General Administration of Customs' Announcement on the Regulatory Requirements for Mail Delivery and Return to the Island for Duty-Free Shopping by Passengers Off Hainan Island

passengers, according to the relevant provisions of the "Announcement of the Ministry of Finance, the General Administration of Customs, and the State Administration of Taxation on Increasing the Pick-up Methods for Hainan Off-Island Passengers' Duty-Free Shopping" (No. 2 of 2021), the following regulatory requirements for the postal delivery and return to the island for Hainan off-island passengers' duty-free shopping are hereby announced:
1. Postal delivery and pickup method
(I) If off-island passengers purchase duty-free goods, and the purchaser, payer, and recipient are all the shopping passengers themselves, and the delivery address is outside Hainan Province, they can choose to pick up the goods by postal delivery.
(II) After the off-island passengers choose to pick up the goods by mail delivery, the off-island duty-free shops shall, after verifying that the shopping passengers meet the mailing requirements and have actually left the island, mail the duty-free goods purchased by the passengers at one time, and transmit to the customs in real time the duty-free goods transaction and shopping personnel information, identity verification, delivery waybill, receipt information and other electronic data in the format specified by the customs and with electronic signatures, and bear corresponding responsibility for the authenticity of the data.
II. Methods for residents on the island to pick up goods when returning to the island
(I) Island residents (including Chinese citizens holding Hainan identity cards, Hainan residence permits or social security cards, and foreigners working and living in Hainan and holding residence permits) who have returned to the island after purchasing duty-free goods before leaving the island can pick up duty-free goods at the pick-up points for returning passengers set up by the off-island duty-free shops. The above-mentioned island residents should pick up the goods within three months from the date of purchase with their valid identity documents and actual off-island itinerary information. If the goods are not picked up within the prescribed time limit, the duty-free shops shall take the initiative to handle the return procedures for them.
(II) The pick-up points for returning passengers set up by offshore duty-free shops shall deliver duty-free goods to the shoppers after verifying the qualifications of the pick-up person, the actual off-island itinerary information and other electronic data information in accordance with regulations, and transmit to the customs in real time the electronic data of duty-free goods transactions, identity verification, personal pick-up and receipt, off-island itinerary information and other electronic data in the format specified by the customs and with electronic signatures, and bear corresponding responsibility for the authenticity of the data.
The pick-up points for returning passengers set up by offshore duty-free shops shall meet the customs supervision conditions and be reported to the customs for approval.
III. Relevant legal responsibilities
If the offshore duty-free shops fail to dutifully review the authenticity of the identity information and itinerary information of the off-island passengers, resulting in the theft of personal identity information or annual purchase quota, the illegal mailing or withdrawal of duty-free goods by the off-island passengers, and the failure to transmit electronic data to the customs in a timely and accurate manner as required, the customs shall order them to correct the situation and may give them a warning; if they are warned by the customs more than 3 times in a calendar year, the customs may suspend their offshore duty-free business for no more than 6 months.
This announcement shall be implemented from the date of publication. Other regulatory matters regarding the mail delivery and return pick-up methods for duty-free shopping by passengers leaving Hainan Island shall be implemented in accordance with the relevant provisions of the General Administration of Customs Announcement No. 79 of 2020.
This announcement is hereby made.

General Administration of Customs
February 3, 2021