China

Customs Regulations HOUSEHOLD GOODS

Personal and household effects are subject to customs clearance and examination upon arrival in Hong Kong. Ordinary personal and household effects (new or used) are exempted from import tax and duty. The following are required documents.

Guidelines for Importation and Registration of Motor Vehicle

There are three government departments which are involved in the importation and registration of motor vehicles to Hong Kong, they are namely the Customs and Excise Department, Environmental Protection Department and Transport department. The following guidelines help to explain the procedures that were required by respective departments.

Step 1 : Compliance with the Exhaust and Noise Emissions Standard

You are advised to obtain approval / exemption from the Environmental Protection Department before shipping your vehicle into Hong Kong.
You are required to prove your vehicle is fully comply with the emission standards in the Air Pollution Control (Vehicle Design Standards)(Emission) Regulation and Noise Control (Motor Vehicles) Regulation. Proof of emission compliance can be documents issued by vehicle manufacturers or emission testing report issued by an approved test laboratory. You should submit application form to the Environmental Protection Department for approval together with all original supporting documents.

Subject to the fulfillment of exemption criteria, certain categories of vehicles may be exempted from complying the exhaust emission standard. You may apply to the Environmental Protection Department for the exemption. Enquiries on approved test laboratories, emission standards and exemption criteria can be made to telephone numbers: (852)2594 6383 (Exhaust emission); (852)2594 6040 (Noise emission) or fax number: (852)2824 9361.

Step 2 : Importation

Vehicles, no matter whether it is a company car or not, imported into Hong Kong are not subject to any Customs tax, but in general, an importer is required to lodge with the Customs and Excise Department an accurate and complete declaration within 14 days of importation. For importer already registered with Tradelink Electronic Commerce Ltd (Tradelink) as EDI customer, he can lodge import declaration to the Government directly from his personal computer. For occasional importer and individual, they can lodge import declarations at Tradelink’s service centers to convert paper declarations for EDI transmission. Please call (852) 2399 0430 for the current locations of the centers. For further information about electronic lodgment service, or to register for using the service, please call Tradelink’s Hotline at (852) 2599 1700.

Also, within 30 days of the importation of your vehicle, you should submit an Import Return (Form No.: CED336) enclosing with a Declaration Form (Form No.: CED336A) to the Customs and Excise Department. Enquiries on the submission of CED336 and CED336A can be made at Tel No.: (852) 2231 4390.

Following the submission of your Import Return, you will receive a “Notification of Motor Vehicle Provisional Taxable Value” of your vehicle from the Customs and Excise Department. The Notification should be produced on first registration of your vehicle in the Transport Department.

Step 3 : Vehicle Examination

You should approach To Kwa Wan Vehicle Examination Centre for inspection of your private car and produce either the original certificate or original letter of exemption to prove that your car had complied with the vehicle emissions standard. Vehicle examination should be subject to payment of vehicle examination fee. If your vehicle can pass the vehicle examination, you will receive a Certificate of Roadworthiness from the Examination Centre. Enquiries on vehicle examination can be made on Tel No.: (852) 2333 3112.

Step 4 : Vehicle Registration and Licensing

When applying for first registration of your vehicle, you should submit a completed application form (Form No.: TD22 ) to the Hong Kong Licensing Office of Transport Department (Tel No.: (852) 2804 2637 or Fax No.: 2804 2599) together with the supporting documents as prescribed in the application form. Upon the verification of your submitted document, you are required to pay first registration tax and registration fee for the registration of your vehicle, and pay vehicle licence fee and levy for Traffic Accident Victim Assistance Fund for licensing of the vehicle.

Step 5 : Calculation of First Registration Tax

The first registration tax will be derived from the taxable value of your vehicle times the appropriate tax rate. The rate is as shown below

In the case where the price of your vehicle is expressed in foreign currency, in calculating the taxable value, the opening indicative counter exchange selling rate published by the Hong Kong Association of Banks on the date of importation of your vehicle will be taken as the exchange rate of the foreign currency.
Application for the registration and licensing of a left hand drive vehicle will not be accepted unless there are special circumstances.
Last updated in October 2003
by Transport Department

PETS

Import of Dogs and Cats

IMPORT PERMITS

Dogs and cats should not be brought into Hong Kong (either to import or for transhipment/transit) unless a Special Permit to do so is obtained in advance from this Department.

THE RELEVANT ORDINANCE

Public Health (Animals and Birds) Ordinance Cap.139, and the Rabies Ordinance Cap. 421 enforced by this department provide for the prevention and introduction of animal disease and rabies through regulating the import of animals and birds into Hong Kong.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

The applicant should submit the application in a prescribed form (Form AF240).

PAYMENT OF PERMIT FEES

Fees must be paid at the time of the application. The fee for one animal is HK$432 and HK$102 for every additional animal. Crossed local checks are acceptable for local applications. For overseas applications, the fees should be paid by a bank draft in Hong Kong currency payable to “The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region”. The bankdraft must be drawn upon a licensed bank in Hong Kong.

WHERE TO APPLY

Either in person or by post to:
Permit issuing Desk (Counter No. 10), 5th Floor, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Office hours: Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. – 12:30 noon, 1:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.; Saturday: 9 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. (Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.)

PROCESS TIME

5 working days from the date of receipt of permit fee to the date of issue, subject to provision of all required information.
Please apply well in advance and make allowances for mailing time, and meeting of health requirements such as vaccinations and/or blood tests .

DISPATCH OF PERMITS

By ordinary mail (local) or airmail (overseas) to the address as indicated in the application form. Please enclose a self-addressed envelope together with the application. To avoid postal delay, the applicant may choose to pick up the permit at the licensing office in person or by an appointed agent. The permit will not be dispatched by fax.

OVERSEAS APPLICATION

Tominimize inconvenience and to expedite urgent applications, overseas applicants may nominate a person or agent in Hong Kong to apply for the permit on their behalf.

VALIDITY OF THE PERMIT

Valid for 6 months and for one consignment only.
New: Find out if your pet is eligible for import into Hong Kong
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IMPORT REQUIREMENTS for GROUP I COUNTRIES

Dogs and cats imported direct from U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Hawaii are normally exempted from quarantine, subject to full compliance with the permit conditions.
For dogs and cats of origin from that country, the animals must be accompanied by the certificates stipulated in Table 1 .

IMPORT REQUIREMENTS -GROUP II COUNTRIES

Dogs and cats imported from the following 39 countries or areas may be exempted from quarantine provided the animals comply fully with the permit conditions. As the rabies status or other factors may change in these countries, the list is subject to ongoing review.
Important:This information is intended for general guidance. Forward Van Lines Internationalcannot take responsibility for any errors or oversights or for any loss or damage that may occur from its use. It is advisable to contact the Chinese Embassy at http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/for most updated information prior to yourshipping.