- China’s customs authority has opened the market for Thai edible aquatic animals under Customs Notice 2026 No. 118. 海关总署 2026 年第 118 号公告正式开放符合条件的泰国食用水生动物进口。
- Imports are permitted only from the date of promulgation, 14 August 2026, and only for qualifying products. 自 2026 年 8 月 14 日公布之日起，仅允许符合要求的泰国食用水生动物进口。
- Quarantine approval must be obtained before import, in the form of an Entry Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit. 进口前应办理检疫审批，取得《进境动植物检疫许可证》。
- Exporting enterprises must be approved by Thai authorities and registered with Chinese customs. 向中国输出食用水生动物的生产企业须经泰方批准并向中方推荐注册登记、获中方注册登记资格。
- Each consignment requires a Chinese-language label and an official Thai health certificate. 外包装须加贴中文标签，且每批须附泰方主管部门出具的卫生证书。
- Non-compliant products may be returned, destroyed, or otherwise handled, with enhanced inspection or suspension for serious or repeated failures. 不合格产品依法退回、销毁或其他处理，严重或多次不合格的企业将被加强检验检疫或暂停进口。
- The regime forms part of China’s GACC registration system for imported food. 该制度属于进口食品 GACC 注册管理体系的组成部分。
Customs Notice 2026 No. 118: Quarantine Rules for Importing Thai Edible Aquatic Animals | 海关总署 2026 年第 118 号公告：进口泰国食用水生动物检疫要求
Overview
On 14 August 2026, the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) promulgated Customs Notice 2026 No. 118, titled “Announcement on the Quarantine and Sanitary Requirements for the Import of Edible Aquatic Animals from Thailand.” The notice, issued on 9 August 2026 and made public on 14 August 2026, permits the import of Thai edible aquatic animals that meet the specified requirements, with effect from the date of promulgation. This development expands the range of aquatic products that may be lawfully introduced into the Chinese market and establishes a clear, enforceable compliance framework for traders on both sides.
The measure reflects the deepening of agricultural and food-safety cooperation between China and the Kingdom of Thailand. It also demonstrates China’s continuing effort to align market access for imported food with its broader biosecurity, quarantine, and food-safety legal architecture. For importers, the notice is not merely a permit to trade; it is a binding set of obligations covering approval, registration, labelling, certification, and post-entry control.
What is covered
The notice applies to live aquatic animals that are artificially farmed or wild-caught and intended for human consumption. These products are eligible for import only where they satisfy the quarantine and sanitary requirements set out in the notice and in the underlying protocol between the two countries.
Certain species are expressly excluded from the scope of the arrangement. Products listed in the CITES appendices, as well as species enumerated in China’s List of National Key Protected Wild Animals and the List of Key Managed Invasive Alien Species, are not covered. Traders must therefore verify that their intended commodity is neither a protected species nor a managed invasive species before relying on the notice for market access.
The scope is limited to edible aquatic animals. Other categories of aquatic products, such as processed or frozen seafood that falls under separate arrangements, are governed by their own regulatory regimes and are not addressed by this notice.
Legal basis
The notice rests on a layered legal foundation. It is grounded in the Biosecurity Law, the Law on the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine together with its implementing regulations, and the Food Safety Law together with its implementing regulations. It also applies the Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Inspection and Quarantine of Entry Aquatic Animals.
In addition, the notice gives domestic effect to the Protocol on Inspection, Quarantine and Sanitary Requirements for the Export of Edible Aquatic Animals from Thailand to China, concluded between the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of the Kingdom of Thailand. The protocol, rather than the notice alone, supplies the detailed technical requirements that trading partners must meet.
Together, these instruments form a coherent chain: the statutes provide the legal authority, the measures provide the administrative procedure, and the protocol provides the bilateral technical standard.
Quarantine approval
Before any import takes place, the importer must complete quarantine approval and obtain an Entry Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit. This permit is the precondition for lawful entry. Without it, the consignment cannot be cleared, and attempting to import without approval exposes the trader to inspection, detention, return, or destruction of the goods.
