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POSTING RULE

Send Mobile Phones (Commercial) 🇨🇳 China

ANSWER

Can I post Mobile Phones (Commercial) to China?

ALLOWEDVERIFIED · 2026-07-26LOW CONFIDENCE

A phone can be posted to China; lithium-battery mail rules require the battery installed in the device, and import tax applies above the exemption.

QUANTITY / LIMITS

1-2 handsets; multiple new-in-box units are treated as commercial imports

DOCUMENTS

  • Commercial invoice or proof of purchase showing the transaction value

DECLARATION

Required at the destination customs authority

SOURCE

customs.gov.cn
Verify against the official customs authority before acting on this answer.Report a correction

Full Details

Posting a phone to China is permitted; two frameworks apply. Postal dangerous-goods rules require lithium batteries to be installed in the device (UN 3481) — loose spare batteries are barred from international mail. On the customs side General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) applies the ordinary parcel framework to the declared value: import VAT/GST at 13% / 9% / 6% applies above the exemption threshold. For cross-border e-commerce (CBEC), a single-transaction limit of RMB 5,000 and annual limit of RMB 26,000 per individual applies; qualifying CBEC goods are taxed at a preferential integrated tax rate. For traditional customs, the de minimis (personal postal articles) is RMB 50 for taxes — effectively, most imports from overseas face some taxation. Business imports: general customs duties, VAT (13%), and consumption tax apply. Multiple new-in-box units read as commercial imports; single used personal phones (a repaired or forgotten device sent on) are routine. China applies the personal postal-articles tax to private shipments, waived when the tax due is RMB 50 or less; higher-value consignments can be redirected into formal or cross-border e-commerce clearance.

PRACTICAL ADVICE

Ship the battery installed in the phone, declare the true value, and use tracked service — phones are among the most-pilfered and most-inspected parcel categories.

OFFICIAL SOURCES

POSTING DETAILS

QUANTITY / WEIGHT LIMITS

1-2 handsets; multiple new-in-box units are treated as commercial imports

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED

  • Commercial invoice or proof of purchase showing the transaction value

COUNTRY POSTING NOTES

International postal parcels are subject to customs inspection by GACC/China Post. Postal articles are assessed for duty and VAT. Items with commercial quantities or value are subject to full customs procedures.

Sending Mobile Phones (Commercial) to other countries

RULES5,339COUNTRIES85ITEMS111CARRIERS28GUIDES46UNIQUE SOURCES645LATEST VERIFICATION2026-07-26MethodologyChangelog