Challenge
Soil is on China’s list of goods prohibited from entry. It can be imported only under a special approval route, and only for defined purposes such as scientific research or teaching.
A university research group needed overseas soil samples for an ongoing project. They had no customs declaration account, no experience of the special approval route, and no realistic way to file the application themselves. Approval runs through three levels in turn — the local customs office, the directly-affiliated customs district above it, then the General Administration of Customs — each with its own documentary standards.
Approach
We prepared and filed the application as agent for the institute. That meant compiling the full documentary set to the standard the local customs office expects, then tracking the review upward through the directly-affiliated district to the General Administration. At that level the requirements cover intended use, containment during the project, and disposal after it.
Where the reviewers raised queries, we answered them directly rather than returning the file to the researchers.
Outcome
The entry animal and plant quarantine permit was granted and the samples were imported for the project. The institute did not need to open a customs account or acquire the procedural knowledge itself.