The approval step is intended to allow Chinese authorities to assess the biosecurity and quarantine risk of the proposed import in advance. Importers should initiate the application well ahead of the planned shipment, allowing time for review and, where necessary, for clarification of the origin, species, and intended use of the animals.
Enterprise registration
The notice imposes a two-tier registration requirement on the supply side. First, enterprises in Thailand that export edible aquatic animals to China must be approved by the Thai competent authority. Second, those enterprises must be recommended by the Thai side for registration with the Chinese side and must obtain Chinese registration status.
This means that an enterprise cannot lawfully supply the Chinese market merely by holding a Thai operating licence. It must be on the list of establishments recognised by Chinese customs as eligible to export. Importers should confirm, before contracting, that their supplier holds valid Chinese registration; procuring from an unregistered establishment will result in the goods being refused at the border.
The registration mechanism also supports traceability. Because each registered enterprise is identified in the certification and labelling chain, non-compliant consignments can be linked back to a specific source, enabling targeted enforcement.
Labelling and certificate
Two documentary and physical requirements attach to every consignment. First, the outer packaging must bear a Chinese-language label. The label must show the product name and scientific name, the catching area or registered enterprise, and the destination as the People’s Republic of China, among other required particulars. The Chinese label ensures that border inspectors and downstream handlers can identify the product and its origin without relying on a foreign-language marking.
Second, every batch must be accompanied by a health certificate issued by the competent authority of the Thai side. The certificate is the Thai government’s attestation that the consignment meets the sanitary requirements of the protocol. A consignment presented without a valid health certificate, or with a certificate that does not match the goods, will not be admitted.
These requirements are complementary: the label identifies the product at the package level, while the certificate attests to its compliance at the batch level.
Practical steps for importers
Importers seeking to bring Thai edible aquatic animals into China under this notice should follow a structured sequence. Begin by confirming that the species is within scope and is not on the CITES appendices or the Chinese protected-species or invasive-species lists. Next, identify a Thai supplier that is approved by Thai authorities and holds Chinese registration. Then apply for and obtain the Entry Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit before shipment.
