General Administration of Customs

What General Administration of Customs does

The General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC), also known as China Customs, is the national customs authority operating under China's State Council through a vertical management system. It administers customs supervision, border control, trade facilitation, intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement, health and quarantine, and international customs cooperation across more than 42 directly-administered customs districts and their subordinate customs houses. The organization is funded through government appropriations and does not charge fees for its regulatory services; it collects customs duties and tariffs on behalf of the state on imported and exported goods. Headcount is approximately 55,000 customs officers, of whom more than 18,000 are female.

GACC operates a comprehensive digital services ecosystem built around the Internet+ Customs platform, the International Trade Single Window for unified customs declarations, the Smart Customs Community Portal, paperless clearance systems, and an Intelligent Control System for monitoring and operations. Additional services include clearance status queries, online certificate-of-origin self-printing, customs statistics publishing (preliminary, monthly, quarterly), regional clearance integration initiatives such as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, and a 12360 service hotline handling nearly 1 million callers per year. These systems reportedly reduced import/export clearance times by 79–87% and cut declaration and inspection costs materially.

GACC's primary customer segments are import/export enterprises requiring clearance and declaration services, international passengers transiting Chinese ports and airports, logistics and freight companies handling cross-border cargo, and IPR holders seeking border enforcement. Its go-to-market is direct government-service delivery through physical customs offices and self-serve digital platforms. Internationally, GACC maintains active cooperation with the World Customs Organization (WCO, where it holds the Asia/Pacific Vice Chair seat), ASEAN, BRICS, APEC, the Greater Mekong Subregion program, and bilateral customs relationships with countries including New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Poland, Denmark, Portugal, and the Netherlands.

Name

General Administration of Customs

Legal name

General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China

Website

https://english.customs.gov.cn

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) is the national customs authority operating 42+ districts and digital platforms like Single Window to manage customs clearance, trade facilitation, and border enforcement for import/export enterprises, passengers, and logistics firms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Customs Administration

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615), International Affairs (92812)

akta.pro primary industry

Customs Clearance & Border Trade Facilitation (BPAIADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trade Compliance, Anti-Smuggling & Customs Enforcement (BPAIADAJ), Customs Duties, Tariff Classification & Valuation (BPAIADAG), Interagency/International Information Exchange & Cooperation (BPAIADAN)

Keywords

• Customs clearance services
• Border inspection services
• Trade facilitation services
• Tariff collection services
• Anti-smuggling enforcement

Headquarters

HQ city

Al Shuwaikh Industrial 1

HQ country

Kuwait

HQ region

Middle East

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Customs Duties and Tariffs: Collection of import/export duties and tariffs as the primary government revenue source

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC / China Customs) administers customs supervision, border control, tariff collection, health and quarantine, and anti-smuggling enforcement for all international trade crossing China's borders. It operates a nationwide network of 42+ customs districts and subordinate customs houses supported by digital platforms including the International Trade Single Window, the Internet+ Customs platform, and the Smart Customs Community Portal. Its offerings include customs clearance, cargo and baggage inspection, quarantine of animals and plants, food safety testing, commodity inspection, intellectual property rights border enforcement, customs statistics, and Certificate of Origin services.

