Exporting to China — GACC registration, CCC marking and food rules

Last reviewed 2026-10 · 4 sections

China is a large market with a registration regime that starts before the shipment. For food and many consumer products, the gating requirement is not the tariff — it is being registered at all.

Food: registration under Decrees 248 and 249

China's customs authority (GACC) requires overseas food manufacturers, processors and storage facilities to be registered before their products can be exported to China, through the single-window system. A companion measure governs food labelling, including the Chinese-language label and the applicable national (GB) standards.

Two practical consequences. First, registration is a supplier-side obligation — you cannot leave it to the buyer. Second, a Chinese label designed once is not reusable across products or categories: the label content follows the GB standard for that food type. Treat both as project items with lead time.

Consumer and industrial goods: CCC and standards

CCC (China Compulsory Certification) applies to a catalogue of product categories. It is a conformity mark, not a customs form — but goods in the catalogue cannot be sold without it.
Voluntary marks (CQC etc.) are commercial signals and do not replace CCC where CCC is required.
Chinese-language labelling and GB compliance apply well beyond food — electrical goods, toys and other categories.

Tariff, tax and the preference question

Imports face China's MFN tariff for the tariff line, plus import VAT and, on a defined list of goods, consumption tax.
There is no India–China free-trade preference. India is not a party to RCEP, so the RCEP preference schedule is not available to Indian-origin goods. Do not let a buyer assume otherwise.
China applies import inspection and quarantine requirements on agricultural goods, and some commodities need pre-shipment arrangements through the exporting country's competent authority.

Documents and reading the market

Commercial invoice, packing list, transport document, certificate of origin.
GACC registration evidence for food, Chinese-language label artwork, and any inspection or quarantine certificate the commodity requires.
Reading the data: China's reported imports from India are a reasonable guide to scale, but the regime risk — registration, standards and inspections — is not visible in trade statistics at all.

Use the tools

Sources & further reading

GACC — General Administration of Customs, China State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) CNCA — certification & accreditation

These guides summarise public material from the bodies named above. They are general information, not advice on a specific shipment, and they are not a substitute for a ruling from your customs authority or a qualified customs broker / consultant.

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