For some years now, the Asian country has held the title of the world’s largest exporter, also in manufactured products. Because of this, how to import from China to Spain has become one of the most recurrent queries we receive from our customers. Therefore, in this post we will analyze the reasons, keys and requirements for importing from China.
Reasons to import from China
Thanks to China’s large manufacturing industry and low production costs, it has become a key market in international trade. High production quotas, low prices and good commercial transport links have led to a proliferation of e-commerce-based business models that distribute Chinese-made products in Western countries.
In this way, the service they offer consists of importing the products to the country of destination, and resell them guaranteeing the product’s performance, offered in affordable times, saving the long distance and the time of bringing it to the final consumer if the intermediary is skipped.
However, we are not only referring to manufactured products such as textiles or electronics. Thanks to the modernization of transportation, the import of perishable products such as meat, vegetables and fruit from all over the Asian region, which use China as a port of departure for their exports, has increased.
For this type of transport it is vital to guarantee the good condition of the products, as well as the correct management of customs procedures, for this reason Partida Logistics offers the fruit logistics service, to safeguard the transported products and that they comply with the customs requirements corresponding to each country.
Requirements to import from China
Below, we explain some of the requirements to be considered before making any arrangements if we are considering importing from China to Spain or the European Union.
Supplier’s export license
When choosing a Chinese supplier it is of utmost importance to locate one that has an export license. It is possible that this supplier has never carried out international transactions and therefore does not have an export license. This is one of the first steps we must take to ensure that our supplier can comply with the relevant regulations.
EORI Number
It is given to you when you import for the first time, and from then on it will be your identification number for all other transactions. In this post we explain extensively what the EORI is and how to get it.
Documentation of the goods in order
It may be interesting to have under control all the documentation that will be required throughout the journey, especially customs documentation, to avoid unexpected access problems.
The documents required will be mostly the same as those applicable to any international trade with non-EU countries. This includes:
- Certificates and Licenses: depending on the goods to be transported, the market of origin and the market of destination, a series of special or generic certificates or licenses may be required.
- Proforma invoices: where all the agreed key points are perfectly identified, such as incoterms, value of the goods or fiscal data.
- Packing List: list of products to be transported, fully detailed in terms of weights and volumes.
- Bill of lading: receipt issued by the carrier as proof of shipment of the goods, which also describes the manner, date and place of delivery of the goods.
Tariffs for imports from China
Another aspect to take into account when importing from China to Spain is tariffs. In this post we explain how to calculate customs duties in Spain so that you do not have to face an unexpected cost overrun.
Depending on the type of product we are going to import, we may encounter a series of special tariffs that make it unprofitable or unprofitable to import. Therefore, the European Union sets tariffs for products that are produced within the EU in adequate quantities to ensure supply.
Due to the bureaucratic complexities of international trade, our advice is to always have a customs agency take responsibility for all these formalities. A small error can end up costing an unbearable amount of time and money.
Therefore, if you need any kind of orientation or guidance in your commercial transactions, do not forget that Partida Logistics is an authorized economic operator with many years of experience in the sector, and can help you carry out your operations reducing risks to a minimum.
