By: Rick Walker, Vice President, TradeInsights, LCB, CCS

March 18 is fast approaching, and this article serves as a reminder that effective March 18, a valid China postal code will be a required field in the transmission of a Customs entry where a Chinese MID is used. According to the Alert issued by Customs on November 2, 2022 (found here) a valid China postal code must be provided and validated when:

• The People’s Republic of China (CN) is selected as a manufacturer’s country of origin for entry
• CN is selected as a manufacturer’s country of origin when a Manufacturer Identification Code (MID) is created, or
• An existing MID with Country of Origin ‘CN’ is updated

There has been some confusion as to whether to report the postal code if the imported goods are manufactured in China but purchased from a third country seller. CBP clarified that in a bi-weekly call with the trade when Katie Woodson with CBP stated that the postal code requirement is not applicable if the MID used on the entry is that of a third-country seller, though she noted that the MID of the actual manufacturer is required for textiles and some other goods regulated by partner government agencies. So, if your company imports from China and uses a Chinese MID on the entry, you or your broker will be required to enter the valid China postal code.  An invalid code (or one that does not match the Manufacturer’s postal code) could lead to a hold or detention of the shipment, delaying delivery. Although it is not a requirement of the new procedure, some importers are requesting that their Chinese suppliers, if they are not doing so already, include their valid postal code on the commercial documents. With the March 18 deadline steadily approaching, now would be a good time to confirm you have valid postal codes from your Chinese suppliers and confirm with your brokers that they have the valid postal codes in place in their system prior to March 18.

Please contact your V. Alexander account team, or you may also contact our Trade Compliance team at tradeinsights@valexander.com with any questions.