How to export computers from the UK to China

Start with the model and the import route

Computers and data processing equipment span HS 8471-8473 (9 subheadings). Some computers and scanners match China's CCC reference table, so establish the certification requirements for each model before arranging shipment. General trade and cross-border retail need separate assessments: the retail list covers only selected Chinese tariff lines and serves personal-use purchases.

Under HS 8471-8473 (9 subheadings): HMRC recorded £65.4m of UK goods exports to mainland China under 9 HS6 subheadings in 2025 (2024: £84.4m, -22.5%). Exports to Hong Kong under the same codes were £193.5m.

January to July 2026: £48.1m against £36.4m in the same months of 2025 (+32.3%), under HS 8471-8473 (9 subheadings). The largest listed UK export line was processing units, 84715000, at £33.3m in 2025. These are UK exports under the tariff codes, rather than sales of one particular model.

Price against the Chinese tariff line

The listed Chinese tariff lines have 0% MFN duty: 84713010, 84713090, 84714110, 84714120, 84714140, 84714190, 84714910, 84714920, 84714940, 84714991, 84714999, 84715010, 84715020, 84715040 and 84715090. Match the offered model to its Chinese line before discussing the importer's landed price.

The other listed lines also carry 0% MFN duty: 84716040, 84716050, 84716060, 84716071, 84716072, 84716090, 84717011, 84717019, 84717020, 84717030, 84717090, 84718000, 84719000, 84733010 and 84733090. A shared HS6 heading does not replace selection of the Chinese tariff line.

The VAT Law sets the standard import VAT rate at 13%, subject to its exceptions. Import VAT uses the customs value plus customs duty plus consumption tax as its base. The importer's customs broker or adviser confirms whether consumption tax applies to the product. Border taxes add to landed cost and shape the price the importer can offer.

Resolve CCC and safety requirements before shipment

The CCC reference table links portable computers to 8471301000 and 8471309000, scanners to 8471605000, and microcomputers to 8471414000, 8471412000, 8471419000, 8471492000, 8471494000, 8471499900, 8471900090 and 8471504001. It also lists servers against 8471414000. Confirm the applicable certification or self-declaration route for the actual model with the Chinese authority. Allow months, not weeks for any required approval; the Chinese authority decides.

GB 4943.1-2022 is the current mandatory safety standard for audio/video, information technology and communication technology equipment, effective from 2023-08-01. Give the importer the model's technical specification and available conformity evidence so its licensed partners can assess the applicable requirements before you commit stock.

Check UK controls and prepare the export declaration

Classify the computer against the UK Strategic Export Control Lists before quoting: category 4 covers computers, and control depends on technical specification. Exports from England, Scotland or Wales need a GB EORI and an export declaration. Prepare the commodity code, value, weight, packaging, destination, transport and invoice and packing list references; the carrier needs the invoice and any required export licences or certificates.

Use cross-border retail only for eligible products

The retail import list includes 84713010 tablets, 84713090 qualifying portable computers weighing no more than 10 kg, 84715040 microcomputer processing units, 84716050 scanners, 84716071 keyboards and 84716072 mice. Listed goods through bonded 1210 or direct 9610 channels are supervised as personal-use articles, without first-import licence, registration or filing requirements, subject to the stated epidemic-area and emergency-risk exceptions. The limits are RMB 5,000 per transaction and RMB 26,000 annually per person.

The overseas business carries product quality and safety responsibility and must appoint a mainland-registered company for customs registration, truthful declarations and shared civil liability. Consumers must accept the risk notice before ordering: origin-country standards may differ from Chinese standards, a Chinese e-label may replace an absent Chinese label, and purchases are for personal use without resale. This route therefore cannot supply a distributor's resale stock.

Find and check a Chinese importer

Ask a prospective importer which Chinese tariff line and sales route it proposes for each computer model, how it will handle applicable CCC requirements, and how the border taxes affect its offer. Have its customs broker confirm the classification and import treatment before agreeing the shipment.

Our own staff in China find and check Chinese importers and distributors for UK brands. If an importer has already approached your brand, our staff in China check that company before stock is sent or anything is signed. Use our export-to-China service to discuss that work.

We prepare registration and label work with licensed partners in China and check with those partners. The regulated roles stay with licensed partners in China, including the importer of record and, where required, the cross-border e-commerce agent. Your brand's own filings stay your brand's.