Enter the Dragon

It is a common belief that shipping samples to and from mainland China is a difficult process, especially when the samples are Biological.

It can certainly be a lengthy process when compared to shipping to countries such as the USA or the UK.  Even so, importing and exporting to both of these countries is not always straightforward.

To illustrate the differences, let’s look at an example:

A shipment of CAT B human samples moving from the UK to Shanghai, China.

• Firstly, an import permit from the Ministry of Health (MOH) in China must be obtained. This process can take anything up to 30 and sometimes as many as 60 days.

• A Customs invoice, stating the purpose of the shipment, is also required. This document is for research purposes only.

• A CIQ (China Inspection and Quarantine) permit is also necessary. This can take anything between 7 and 15 days to get, and it will only be issued after the MOH permit is ready.

Lastly, it is important to note that the receiver or consignee must apply for these documents. This is often the point when unexpected delays arise. This can be for many reasons, but the main one is that staff members in importing organisations do not have the knowledge or experience necessary to complete this step.

Once these documents are in place the typical timeframe for a shipment arriving into Shanghai containing human samples would look like this:

• Arrival at Shanghai Pudong airport (PVG) on Monday 0900 hours.

• Half a business day to despatch from the airline shed to the agent’s warehouse, arrival between 1400 and 1500 hours.

• Information sent to Chinese Customs and CIQ by Monday afternoon

• Tuesday 0900 hours onwards, applications can begin for CIQ officials to check all paperwork

• Customs clearance will take place Tuesday afternoon and sometimes, if you are lucky – approval is granted by the CIQ on the same day

• Depending on the time of release delivery can take place the same evening, but more likely the following morning

If the samples are in dry ice or even in refrigerated conditions, then a speedy process is essential. 

The average duration for a typical passive 2-8°C shipper is 78-96 hours, which leaves no margin for error or delays. It is vital that the import process caters for the replenishment of gel packs while waiting for these various approval processes to be completed. Should the shipment contain dry ice, then it is imperative that this is replenished prior to release by the authorities. Specialist logistics providers are able to monitor the situation and ensure that the cool chain conditions remain intact.

Let us compare this transit to a similar shipment arriving into the USA.

• No permit required for importation, but USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) guidelines must be followed and the relevant transit paperwork amended accordingly.

• Customs clearance begins as soon as confirmation is received that the aircraft has departed the UK, this is known as ‘wheels up clearance’

• Customs clearance is required by the USDA

• The airline unloads the shipment and registers its location in their warehouse. This process can take as little as three hours.

At Biocair, for a shipment to the USA, we expect to collect a shipment on day one and deliver it on day three.  This puts the Shanghai example into perspective, where we only expect to start the Customs clearance after three days in transit.

The Chinese authorities have introduced a ‘green channel’ customs process to speed up the transit for pharmaceutical companies operating in Shanghai. The scheme allows each importing organisation to appoint two freight-forwarding companies to act as a designated broker and benefit from a more efficient process. The choice of partner for this process can make a big difference to the outcome for imported shipments.

As the pharmaceutical industry continues to grow in China, there will be increased lobbying to improve Customs clearance times. How quickly any lobbying will prove successful is a matter for debate. It is likely to be years rather than months.

It would be nice to think that the transit times to China will be similar to the USA someday but until that time, logistics companies must continue to act in a compliant manner.