China Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) is the Chinese inspection and quarantine regime that governs the entry and exit of goods, plants, animals, and people across Chinese borders. Originally a standalone agency. AQSIQ (the State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine), the CIQ functions were absorbed into the General Administration of Customs (GACC) in the March 2018 institutional reforms. The CIQ brand and inspection certificates persist within GACC operations, particularly for chemical, food, agricultural, and certain industrial cargoes that require inspection beyond the standard customs clearance.
What CIQ inspects on chemical exports
For a Chinese chemical export shipment, CIQ inspection may apply at one or more checkpoints:
| Inspection type | Trigger |
|---|---|
| Pre-shipment commodity inspection | Mandatory for products on the Chinese export inspection list (specific chemical commodities) |
| Hazardous chemical inspection | Applies to dangerous goods cargo before loading on vessel |
| Phytosanitary inspection | Applies to chemicals derived from plant or animal materials |
| Food contact certification | Applies to chemicals destined for food-contact applications |
| Quarantine inspection | Applies to packaging materials (wood, fumigated containers, bulk bags) |
For routine industrial chemical exports, caustic soda, sulphuric acid, urea, soda ash, citric acid, most Chapter 28 and Chapter 29 commodities. CIQ inspection is not always required. The export inspection catalogue specifies which products on which destinations trigger mandatory inspection. The catalogue is updated by GACC periodically and should be checked before booking.
The CIQ certificate
When CIQ inspection applies, the result is a CIQ-stamped certificate covering the specific shipment. The certificate is part of the export documentation package and may be required at the destination customs clearance:
- For US-bound chemical cargo, the CIQ certificate is sometimes requested by the TSCA-conformity importer for traceability, but it is not a US customs requirement.
- For EU-bound chemical cargo, the CIQ certificate may support REACH registration documentation but does not replace it.
- For destination-mandated certificate-of-conformity requirements, the CIQ inspection result is one input to the certificate of conformity issued by the importer’s destination certifier.
- For Chinese-domestic transit documentation, the CIQ certificate is the evidence that the cargo passed Chinese export inspection.
How CIQ relates to GACC
Since the 2018 reforms, the legal structure is:
| Function | Agency |
|---|---|
| Customs valuation, tariff classification, duty assessment | GACC |
| Inspection and quarantine | GACC (formerly CIQ; now operating as a function within customs) |
| Hazardous chemical permits | MEE China (separate from CIQ) |
| Maritime transport regulation | MSA China (separate) |
In practice, the CIQ brand and certificate format have been retained within GACC operations for continuity. A factory shipping under CIQ in 2024 sees the same paperwork it saw in 2017, but the issuing authority is technically a unit within GACC rather than a standalone agency.
When CIQ catches exporters off guard
Three failure patterns recur:
- Mandatory inspection list change. GACC periodically updates the export inspection catalogue. A product previously not requiring CIQ inspection may be added to the list. Factories not tracking the catalogue updates may book a shipment that suddenly requires inspection, missing the booking window.
- Inspection capacity backlog. Provincial GACC inspection teams have limited capacity. During peak export seasons (August-October for many chemical commodities), inspection backlogs of 5-15 days are common. Factories that did not book inspection slots in advance miss vessel sailings.
- Failed inspection. A cargo failing CIQ inspection (mismatched specification, packaging defect, contamination) cannot be exported. Re-inspection requires correcting the defect and re-booking the inspection slot. The cycle can take weeks.
Practical sourcing notes
For volume chemical buyers:
- Confirm with the factory whether CIQ inspection applies to the specific product and destination before booking. Most factories know but assumptions slip.
- Request a copy of the CIQ certificate as part of the standard document set if the cargo is on the inspection list.
- For pharmaceutical-grade or food-grade chemicals, specify the CIQ certificate scope on the purchase order, different inspection scopes (commodity vs hygiene vs traceability) produce different certificates.
- Pre-shipment inspection by an independent body (SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek, TUV) is separate from CIQ and provides independent verification that does not depend on the CIQ outcome.
Related terms
GACC is the parent customs authority that absorbed CIQ in 2018. MEE China administers chemical-specific environmental permits separately from CIQ. MSA China is the maritime safety authority. Dangerous Chemicals License is the chemical-storage and trading licence that may be cross-referenced during CIQ inspection. Certificate of Conformity at the destination side draws on CIQ as one input.