General Customs Administration Announcement No.77 of 2026: New Declaration Rules for Export Processing Equipment

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On June 30, 2026, the General Customs Administration of China will officially implement Announcement No.77 of 2026, which introduces strict new declaration standards for exported processing equipment and expands full verification coverage of dual-use item control lists. Manufacturers, foreign trade companies, freight forwarders and customs brokers must strictly follow the updated compliance rules. Improper declaration will result in document rejection, cargo detention, heavy fines and even criminal liability. All exporters should carry out self-inspection in advance to avoid operational risks.

1. Core Rules of Announcement No.77

For all processing equipment under HS codes 8454–8465, enterprises must verify whether the goods fall under dual-use item control during the whole workflow including purchasing, warehousing receiving and customs declaration.
Controlled equipment categories include: Bending machines, lathes, milling machines, grinding machines, laser marking machines, laser cutting machines, laser welding machines, and all other equipment with equivalent processing functions. Customs systems will automatically trigger dual-use item verification once you submit export declarations for the above machinery. Simplified or vague declaration is not allowed.

2. Customs Disposal Process for Suspected Controlled Goods

Incomplete descriptions of product specifications, functions, technical parameters and application scenarios will lead to direct system rejection, making declaration impossible to submit. If customs judges your goods as suspected dual-use items, the standardized handling steps are as follows:

1. Launch cross-department research organized by the General Customs Administration; goods will be arranged for physical inspection.

1. For goods that cannot be identified on-site, customs will send them to professional testing institutions for technical appraisal.

1. The full research and identification cycle may last 1 to 3 months, causing severe delays to overseas delivery schedules.

3. Severe Legal Liabilities for Illegal Export of Controlled Dual-Use Items

This new rule implements full-chain joint liability. Factories, trading firms, freight forwarders, customs brokers and cargo owners all bear legal responsibilities without exemption. Penalties include administrative fines and criminal punishment.

3.1 Fine Standards

• Goods value over RMB 500,000: fines equal to 5–10 times the total cargo value

• Goods value under RMB 500,000: fixed fines ranging from RMB 500,000 to 2,500,000

3.2 Criminal Liability

For serious violations, relevant persons in charge and operational staff will face fixed-term imprisonment.

4. Compliance Suggestions for Global Exporters

1. Sort out HS codes of your equipment in advance and check technical parameters of products under 8454–8465;
2. Complete all declaration documents with detailed data of accuracy, power and application industries, avoid vague abbreviations;
3. Self-check dual-use item attributes before shipment. Consult customs or professional customs brokers for suspected products;
4. Freight forwarders and customs brokers shall conduct pre-review to prevent declaration rejection and long-term cargo detention.

Announcement No.77 of 2026 raises compliance thresholds for all processing equipment exports. Only standardized whole-process declaration and full dual-use item verification can help exporters avoid fines, cargo seizure and criminal risks to maintain a stable global shipping business.