both parties are used in accordance with the regulations.

(iii) The competent fisheries authorities of the country in which the enterprise is located shall carry out effective monitoring of animal diseases, toxic and harmful substances and food-borne microorganisms of aquatic animals exported to China, and the results of the monitoring shall be in line with the requirements of the Chinese side's safety and hygiene standards.

Packaging and labelling requirements for aquatic animal products for human consumption

(i) Food aquatic animals exported to China from different fishing areas or registered enterprises shall be packaged separately, and food aquatic animals of different species shall be packaged independently.

(ii) Packaging containers shall be new or sterilised and capable of meeting the animal's survival and welfare needs.

(iii) Packaging materials, water or ice and bedding materials should meet safety and hygiene requirements, and must not contain pathogenic micro-organisms, toxic and harmful substances that endanger the health of animals, plants and humans, as well as aquatic organisms that may damage the ecological environment of water bodies.

(IV) Chinese labels should be affixed to the outer package, including: the name and scientific name of the food aquatic animal, the fishing sea area (applicable only to wild-caught aquatic animals), the name of the farm/transshipment packaging site and the exporting enterprise, the registration number and other information, and the destination must be marked as the People's Republic of China.

Manufacturer registration process:

I. Recommendation to the General Administration of Customs by the official authorities of the exporting country or region. Recommended materials include:

(i) Business information: name of the business, address, approval number of the official authority, farming and packaging capacity;

(ii) Aquatic animal information: scientific names, uses, etc., of farmed and packaged aquatic animal species;

(iii) Monitoring information: the results of the latest official monitoring of epidemics, toxic and hazardous substances in the enterprise.

II. The General Administration of Customs examines the recommended materials.

If the review fails to meet the requirements, it shall notify the official authorities of the exporting country or region to make corrections; if the review is qualified, the General Administration of Customs may send an expert group to carry out a spot check on the enterprises applying for registration. Enterprises that do not meet the requirements of the spot check shall not be registered; for those that meet the requirements of the spot check and other recommended enterprises that have not been spot checked, it shall decide whether to grant registration in conjunction with the results of the assessment of the aquatic animal safety and hygiene control system.

 The General Customs Administration regularly publishes and adjusts the list of registered enterprises.

III. Extension of registration.

An application for extension shall be submitted to the General Administration of Customs by the competent authority of the exporting country or region at least six months before the expiry date. The General Administration of Customs may send an expert group to the exporting country or region to conduct a retrospective review of its safety and hygiene control system, and conduct random inspections of overseas farming and packaging enterprises applying for an extension.

For countries or regions where the retrospective review meets the requirements, where the sampling test meets the requirements and for other registered enterprises that have not been sampled and have applied for an extension of registration, the validity period of registration will be extended for three years.

If an application for extension of registration is not submitted after the deadline, the General Administration of Customs cancels its registration.

I. GACC Admissibility

1. Food safety management system in the country (region) through the General Administration of Customs equivalence assessment, review

2. Approved for establishment and under the effective supervision of the competent authorities of the country (region) in which it is located;

3. Establish effective food safety and hygiene management and protection system, produce and export legally in the country (region) where they are located, and ensure that the food exported to China complies with the relevant Chinese laws and regulations and national standards for food safety;

4. Comply with the relevant inspection and quarantine requirements agreed between the General Administration of Customs and the competent authorities of the country (region).