Do you receive shipments from China?

 

When a shipper in China arranges to sell their goods to a Canadian or American company, they must file a Chinese Export Declaration. This is nothing unusual – Canadian and U.S. shipments require the same.

 

However, the Chinese government – as of June 1st – now requires that the Canadian or American consignee be identified by their Business Number (for Canadian businesses) or EIN number (for U.S. businesses). Current practice has been to simply use the company name – which will no longer suffice.

 

• Canadian companies: Your business number is assigned by the CRA. It is a nine-digit numeric code. It is also sometimes referred to as your GST number – but officially the GST number is a longer code (the business number plus “RT” or "RN" plus a four-digit code).

• U.S. companies: The Employer Identification Number (EIN) is a nine-digit number assigned by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It is also known as the Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), the Federal Tax Identification Number, IRS number, and others.

Customs brokers have found that foreign shippers sometimes use non-standard terminology when communicating with Canadian or American consignees and importers of record. For example, Chinese shippers might ask for the consignee's “Organization Code”, “Enterprise Code”, “IRS number” or “Registration Number”, resulting in some confusion.

 

Be sure that you provide Chinese shippers with your GST number or EIN in order to meet the new requirements. Still need help?