How to export finished medicines from the UK to China
Medicines marketed in China need a drug registration certificate, followed by import through an approved drug port and port filing for a clearance notice. Confirm with the Chinese drug regulator or licensed partners who should undertake the registration application. Cambridge China Bridge’s own staff in China find and check Chinese importers and distributors for UK brands.
Choose the route before committing stock
Finished medicines marketed in China need a drug registration certificate. The trade figures below are totals for the listed codes, rather than sales of your particular medicine. For the China-to-UK route, see our amoxicillin capsule sourcing guide. For metformin, see our guide to sourcing metformin tablets from China.
HMRC recorded £832.8m of UK goods exports to mainland China under 22 HS6 subheadings in 2025 (2024: £996.6m, -16.4%). Exports to Hong Kong under the same codes were £45.2m. January to July 2026: £409.2m against £490.4m in the same months of 2025 (-16.6%). These are UK exports under HS 3003-3004 (22 subheadings).
The largest UK export line was 30049000, under HS 300490, at £413.5m in 2025. Use that market context to assess a prospective importer's product fit; it does not demonstrate demand for your formulation. Ordinary commercial imports require the drug approval and port-clearance route described below.
The manufacturer owns the registration application
Confirm with the Chinese drug regulator or licensed partners who should undertake the Chinese drug registration application. The Chinese drug authority decides, and the process takes months, not weeks. A drug marketed in China must hold a drug registration certificate. Imported medicines must enter through an approved drug-import port; the importing enterprise files with the port drug regulator, and customs releases the shipment against the import drug clearance notice. Build preparation around these separate registration and shipment requirements.
Price against the Chinese tariff line
The listed Chinese tariff lines have different duty rates, so a medicine's HS6 heading alone cannot settle its duty rate. Standard import VAT is 13%, subject to special rules, on customs value plus duty plus consumption tax. The importer's customs adviser confirms the applicable VAT treatment and whether consumption tax applies to the medicine. These border costs shape landed cost and the price an importer can offer.
| Chinese tariff line | Rate |
|---|---|
| 30033100, 30033900, 30039000, 30043200, 30043900, 30045000 | 0% |
| 30034100, 30034200, 30034300, 30034900 | 5% |
| 30044100, 30044200, 30044300, 30044900 | 5% |
| 30049010, 30049051, 30049054, 30049059, 30049090 | 0% |
| 30049020 | 4% |
| 30049052, 30049053, 30049055 | 3% |
Prepare the UK export declaration
Classify the medicine using the correct UK commodity code and check GOV.UK's special rules for exporting drugs and medicines. Exports from England, Scotland or 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. Give the carrier the invoice and any applicable export licences or certificates; the manufacturer must check which medicine-specific requirements apply.
Cross-border retail covers only narrow entries
The cross-border retail list only partially covers these medicines: 30049051 covers Chinese medicinal wine and 30049054 covers cooling oil. For 30049051, goods listed in the wildlife-product catalogue are excluded unless the specified certificate confirming a species outside that catalogue can be provided. These entries do not open the retail route to medicines generally.
Eligible listed goods imported through bonded 1210 or direct 9610 retail channels receive personal-use supervision, without first-import licensing, registration or filing, subject to epidemic-area suspensions and emergency risk measures. Consumers must accept a risk notice and may not resell the goods. The overseas business bears product quality and safety responsibility and appoints a mainland-registered company for customs registration, truthful declarations and shared civil liability.
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Check the importer before signing
Check whether the prospective importer understands your medicine's registration position, approved import port and clearance-notice process. Our own staff in China find and check Chinese importers and distributors for UK brands. If an importer has already approached you, our staff check that company before stock is sent or anything is signed.
For medicines, 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; regulated importing and any cross-border agent roles stay with those partners, and the manufacturer's own filings stay its own. Discuss the preparation needed through our export-to-China service.
Frequently asked questions
Can I export a medicine to China with UK approval alone?
A medicine marketed in China must be approved by the Chinese national drug regulator and hold a drug registration certificate. Confirm with the regulator or licensed partners who should undertake the Chinese registration application.
Which port can receive my medicine shipment?
Use a port approved for drug imports. The importing enterprise files with the port drug regulator, and customs releases the medicines against the import drug clearance notice.
Are all medicines duty-free in China?
No. The listed lines include 0%, 3%, 4% and 5% MFN rates. For example, 30049020 is 4% and 30044900 is 5%. Establish the medicine's Chinese tariff line before pricing.
Can cross-border e-commerce replace drug registration?
Only eligible listed retail goods receive the personal-use treatment. The matched entries are 30049051 and 30049054, with a wildlife-related exclusion for 30049051. This is not a general route for medicines.