How to Carry Out Bonded Repairs in China’s Comprehensive Bonded Zones?

Contributed by Ms. Zhao Jing, Hylands Law Firm. For more posts about China Customs Affairs, please click here.

China allows repairs to be carried out within comprehensive bonded zones.

Eenterprises within these zones are allowed to transport goods with component damage, functional failure, quality defects, and other problems from abroad or places within China (outside the bonded zones) for repair. After being repaired, the goods may be returned abroad or returned to places within China (outside the bonded zones) depending on their origins.

Table of Contents

1. How to obtain the qualifications to carry out bonded repairs?

Enterprises in the zones need to file an application with the administrations of the comprehensive bonded zones(or the administrative agencies assigned by the local governments), and also need to register with the customs and other authorities.

2. What products can be repaired in the comprehensive bonded zones?

China Customs has published a catalogue of products available for repair in two parts in 2020 and 2021, covering a total of 70 categories. These categories include:

Aerospace, ships, rail transportation, engineering machinery, CNC machine tools, communication equipment, precision electronics, color ultrasound diagnostic instruments, non-invasive ventilators, digital cameras, flying glasses, AR glasses, VR glasses, intelligent robots, unmanned aerial vehicles, computer entertainment machines, handheld game consoles, remote control handles, and other products.

Additionally, enterprises within the bonded zones can have their own equipment repaired by enterprises within the comprehensive bonded zones for repair.

Enterprises in bonded zones may provide bonded repair services for the used electromechanical products that are prohibited from importation as listed in the repair catalogue, provided that the conditions for environmental protection and work safety are met.

3. Other requirements

In the process of providing repair services, due to some technical restrictions or other reasons, enterprises in the zones may send the goods to be repaired to a place outside the zones for partial repair in accordance with relevant regulations.

If the products to be repaired fall under the scope of goods under license administration, enterprises should submit the relevant documents for supervision as required.

Contributor: Zhao Jing

Agency/Firm: Hylands Law Firm

Position/Title: Partner