Inspection and quarantine vs NMPA filing: are they the same

No. Cosmetics filing or registration is the procedure that medicines regulators administer before a product is placed on the market or imported: ordinary cosmetics are filed, and special cosmetics are registered. Inspection, quarantine and customs declaration are border formalities administered when goods enter or leave China. Completing one process does not replace the other.

Published 11 November 2026 · Updated 11 November 2026

How to judge which process you are looking at

NMPA and provincial medical products administrations review formulas, labels, tests, safety assessment and responsible parties, and they publish registration or filing information. Customs and port authorities check declarations, supporting documents, labels and any inspection or quarantine items that apply to the shipment. An imported ordinary cosmetic that will enter through a port outside the province of the Domestic Responsible Person should also have the port information supplemented on the registration and filing platform. That link between the two systems does not merge them into one filing.

What to prepare

Finish the correct NMPA path first, then prepare the import declaration with information that matches the filed or registered product. Use official NMPA websites to confirm the public record; a port receipt is not a filing certificate.

Cautions

Goods that arrive without the required filing or registration are difficult to import and sell lawfully as general-trade cosmetics. Conversely, a product that is already filed or registered still has to complete customs formalities at the time of import. Query records at the NMPA cosmetics query platform or the NMPA data search.

Questions we are often asked

If customs releases the goods, does that mean NMPA filing is complete?

No. Customs release answers a border question. Filing or registration status should be confirmed on official NMPA websites.

Do exporters from China also face two layers of rules?

Yes. Goods leaving China must meet the destination country’s requirements and, where they are not the same as products filed for domestic sale, China’s rules on export-only cosmetics.