Office Equipment and Vehicles of Resident Offices
A motor vehicle which has been imported duty free as described above may be transferred to another resident officer/official or to another staff member of the resident office or sold to an authorized operating entity if more than four years have elapsed since the vehicle was released by the Customs Office and the term of office of the original staff member who imported the vehicle has expired. At the end of the six-year period of customs supervision, the vehicle may also be transferred, sold or dedicated for another purpose. Resident offices may apply for import and export of office equipment and motor vehicles for resident offices and permanent personnel. They may apply for the import of duty-free motor vehicles in accordance with relevant Customs regulations.
Motor Vehicles for Personal Use
To apply for import of such a vehicle, the following documents should be submitted to the responsible customs office:
1. Identity papers;
2. Long-term residence permits;
3. Completed Application Form of the Customs of the People's Republic of China for Importation and Exportation of Articles for Personal Use;
4. Bill of lading (waybill), packing list and other required documents.
5. Applicants who are permanent China-based personnel, other than experts, should provide a photocopy of their identity papers and long-term residence permits and submit, through their resident offices, the Filing Certificate of the Customs Bureau of the People's Republic of China for Resident Offices, or their foreign-invested enterprise's Registration Certificate of the People's Republic of China for Consignor and Consignee Customs Declaration of Cargo Imports and Exports.
Permanent personnel importing motor vehicles should, within 10 days of the release of such vehicles by the Customs, obtain a Notice of the Customs Bureau of the People's Republic of China on the Issuance/Cancellation of Licenses for Imported/Exported Vehicles from the responsible customs office, and complete the formalities for obtaining a license for stated motor vehicle.
Motor vehicles imported by permanent personnel may not transfer the titles to their vehicles until they have completed vehicle registration formalities with the competent public security and traffic administration authorities for one year.
To transfer such titles, permanent personnel should file a written application with the responsible customs office and provide the following documents:
1. Identity papers;
2. Long-term residence permits;
3. The Motor Vehicle Operation Permit for the imported motor vehicle;
4. Their resident office's Filing Certificate of the Customs Bureau of the People's Republic of China for Resident Offices or their foreign-invested enterprise's Registration Certificate of the People's Republic of China for Consignor and Consignee Customs Declaration of Cargo Imports and Exports, and/or other certification documents as required by Customs officials.
After being approved by Customs and obtaining a Notice of the Customs Bureau of the People's Republic of China on the Issuance/Revocation of Licenses for Supervised Inbound/Outbound Vehicles, permanent personnel may complete the formalities for the transfer of the titles to their vehicles with any competent public security and traffic administration authority.
Cultural Relics
The Chinese law expressly prohibits valuable cultural relics and other protected cultural relics from exiting the territorial boundaries of China.
To take a cultural relic out of China, an application form should be filled out and submitted to the cultural relics entry and exit supervision authority for review and approval before the cultural relic exits China. The supervision authority should respond to the application within 15 workdays.
If a cultural relic is approved to be taken out of China, the cultural relics entry and exit supervision authority will affix an exit mark to permitted cultural relic and issue a cultural relic exit permit. The cultural relic will be allowed to leave China upon the presentation of its exit permit after the Customs authorities ensure its exit label. If the cultural relic is prohibited from leaving China, the cultural relic entry and exit supervision authority will record the event and return prohibited relic to its original site.
Upon request by the customs office at the port of exit or by the carrier, the cultural relic entry and exit supervision authority may issue certificates for declared objects which have been identified as replicas of cultural relics.
Cultural relics of private owners carried by outbound passengers will be released by Customs upon the presentation of the Cultural Relic Exit Permit and the verification of 1994 version wax mark beginning with the letter "B" stamped by the cultural relics appraisal institution.
Permanent personnel may, after obtaining residence permits, apply for importation of one motor vehicle. Applications for this purpose should be in writing and submitted by the permanent personnel or their appointed customs declaration agency to the responsible customs office. The motor vehicle will be released after the application is reviewed and approved by the responsible customs office and upon presentation of approval and/or other required documents. The vehicle will be subject to duties according to relevant regulations.
