CHINA. In a further boost to Hainan’s already booming offshore duty free sector, the Ministry of Finance, General Administration of Customs, and State Administration of Taxation today jointly announced that visitors to the island will be able to have their goods posted back to the Mainland. The new regulation takes effect immediately.
The government bodies said the move was in support of the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port. It would also accelerate the construction of an international tourism consumption center, and further facilitate tourist shopping.
The announcement outlined the following protocol for duty free shopping and pick-up methods for Hainan visitors:
1. When passengers purchase goods at an offshore duty free store (including an approved online sales window) with a valid ID card and travel information, in addition to picking up the goods at the designated areas of the airport, train station, or seaport, they can choose to send by post for pick-up. If post is chosen, the recipient, payer, and purchaser should be the shopping passenger him/herself, and the recipient address should be outside Hainan Province.
Duty free retailers must confirm that the shopping passengers meet the above requirements and have actually left the island, and then immediately deliver the duty free goods.
Residents on the island include Chinese citizens who hold Hainan Provincial ID cards, Hainan Province residence permits or social security cards, as well as foreigners who work and live in Hainan Province and hold residence permits.
Relevant departments of Hainan Province should provide customs and taxation with relevant information and networking environment for verification of residents’ qualifications on the island, departure of passengers from the island, and ticket purchase.
3. The specific regulatory requirements for delivery by post and pick-up by returning islanders shall be separately announced by the General Administration of Customs.
| DutyFreeExpert opinion Jason Cao, Founder & Editor of Chinese B2B media DutyFreeExpert, commented on the policy: “The surge in the number of people shopping in offshore duty free and the sheer volume of products, as well as the physical space and logistics constraints of the pick-up points, have caused thousands of consumer complaints, which attracted great attention from relevant authorities.
“The offshore duty free business, based on the national strategy of building a Hainan Free Trade Port, has once again won the support of the Central Government. The new mail delivery scheme and pick-up arrangements for islanders will bring great convenience the offshore duty free business and further stimulate the sector.” |
Hainan Island: Travel retail’s global hotspot The Moodie Davitt Report will publish a Hainan Island Special Report with the China edition of The Magazine in February 2021. Written by Martin Moodie and Dermot Davitt, it will explore how the offshore duty free business in China has become critical to the world’s leading brands across many categories. 海南：旅游零售业的全球焦点 穆迪戴维特报告（Moodie Davitt Report）将于2021年2月随The Magazine的中文版发表《海南特别报道》。该篇由马丁·穆迪（Martin Moodie）和德莫特·戴维特（Dermot Davitt）撰写，将探讨中国的离岸免税业务是如何变得对跨类别的各大全球领先品牌至关重要。 报告将覆盖以下内容：
The report will feature:
Contact Irene@MoodieDavittReport.com to partner with The Moodie Davitt Report for this special edition. |
