PROVISIONS OF THE GENERAL CUSTOMS ADMINISTRATION OF THE PEOPLE'SREPUBLIC OF CHINA ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE IMPORT AND EXPORT OFARTICLES BY FOREIGN DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS AND THEIR PERSONNEL IN CHINA
PROVISIONS OF THE GENERAL CUSTOMS ADMINISTRATION OF THE PEOPLE'SREPUBLIC OF CHINA ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE IMPORT AND EXPORT OFARTICLES BY FOREIGN DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS AND THEIR PERSONNEL IN CHINA
This English document is coming from the "LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF THE
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA GOVERNING FOREIGN-RELATED MATTERS" (1991.7)
which is compiled by the Brueau of Legislative Affairs of the State
Council of the People's Republic of China, and is published by the China
Legal System Publishing House.
In case of discrepancy, the original version in Chinese shall prevail.
Whole Document
PROVISIONS OF THE GENERAL CUSTOMS ADMINISTRATION OF THE PEOPLE'S
REPUBLIC OF CHINA ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE IMPORT AND EXPORT OF
ARTICLES BY FOREIGN DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS AND THEIR PERSONNEL IN CHINA
(Approved by the State Council on October 31, 1986 and promulgated
by the General Customs Administration on December 1, 1986)
Article 1
These Provisions are formulated in accordance with Regulations of the
People's Republic of China Concerning Diplomatic Privileges and
Immunities.
Article 2
Cases concerning the import and export of articles for official use by a
foreign diplomatic mission in China (hereinafter referred to as "the
mission"), or the import and export of articles for personal use by the
personnel of a foreign diplomatic mission, shall comply with these
Provisions, unless a bilateral agreement, which shall be complied with
instead, exists.
In the preceding paragraph, "articles for official use" refers to articles
directly needed by a foreign mission in the performance of its functions,
which include furniture, decorative articles, office equipment, supplies
for reception of guests, and motor vehicles; "articles for personal use"
refers to articles directly needed for daily use, during their stay in
China, by mission personnel and their spouses and minor children living
with them, which include furniture, household electrical appliances, and
motor vehicles.
Article 3
The import and export of articles for official use by the mission, and the
import and export of articles for personal use by diplomatic agents
through consignment shipping or by post, shall all be declared to the
Customs.
Diplomatic agents entering or leaving the country shall declare orally to
the Customs their accompanied personal effects, or their personal luggage
transported separately in the same vehicle of transport, and the Customs
shall give clearance without inspection. In case there are serious
grounds for presuming that the luggage contains articles not for official
use or articles not for personal use, or the luggage contains articles
forbidden to be brought into or out of the country by the Chinese laws and
regulations, the Customs shall have the right to inspect the luggage. Such
inspection shall be conducted only in the presence of the diplomatic agent
concerned, or of his authorized representative.
Article 4
Articles for official use declared for import by the mission, or articles
for personal use declared for import by a diplomatic agent, shall be
exempt from Customs duties after they have been examined by the Customs
and found to be within the reasonable quantities for direct use.
Articles for official use and for personal use, declared at the Customs
for export, shall be given clearance after being examined and verified by
the Customs.
Article 5
The mission and its personnel may not carry into or out of the country
articles whose import and export are forbidden by the laws and regulations
of the People's Republic of China. If the aforesaid articles need to be
imported or exported for special reasons, a prior permission must be
obtained from the authorities concerned of the Chinese Government, and the
matter shall be handled in accordance with the pertinent provisions
prescribed by the Chinese government.
For the import of radio transmitters and receivers with their accessories,
a written application must be submitted in advance to the Chinese Ministry
of Foreign Affairs for approval. The mission and its personnel shall
declare at the Customs and present the relevant approval documents, and
the Customs shall give clearance after examination and verification.