Coordinate with the supplier so that the outer packaging carries the required Chinese label and that a Thai health certificate is issued for the specific batch. At entry, present the permit, the certificate, and the labelled goods for inspection and quarantine. Maintain complete records of each transaction, because repeated or serious non-compliance can trigger enhanced inspection or a suspension of imports affecting the responsible enterprise.
Traders should also monitor official channels for updates, as customs may adjust requirements or the list of registered enterprises over time.
Related reading
Readers may wish to consult the customs policy and legal library for the full text of the notice and related measures, and the provincial single-window platforms that republish recent customs announcements. The underlying statutes and the bilateral protocol remain the authoritative sources for detailed technical obligations.
海关总署 2026 年第 118 号公告：进口泰国食用水生动物检疫要求
概述
2026 年 8 月 14 日，中华人民共和国海关总署公布《关于进口泰国食用水生动物检疫和卫生要求的公告》（海关总署公告 2026 年第 118 号）。该公告于 2026 年 8 月 9 日发布、2026 年 8 月 14 日公布，自公布之日起允许符合要求的泰国食用水生动物进口。此举扩大了可合法进入中国市场的 aquatic 产品范围，并为两国贸易商确立了清晰、可执行的合规框架。
该措施体现了中国与泰王国在农业与食品安全领域的合作深化，也展示了中国持续将进口食品市场准入与其生物安全、检疫和食品安全法律体系相衔接的努力。对进口商而言，该公告不仅是贸易许可，更是一套具有约束力的义务，涵盖审批、注册、标签、证书及进境后监管。
适用范围
本公告适用于人工养殖或野生的、供人类食用的活水生动物。相关产品只有在符合公告及两国间议定书规定的检疫和卫生要求时，方可进口。
部分物种被明确排除在适用范围之外。列入 CITES 附录的物种，以及列入中国国家重点保护野生动物名录、重点管理外来入侵物种名录的物种，不在本公告覆盖范围之内。因此，贸易商在依据本公告申请市场准入前，必须核实拟进口商品既非保护物种，也非重点管理外来入侵物种。
本公告的适用范围限于食用水生动物。其他类别的水产品，如受另行安排管辖的加工或冷冻海鲜，遵循各自的监管制度，不在本公告调整范围之内。
法律依据
本公告建立在多层次的法律基础之上。其依据包括《生物安全法》《进出境动植物检疫法》及其实施条例、《食品安全法》及其实施条例，以及《进境水生动物检验检疫监督管理办法》。
此外，本公告落实了《中华人民共和国海关总署与泰王国农业与合作社部关于泰国食用水生动物输华检验检疫和卫生要求的议定书》的国内效力。该议定书而非公告本身，提供了贸易伙伴必须满足的详细技术要求。
上述法律文件共同构成一条连贯的链条：法律提供授权，办法提供行政程序，议定书提供双边技术标准。
检疫审批
在进口前，进口商必须办理检疫审批，取得《进境动植物检疫许可证》。该许可证是货物合法进境的前提条件。没有许可证，货物无法通关；未经审批擅自进口将使贸易商面临查验、扣留、退运或销毁等后果。
审批环节旨在让中方主管部门提前评估拟进口货物的生物安全和检疫风险。进口商应在计划发运前尽早提出申请，为审查以及必要时澄清动物的产地、物种和用途留出时间。
企业注册
本公告对供给方实行两级注册要求。首先，向中国输出食用水生动物的泰国企业须经泰方主管部门批准。其次，这些企业须由泰方推荐向中方注册登记，并取得中方注册登记资格。
这意味着一家企业不能仅凭泰国运营执照就合法供应中国市场。它必须列入经中方认可、具备出口资格的企业名单。进口商在签约前应确认供应商持有有效的中方注册资格；向未注册企业采购将导致货物在口岸被拒。
注册机制也支持可追溯性。由于每家注册企业在证书和标签链条中均被标识，不合格货物可追溯到具体来源，从而实现有针对性的执法。
标签与证书
每批货物均须满足两项文件与实物要求。第一，外包装须加贴中文标签，标注品名及学名、捕捞海域或注册企业、目的地为中华人民共和国等内容。中文标签确保口岸查验人员和下游经营者无需依赖外文标识即可识别产品和产地。
第二，每批货物须附泰方主管部门出具的卫生证书。该证书是泰方政府对货物符合议定书卫生要求出具的证明。未随附有效卫生证书，或证书与货物不符的，将不予准入。
两项要求互为补充：标签在包装层面识别产品，证书在批次层面证明其合规。
进口商实操步骤
拟依据本公告将泰国食用水生动物进口到中国的进口商，应遵循有序流程。首先确认物种在适用范围内，且未列入 CITES 附录或中国保护物种、外来入侵物种名录。其次，选定经泰方批准并持有中方注册的泰国供应商。随后，在发运前申请并取得《进境动植物检疫许可证》。
与供应商协调，确保外包装加贴所需中文标签，并为该批次出具泰方卫生证书。进境时，提交许可证、证书及加贴标签的货物接受检验检疫。妥善保存每笔交易记录，因为严重或多次不合格可能触发加强检验检疫或暂停进口，影响相关企业。
贸易商还应关注官方渠道的更新，因为海关可能随时间调整要求或注册企业名单。
延伸阅读
读者可查阅海关政策法规库以获取公告全文及配套办法，并关注省级单一窗口平台转发的近期海关公告。相关法律和双边议定书仍是详细技术要求的最终权威来源。
Sources
- http://www.customs.gov.cn/customs/2026-08/14/article_2026081415454472858.html （海关总署公告 2026 年第 118 号：关于进口泰国食用水生动物检疫和卫生要求）
- http://zfs.customs.gov.cn/zfs/flgf/index.html （海关总署政策法规库（公告索引））
- https://www.singlewindow.zj.cn/ （中国（浙江）国际贸易单一窗口，公告信息栏列示海关 118 号等近期公告）