Product overview

The General Administration of Customs of China operates a comprehensive digital services ecosystem comprising the Smart Customs Community Portal, the Single Window Platform for unified customs declarations, the International Trade Single Window for export procedures, and the Online Interview System for public engagement. Additional services include the Clearance Status Query Service, China Customs Statistics reporting, Certificate of Origin services, and Service Navigation covering Enterprise Administration, Customs Clearance Administration, Cargo Control, Baggage & Postal Items Control, Health and Quarantine, Quarantine of Animals and Plants, Safety of Imported and Exported Food, Commodity Inspection, Special Control Areas Administration, and Customs IPR Enforcement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Trade Single Window Unified electronic platform enabling enterprises to submit standardized information and documents for customs clearance, import/export declarations, regulatory audits, and self-printing of certificates online through a single entry point.
• Smart Customs Community Portal Digital platform for customs community engagement, information sharing, and smart customs services accessible to the public via the GACC website.
• Clearance Status Query Service Online service allowing users to track the real-time status of customs clearance for shipments and cargo under GACC supervision.
• Online Interview System Digital platform enabling live online interviews and Q&A sessions between GACC officials and the public on customs policies and procedures.
• China Customs Statistics Statistical reporting and data services including preliminary releases, monthly bulletins, quarterly releases, trade indices, and coverage of major imports and exports.
• Certificate of Origin Service Online application and self-printing service for Certificates of Origin used to obtain tariff relief at importing countries and regions.
• Service Navigation Guided service system helping users navigate customs procedures covering Enterprise Administration, Customs Clearance Administration, Cargo Control, Baggage & Postal Items Control, Health and Quarantine, Quarantine of Animals and Plants, Safety of Imported and Exported Food, Commodity Inspection, Special Control Areas Administration, and Customs IPR Enforcement.
• 12360 Customs Service Hotline 24-hour nationwide customs service hotline handling 70,000+ calls monthly with 86% on-spot answer rate and serving nearly 1 million people yearly for customs consultations and complaints.
• Internet + Customs Platform Online platform facilitating customs services digitally across China, integrating electronic declaration, paperless clearance, and online service channels.
• Intelligent Control System Smart monitoring and control system for customs operations enabling intelligent, technology-driven supervision of cargo and consignments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average time for import and export clearances reduced by 79% and 87% respectively
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World Customs Organization (WCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive participation in WCO operations including Operation STOP against counterfeit medical supplies, Asia/Pacific Regional Training Centers, WCO Working Group on Performance Measurement, and Integrity Sub-Committee sessions. China Customs serves as WCO Asia/Pacific Vice Chair.
• Ministry of Commerce of ChinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation on trade and economy matters, Belt and Road Initiative, and ASEAN cooperation through joint working group meetings and data exchange via Single Window platform.
• New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and TradecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner30th China-New Zealand Joint Committee of Trade and Economy meeting covering Belt and Road cooperation, supply chain maintenance, and food/agricultural product trade expansion.
• ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital economy cooperation and robust trade growth. China-ASEAN bilateral trade reached 3.79 trillion yuan in first 10 months of 2020, accounting for 14.6% of China's foreign trade.
• Nepal Ministry of Industry Commerce and SuppliesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner1st China-Nepal Working Group Meeting on Trade and Economy covering deepening trade cooperation and food/agricultural product imports/exports.
• Japan Customs and EmbassycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustoms and inspection-quarantine cooperation with Japan. 14th China-Japan Economic Partnership Consultation meeting covering food and agricultural product trade.
• Poland CustomsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMeeting between DG Zhang Baofeng and Polish Customs Attache covering bilateral customs cooperation.
• Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner24th Ministerial Conference and 4th Senior Officials' Meeting covering GMS Economic Cooperation Program Strategic Framework 2030 and COVID-19 Response and Recovery Plan.
• BRICS Customs (Brazil, India, Russia, South Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner4th BRICS Customs Experts Webinar 2020 chaired by Russia, discussing trade security, facilitation, and cooperation documents.
• Singapore Customs (China-Singapore Demonstrative Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner2nd Joint Working Committee meeting on China-Singapore (Chongqing) Strategic Connectivity covering Single Window data exchange and customs clearance.
• APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPEC Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance meeting and APEC Sub-Committee on Customs Procedure meetings discussing IPR protection and COVID-19 containment.
• Hong Kong CustomscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDiamond smuggling interdiction cooperation. Shenzhen is a major diamond cutting and trading center accounting for 80% of China's diamond trade, with goods transiting through Hong Kong.
• Danish CustomsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVice Minister LYU Weihong meets with Danish Minister Jacob Jensen on customs cooperation matters.
• Portuguese CustomsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDG ZHOU Wenyi meets with Portuguese Ambassador to China on customs matters.
• Netherlands CustomsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDG Zhang Baofeng meets with Netherlands Customs Attaches covering bilateral cooperation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• European Commission - DG TAXUD: EU directorate-general for taxation and customs, coordinating customs policy, trade facilitation, and duty collection across EU member states — directly comparable in supranational customs administration role to GACC's national authority.
• Canada Border Services Agency: Canadian federal agency responsible for customs administration, trade facilitation, and border enforcement — directly comparable in integrated border-management mandate to GACC.
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection: U.S. federal agency under the Department of Homeland Security responsible for customs administration, border security, trade facilitation, and anti-smuggling enforcement — directly comparable in mandate and regulatory scope to China's GACC.
• Australian Border Force: Australia's integrated border agency handling customs, trade, and migration enforcement — directly comparable in consolidated federal customs authority role to GACC.
• UK HMRC (Border & Trade): HM Revenue & Customs handles UK customs administration, trade facilitation, and duty collection — directly comparable as a major-economy national customs authority to GACC.

Regional players

• Russia Federal Customs Service: Russia's federal customs service administering trade across the Eurasian customs union — a regional peer with active BRICS customs cooperation with GACC.
• Korea Customs Service: South Korea's national customs service administering clearance, trade facilitation, and enforcement — a regional peer with comparable digital modernization agenda and proximity to China's trade flows.
• Singapore Customs: Singapore's customs authority, a recognized leader in digital customs and trade facilitation with active China-Singapore Strategic Connectivity cooperation including Single Window data exchange with GACC.
• Japan Customs (Ministry of Finance): Japan's national customs authority handling customs clearance, trade facilitation, and anti-smuggling under the Ministry of Finance — a regional peer with comparable mandate and active bilateral cooperation with GACC.

Emerging players

• India Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC): India's apex customs authority under the Finance Ministry handling indirect taxes and customs administration — an emerging major-market peer modernizing digital customs capabilities comparable to GACC's agenda.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/general-administration-of-customs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about General Administration of Customs