Customs' smart visa 'accelerates the shelving of imported goods
In Shunyi District, Beijing, a batch of flavored fermented milk that has just been air freighted from Australia is neatly stacked on the shelves of Sam's supermarket. The "production date" sprayed on the product label is only 4 days away from the shelf date.
How can we achieve production and sales in four days when the two places are separated by a vast ocean? Behind this is the acceleration of customs clearance brought about by the automation of visa operations. Since December 15th last year, the General Administration of Customs has promoted the automated issuance mode of "Entry Goods Inspection and Quarantine Certificate" nationwide, greatly shortening the circulation cycle of imported fresh food from ports to supermarkets. The General Administration of Customs has comprehensively promoted the automation of visa operations for five key livelihood commodities, including terrestrial animal derived food and dairy products. Enterprises only need to declare online through the "single window" of China's international trade, and the system can automatically complete the review and quickly issue certificates.
As a "passport" for fresh goods to enter the domestic market, the efficiency of processing the "Entry Goods Inspection and Quarantine Certificate" directly affects the freshness of the goods on the shelves. Previously, the process required manual drafting, re examination, printing, stamping, and other multiple steps. After the enterprise obtained the paper certificate, the available time for some perishable fresh products to be sold in supermarkets has been reduced.
Previously, when importing a batch of yogurt, we had to declare on Thursday and only receive the "Entry Goods Inspection and Quarantine Certificate" on next Monday, "said Yu Jianmin, a customs officer at Kaisite (Beijing) International Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd." Now we can receive the electronic certificate within a few minutes through the China International Trade 'Single Window', download and forward it to supermarkets, and arrange for it to be put on shelves, which is a full 4 days faster than before! The shelf life of goods has been shortened, and customer satisfaction has also improved significantly
This innovative measure not only reduces the burden on enterprises, but also strengthens the regulatory defense line. The electronic certificate comes with a dedicated QR code, which can be scanned to verify the authenticity of the certificate and the goods information, achieving "traceable source and traceable destination". This not only avoids the risk of paper certificate forgery and tampering, but also makes supervision more accurate and efficient. Visa automation replaces "enterprise errand running" with "data running", standardizes and solidifies visa rules and processes into information systems, reduces operational costs for enterprises, and ensures the quality and safety of imported goods, achieving a dual improvement in trade convenience and regulatory efficiency.
According to statistics, since the application of visa automation mode, Beijing Customs has issued more than 1400 electronic certificates, involving imported goods such as yogurt, frozen seafood, bird's nest, etc., and the satisfaction of enterprises has significantly increased. The relevant person in charge of Beijing Customs stated that they will continue to expand the application scenarios of smart customs in the future, fully utilize the automation and convenience functions of visa operations, and enable global fresh goods to enter thousands of households faster and safer.