How to Verify a Chinese Supplier's Export License and Customs Registration

A Chinese company that makes a product does not automatically have the right to export it. Exporting requires the company to hold the proper foreign-trade and customs registration, and certain goods — dual-use items, chemicals, some electronics — cannot leave the country at all without an export licence. Checking these rights is part of knowing who you are really buying from.

What the exporter must legally hold

• A business licence whose scope includes import-export business (货物进出口 or 技术进出口). A factory whose scope only covers manufacturing cannot legally export under its own name.
• Customs registration as a consignor/exporter of import-export goods, which gives the company a 10-digit customs code used on declarations.
• For controlled items, an export licence issued by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) or the relevant authority under the Export Control Law.

The 2022 Foreign Trade Law change

For years, any company engaged in foreign trade had to complete a separate foreign-trade operator registration (备案登记). An amendment to the Foreign Trade Law effective from late 2022 removed that standalone filing, so today the practical checks are the business-licence scope, the customs registration and any product-specific export licence. Buyers who still ask for a now-obsolete registration document may be working from an outdated checklist.

Where to verify each item

• Business-licence scope: pull the company record on the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (gsxt.gov.cn) and read the business scope line by line.
• Customs registration and credit rating: search the customs authority's public enterprise information and check the customs credit class (the AEO programme ranks compliant operators).
• Export licences for controlled goods: confirm the item's HS code and whether it is on a dual-use or control list, then ask for the licence number and issuing authority and cross-check it.

Red flags on export documents

• The exporter on the contract, the customs declaration and the bank account are three different names.
• The supplier promises to export but its registered business scope has no import-export item.
• The goods are on a control list and the supplier claims no licence is needed, or offers one you cannot verify.

This content is general information to help you verify a supplier before you pay. It is not legal advice. For a specific transaction or a controlled-item export, consult a licensed attorney or qualified trade-compliance adviser.

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