How to Export to China: A Step-by-Step GACC Registration Guide
Exporting food and agricultural products to China requires GACC registration. This step-by-step guide covers the full registration process, documentation requirements, labelling rules, and how to stay compliant after registration.
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China is the world's largest importer of agricultural commodities — from sesame and soybeans to cocoa, coffee, and seafood. For exporters in West Africa, East Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, Chinese market access represents a transformative revenue opportunity. But it also comes with one of the most structured compliance regimes in global trade. At the centre of that regime is GACC — the General Administration of Customs of China.
Since 2022, GACC has enforced mandatory pre-registration for all overseas food production and processing enterprises seeking to export to China. Without a valid GACC registration number, your goods will be refused entry at Chinese ports — regardless of whether they meet quality standards. This guide walks you through the entire registration process, from determining whether you need to register to maintaining compliance after your approval.
What is GACC?
The General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing all imports entering China. It manages food safety inspections, customs clearance, and the registration of overseas food enterprises. Since January 2022, GACC Decree 248 made pre-registration mandatory for all overseas food manufacturers, processors, and storage facilities exporting food products to China.
Why GACC Registration Is Mandatory
GACC Decree 248 ("Regulations on Registration and Administration of Overseas Producers of Imported Food") came into force on 1 January 2022. It replaced the previous system of product-specific registrations with a unified enterprise-level registration framework. The decree covers a sweeping range of food categories and applies to any overseas facility whose products will be sold on the Chinese market.
The intent behind the regulation is clear: China wants to know who is producing the food entering its market, under what conditions, and with what oversight. Traceability — the ability to trace a product from its origin through each step of processing to the final shipment — is now a central pillar of China's import food safety framework.
Which Products Require GACC Registration
Not all food products require enterprise-level GACC registration under Decree 248. However, the scope is broad and covers the majority of agricultural and processed food exports:
| Product Category | Registration Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Meat and meat products | Yes | Slaughterhouses, cutting plants, cold stores |
| Aquatic products and seafood | Yes | Processing, farming, and cold chain facilities |
| Dairy products | Yes | Farms, collection points, processing plants |
| Eggs and egg products | Yes | Processing and storage facilities |
| Edible birds' nests | Yes | Cleaning and processing enterprises |
| Bee products | Yes | Processing facilities |
| Casings | Yes | Production facilities |
| Grains and grain products | Yes — via exporting country authority | Includes flour, rice, oats, maize |
| Oilseeds and vegetable oils | Yes — via exporting country authority | Includes sesame, soybean, palm oil, sunflower |
| Dried fruits and nuts | Yes — via exporting country authority | Includes groundnuts, cashews, almonds |
| Cocoa, coffee, tea | Yes — via exporting country authority | Processing and export facilities |
| Spices and herbs | Yes — via exporting country authority | Includes dried chilli, ginger, turmeric |
| Fresh fruit and vegetables | Protocol-based | Requires separate bilateral protocol per country and product |
If your product falls under a category not listed above (such as packaged snacks, confectionery, or beverages), standard customs clearance may apply without enterprise-level GACC registration — but you should confirm with your competent authority or a qualified trade consultant.
Step-by-Step: The GACC Registration Process
GACC registration is not applied for directly with GACC. Instead, it is routed through the competent authority in your country — typically the food safety or export inspection agency. Here is the full process:
- 1Determine your product HS code and category. Use the table above to confirm whether your specific product requires GACC registration under Decree 248 or a bilateral protocol. HS code classification affects which documentation requirements apply.
- 2Identify your competent authority. In Nigeria, this is NAFDAC. In Ghana, it is the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA). In Kenya, it is KEPHIS or KEBS depending on the product. In Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA). Your competent authority submits your registration application to GACC on your behalf — you cannot apply directly.
- 3Register on CIFER (China Import Food Enterprise Registration system). CIFER is GACC's online enterprise registration platform. Your competent authority will guide the submission. You will need to provide enterprise information, facility details, and supporting documentation through the system.
- 4Prepare and submit your documentation package. This must be compiled by your enterprise and reviewed by your competent authority before submission. See the documentation section below for the full list.
- 5Undergo competent authority review and endorsement. Your national food safety authority will audit your documentation, and in many cases conduct a facility inspection, before endorsing the application and forwarding it to GACC.
- 6Await GACC review and approval. GACC reviews the application submitted by your competent authority. The standard timeline is 20 to 60 business days from submission, but can extend for complex applications or if GACC requests additional information.
- 7Receive your GACC registration number. Upon approval, GACC issues a unique registration number for your enterprise. This number must appear on all packaging and export documentation for shipments to China. Registration is valid for five years and must be renewed before expiry.
- 8Maintain ongoing compliance obligations. Registration is not a one-time event. You are required to notify GACC of any significant changes to your facility, ownership, or production processes. Annual self-assessments and readiness for GACC on-site audits are part of the ongoing obligation.
