How to export infant formula from the UK to China

Start with the manufacturer's recipe application

For general trade, SAMR registers each infant formula milk powder recipe, and an overseas manufacturer intending to export it to China can be the applicant. Involve your manufacturer in the application and keep your own filings under your control. Approval takes months, not weeks, and the Chinese authority decides. Each company may in principle register no more than three formula series and nine formulas; a recipe registration certificate lasts five years.

HMRC recorded £25.0m of UK goods exports to mainland China under HS 190110 in 2025 (2024: £25.6m, -2.3%). Exports to Hong Kong under the same codes were £2.7m. January to July 2026: £8.0m against £16.2m in the same months of 2025 (-50.9%).

GACC registration of the overseas factory is a separate requirement under Decree 280. Registration lasts five years, and the packaging must carry the China registration number or the number approved by the manufacturer's home authority. The overseas exporter or agent must also file with GACC, while the Chinese food importer files with its local customs office.

Use the correct Chinese tariff line to price the offer

HS6 190110 has Chinese tariff lines 19011010 and 19011090. Both carry a 15% MFN duty; 19011090 also has a provisional 2026 rate of 2%. Import VAT has a standard rate of 13%, subject to the 9% list and special rules, and is calculated on customs value plus duty plus consumption tax. The importer's customs broker confirms the classification, applicable VAT and whether consumption tax applies. These charges shape landed cost and the price the importer can offer.

Check the recipe standards before printing packs

Match the formula's intended age group to the relevant standard: GB 10765-2021 for infant formula, GB 10766-2021 for follow-on formula and GB 10767-2021 for young child formula. Have the manufacturer and licensed partners review the product and artwork against the applicable Chinese food safety standards before committing to packaging.

For general-trade imports, the Chinese label for special dietary foods must be printed on the smallest sales package; stickers are not allowed. Packaging, labels and marks must comply with Chinese law and national food safety standards, with Chinese instructions where required. Include the manufacturer's required registration number in the artwork review.

Prepare the UK declaration and dairy certificate

The UK exporter must classify the formula and find the correct commodity code. Exports from England, Scotland and Wales require a GB EORI and an online export declaration. Prepare the value, weight, packaging, destination, transport details, and invoice and packing list references for the declarant.

GOV.UK lists active export health certificate 6288 for milk or milk products exported to China, including food containing dairy. Check its guidance notes for plant, product and ingredient limits before treating it as suitable for the formula. The carrier needs the invoice and any required export licences or certificates.

Assess cross-border retail as a separate route

The cross-border e-commerce retail import list includes 19011010 for formula milk powder and 19011090 for other retail-packed infant foods. Through bonded 1210 or direct 9610, listed goods are supervised as personal-use articles without first-import licence, registration or filing requirements, except for suspended epidemic-area goods or emergency handling of major quality and safety risks.

The overseas cross-border business carries the main product quality and safety responsibility and must appoint a mainland-registered company for customs registration, truthful declaration and shared civil liability. Consumers must accept a risk notice covering differences from Chinese standards, possible absence of a Chinese label, access to a Chinese electronic label and the restriction to personal use without resale.

Find an importer suited to the route and check it

Identify whether the prospective partner wants general-trade distribution or cross-border retail before discussing stock. 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.

For this formula category, our help is limited to preparation, finding and checking a Chinese importer, and coordinating licensed partners. We prepare registration and label work with licensed partners in China. The importer of record and any required cross-border e-commerce agent remain licensed partners' roles, while the manufacturer's recipe application and the brand's own filings stay their own.

Use our export-to-China service to arrange importer checks and preparation with licensed partners. Bring the proposed recipes, pack artwork, manufacturing details and intended import route so the preparation addresses the actual product.