What are Import / Export Declarations?

Requirement of law on Import/Export Declaration

Under the Import and Export (Registration) Regulations, Chapter 60E, of the Laws of Hong Kong, every person who imports or exports/re-exports any article other than an exempted article is required to lodge with the Commissioner of Customs and Excise an accurate and complete import/export declaration within 14 days after the importation or exportation of the article. Prosecution may be initiated against any person who fails or neglects to lodge the required declaration within the specified period, or knowingly or recklessly lodges any declaration that is inaccurate in any material particular. The Census and Statistics Department is authorised by the Commissioner of Customs and Excise to perform duties in relation to import/export declaration in accordance with Section 4 of the Import and Export Ordinance.

Who is Required

Every person who imports or exports/re-exports any article other than an exempted article, including online purchases from or sales to overseas, is required to lodge the declaration.

Submission Method

Import/export declarations should be lodged electronically through the

(i) three service providers appointed by the Government;

Direct Electronic Declaration Service. Import/export declarations are to be lodged electronically through the following service providers (SPs) appointed by the Government:

(ii) paper-to-electronic declaration conversion service provided by the service providers.

Paper-to-electronic conversion service for the import/export declarations is provided by SPs through a network of service agents in Hong Kong.  Importers/exporters have to complete a specified paper authorisation form.  The service agents will convert the information on paper into electronic messages and send them to the SPs for onward transmission to the Government.  The processing time for such conversion service required by individual service agents is different and an extra service charge will be incurred.

For more details or enquiry on this service, please approach the service agents direct.  A list of the service agents is given in the Paper-to-Electronic Declaration Conversion Service Network .

Reply to Government’s Query

Declaration Notices will be issued to persons who are suspected to have failed to lodge import/export declaration. Regardless if a relevant import/export declaration has been lodged, reply to declaration notices should be made as soon as possible by email, fax, post or through Government Form Platform.

Use of Import/Export Declarations

The information contained in the import/export declarations is used for compiling trade statistics by the Census and Statistics Department. Apart from providing detailed information on commodity trade, trade statistics are widely used in Hong Kong and abroad as an indicator of our trade position, and as the basis of some major decisions on economic policy.

Source : https://www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/page_94.html