Key Documentation Required
The exact documentation package varies by product category and competent authority, but the core requirements for most agricultural and food processing enterprises include:
- Business registration certificate and enterprise profile (legal name, address, legal representative)
- Food safety management system documentation — HACCP plan, prerequisite programmes, or equivalent
- Facility layout plan showing production areas, storage, sanitation facilities, and waste management
- List of products to be exported to China (with HS codes)
- Evidence of regulatory oversight by the national competent authority (licences, inspection history)
- Water quality test reports for production water used in processing
- Pest control records and sanitation procedures
- Employee food safety training records
- Product testing certificates from an accredited laboratory (covering relevant Chinese GB food safety standards)
- For organic or certified products: copies of certification from an accredited certification body
- Cold chain documentation for temperature-sensitive products
Chinese Labelling Requirements
Meeting labelling requirements is one of the most common points of failure for first-time exporters to China. All food products sold in China must carry a Chinese-language label (GB 7718) that complies with national standards. Labels must be affixed before goods enter Chinese customs — a label applied after arrival is not compliant.
- Product name in Chinese characters — must accurately describe the product, not a transliteration of the English name
- List of ingredients in descending order of proportion (for multi-ingredient products)
- Net quantity in metric units (grams, kilograms, millilitres, litres)
- Manufacturer name, address, and GACC registration number
- Country of origin — must be the country where the product was last substantially transformed
- Production date and shelf life (best before or use by date in the format YYYY/MM/DD)
- Storage conditions — specific temperature and humidity requirements if applicable
- Nutrition facts panel (GB 28050) — required for packaged foods, with specific format requirements
- Any allergen declarations required under Chinese standards
Label Pre-Approval
China does not have a formal pre-approval system for food labels, but incorrect or non-compliant labels are a leading cause of shipment refusal at ports of entry. Have your labels reviewed by a qualified China trade consultant or your importer before your first shipment. The cost of a label review is far lower than the cost of a refused or recalled consignment.
Food Safety Standards: Understanding Chinese GB Standards
China's food safety standards are known as "GB standards" (Guobiao, meaning national standard). They are published by the National Health Commission (NHC) and cover maximum residue limits (MRLs), contaminant limits, additive permissions, and labelling requirements. When your product testing report references Chinese compliance, it must reference the specific GB standards applicable to your product category.
Key GB standards relevant to agricultural exports include: GB 2762 (contaminant limits in food), GB 2763 (maximum residue limits for pesticides), GB 2761 (mycotoxin limits including aflatoxin), and GB 14881 (good manufacturing practice for food production). For each of your export products, identify which GB standards apply and ensure your production and testing protocols address them explicitly.
The Role of Traceability in China Compliance
Traceability is not an optional add-on to GACC compliance — it is embedded in the regulation's core requirements. GACC expects that registered enterprises can trace any product lot back to its source: the farm, plot, or collection point from which it originated. In the event of a food safety incident, GACC will require you to identify the affected batch, its origin, and all entities in the supply chain it passed through.
This is where OriginTrace supports exporters directly. The platform digitises traceability from farm level — capturing GPS coordinates, farmer IDs, and harvest data — through aggregation and processing, to the final export lot. When GACC or an importer requests a traceability report, OriginTrace generates a complete chain-of-custody record that maps each export consignment back to its verified origins, with supporting documentation at every step.
Pre-Registration Checklist
Before submitting your GACC application: (1) Confirm your product category and applicable GB standards. (2) Audit your facility against HACCP requirements. (3) Obtain product test certificates from an accredited lab. (4) Review your labelling against GB 7718. (5) Ensure your traceability system can link each export lot to a specific source. (6) Contact your national competent authority to understand their specific submission requirements and timelines.
Common Mistakes That Get Applications Rejected
- Submitting incomplete documentation — missing a single required document triggers an automatic rejection and restarts the review clock
- Facility layout plans that do not match the actual production floor — GACC cross-checks submitted plans against on-site inspection findings
- Product test reports from non-accredited laboratories — only testing from CNAS-accredited or internationally recognised labs is accepted
- Failing to reference the specific Chinese GB standards applicable to your product in test reports
- Listing products for which you do not have a valid domestic food safety licence or certificate
- Applying under an enterprise name that does not exactly match your business registration documentation
- No Chinese-language translation of key documents — while GACC accepts English documents, critical records should have Chinese translations attached
- Inadequate traceability documentation — vague references to "lot numbers" without a system that can trace those lots to source
After Registration: Staying Compliant
Registration approval is not the end of your compliance obligations — it is the beginning. GACC maintains the right to conduct on-site audits of registered enterprises at any time, either directly or through your national competent authority. You must notify GACC of any material changes to your enterprise: changes of ownership, facility expansions, new products added to your export scope, or any food safety incidents affecting products exported to China.
China's import inspection system also operates a "red, yellow, green" risk-based inspection model. Enterprises with strong compliance records and clean inspection histories are assigned to lower-frequency inspection channels. Enterprises with incidents, non-conformances, or label violations are escalated to heightened scrutiny — with some violations triggering temporary suspension of import clearance. Maintaining clean records, consistent product quality, and robust traceability is therefore not just a regulatory obligation; it is a commercial necessity for sustained market access.
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