How to export motorcycles from the UK to China

Separate complete bikes, registered bikes and parts

Start with a shipment schedule identifying whether each item is a new complete motorcycle, a previously registered motorcycle or a separately supplied component. Record the model, VIN where applicable, engine capacity, fuel type, condition and intended use. Ask the Chinese importer for a written admission and certification assessment against that schedule before committing stock.

For parts, replace descriptions such as ‘motorcycle accessories’ with the actual component, material, function and compatible models. A brake hose, tyre and engine assembly should each receive their own classification assessment. Use our guide to finding your commodity code to prepare the information your declarant needs.

Make acceptance of the import route a contract milestone. Identify who pays if certification requires a different component, additional testing or a change to the shipment. Do not promise Chinese road registration merely because the bike has UK registration documents.

Resolve CCC and the emissions standard for the delivery date

CNCA-C11-02:2021, China’s motorcycle compulsory certification rule, applies to motorcycles travelling on Chinese highways and urban roads. Ask the certification body to confirm the exact model, manufacturing site and configuration covered by the proposed certificate. For a competition or display bike, obtain a separate scope decision rather than assuming that its description settles the issue.

For petrol motorcycles, GB 14622-2016 addresses exhaust and evaporative emissions, crankcase emissions, pollution-control durability and onboard diagnostics. Request the emissions evidence for the configuration being shipped, including its engine-management and exhaust specification.

China has also published GB 14622-2026, the China V motorcycle emissions standard. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment lists implementation on 1 January 2029 and replacement of GB 14622-2016 and GB 18176-2016. It is not already the applicable standard simply because its number contains 2026. Have the importer confirm the applicable standard and transition provisions for your planned delivery.

Inspect the shipped configuration, not just its appearance

Build the inspection record around the approved specification: photograph the VIN and identification plate, record fitted component references, and reconcile them with the order and certification documents. Put these requirements into a product specification sheet before inspection.

For mechanical checks, use a competent motorcycle technician. DVSA’s motorcycle inspection manual identifies leaking brake master cylinders, insufficient brake-control reserve travel and controls that do not release correctly as defects. Ask for recorded checks of these points rather than a general statement that the brakes work.

Check steering through its full movement. DVSA identifies restricted handlebar movement and handlebars fouling the tank or bodywork at full lock as defects. Record the result with the bike assembled in its shipping specification.

These are proposed shipment checks informed by the UK inspection manual; they do not establish Chinese certification. For loose components, add drawing-based fit and interface checks against the intended application. Keep tyres and wheels on their own product schedule, and use our car-parts export guide when the order includes automotive components.

Keep UK export VAT separate from Chinese landed cost

This is a UK-to-China export procedure. UK import-duty rates do not price this movement. Before issuing a firm delivered quotation, require the Chinese customs broker to return a line-by-line calculation showing the Chinese classification, customs value, duty, applicable consumption tax and import VAT, with responsibility for each charge recorded in the contract.

On the UK side, HMRC’s VAT Notice 703 allows qualifying exports to be zero-rated when all relevant conditions are met. Evidence of supply and official or commercial export evidence must be retained. For ordinary direct exports, the normal deadlines for export and obtaining evidence are both three months from the time of supply.

Hypothetical example: a UK business sells motorcycle parts directly for export to China for £10,000, excluding freight and insurance. Assuming every zero-rating condition is met, UK output VAT is £10,000 × 0% = £0, and the goods invoice is £10,000. This is an export-invoice example, not the Chinese landed cost; Chinese border taxes and transport remain to be calculated.

If the Chinese customer appoints the carrier, agree before release which export evidence will reach the UK seller. HMRC specifically warns that obtaining adequate evidence can be difficult where the overseas customer controls collection.

Complete UK customs and vehicle-record steps

For exports from England, Scotland or Wales, the exporter needs an EORI beginning GB. Agree who makes the export declaration. Prepare an invoice and packing schedule that distinguish complete motorcycles from parts and identify the goods consistently with the declaration.

For a UK-registered motorcycle being taken abroad for 12 months or more, DVLA requires notification of permanent export. Follow its V5C procedure: detach and send the permanent-export section, retaining the remainder for registration abroad. When a vehicle is sold for registration overseas, the seller must provide the full V5C rather than only the new-keeper slip.

Treat these as separate tasks: the UK customs declaration, any applicable DVLA notification, Chinese admission and certification, and the export evidence supporting VAT treatment. Keep a named owner and completion record for each.

Use Chinese industry contacts to test the sales proposition

CIMAMotor, the China International Motorcycle Trade Exhibition, is held at Chongqing International Expo Center. The organiser lists complete motorcycles, components, riding equipment and aftermarket solutions. Use its exhibitor information to identify potential technical and distribution contacts, then ask candidates which models they can import and support.

Jiangmen’s Pengjiang district is a separate motorcycle and component production cluster. The district government describes an industry covering complete motorcycles, component manufacturing, sales and the aftermarket. For a UK component brand, that makes it a sensible place to investigate potential manufacturing customers or technical partners; the cluster’s existence does not prove demand for your part.

Ask prospective partners to review a concrete package: model or component specification, certification position, proposed price, spare-parts arrangements and warranty responsibilities. Our export-to-China service can help you find and check potential Chinese importers and distributors.