To take cultural relics out of the country, a declaration must be made in
advance with the Customs; and the relics shall be appraised by the
cultural and administrative departments of the provinces, autonomous
regions, or municipalities directly under the Central Government, as
designated by the State cultural and administrative department, and an
export certificate shall be issued. The mission and its personnel shall
present the relevant certification to the Customs, and the Customs shall
give clearance after examination and verification.
The carrying into or out of China of firearms and ammunition shall be
handled in accordance with the provisions of Measures of the People's
Republic of China for the Control of Firearms.
The import or export of articles that is controlled by China's quarantine
laws and regulations shall be handled by the Customs in accordance with
the pertinent laws and regulations.
Article 6
In the case where the articles, declared by the mission and its personnel,
belong to the categories of articles forbidden by China's laws and
regulations to be imported or exported, these articles, unless their
import or export has been approved by China's competent authorities, shall
be detained by the Customs; the detained articles shall be withdrawn from
import or export by the mission or its mission personnel concerned within
90 days. If these articles are not withdrawn within the said time limit,
they shall be appraised at the current rate and turned over by the Customs
to the State treasury.
Article 7
Articles imported duty-free by the mission and its personnel shall not be
transferred. Should the aforesaid articles need to be transferred for a
special reason, permission must be obtained from the Customs.
With respect to articles transferred with permission, the transferee or
the transferor shall go through the procedures with the Customs, in
accordance with pertinent provisions, for the payment of or the exemption
from duties.
Article 8
Diplomatic bags delivered by or sent to the mission shall be given
clearance without inspection by the Customs. Diplomatic bags shall be
sealed with an identifiable external mark; such bags may contain
diplomatic papers and articles for official use only. Diplomatic couriers
shall be provided with courier certificates issued by the competent
authorities of the despatching country when they carry diplomatic bags.
The captain of a commercial aircraft may be entrusted to carry diplomatic
bags. He shall be provided with an official certifying document issued by
the consigner state, indicating the number of packages. With respect to
the diplomatic bags delivered by, or through consignment transport by the
captain of a commercial aircraft, the mission concerned shall send its
personnel to go through the procedures for the handling over, taking
possession of or delivery of the said diplomatic bags.
Article 9
The members of administrative, technical or service staff of the mission
who are not Chinese citizens, or persons permanently resident in China,
shall submit a written declaration to the Customs when they bring into the
country personal effects, including articles intended for their
establishment imported within 6 months of the time of their installation
in China. Where the aforesaid articles are within reasonable quantities
for direct use (as for cars, one for each household), the Customs shall
give clearance duty-free after examination and verification.
In case personal effects are sent into or out of the country by post by
the personnel mentioned in the preceding paragraph; the Customs shall
handle the case in accordance with the provisions concerning the personal
articles sent by post.
In case personal effects are brought into the country by consignment
shipping by the personnel mentioned in the first paragraph of this Article
during their term of office, the Customs shall handle the case by applying
mutatis mutandis the second paragraph of this Article.
Article 10
In case articles or pouches for official use are brought into or out of
the country by the representative offices of the United Nations or its
specialized agencies, or of other international organizations, in China,
as well as articles for personal use which are brought into or out of the
country by the representatives, the members of the administrative,
technical or service staff of the said representative offices and their
spouses and minor children living with them, the Customs shall handle them
in accordance with the relevant international conventions to which China
is a party, and also with the agreements signed between China and the
international organizations concerned; for cases which are not regulated
by the aforesaid conventions or agreements, the Customs shall handle them
with reference to relevant articles of these Provisions.
Article 11
In case articles for official use and consular bags are brought into or
out of the country by foreign consular posts in China, and articles for
personal use brought into or out of the country by consular officers,
other members of the consular posts, or their spouses and minor children
living with them, the Customs shall handle them in accordance with the
relevant international conventions to which China is a party, and also
with the agreements signed between China and the countries concerned; for
the cases which are not regulated by the aforesaid conventions or
agreements, the Customs shall handle them in accordance with the principle
of reciprocity and with reference to the relevant Articles of these
Provisions.
Article 12
These Provisions shall go into effect as of the date of promulgation.
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